Andy Hammond

Donna and Gavin's Wedding at Colstoun House

The team at Opus spoke to our bride Donna who really wanted her big day to captivate them as a couple. Have a read at what Donna had to say about her big day!

Donna chose a beautiful Maggie Sottero dress after discovering that Opus was a platinum stockist, so she got in touch to book an appointment!

How was your Opus Experience?

So, so helpful, knowledgeable and friendly from the get go! My wedding was postponed twice during the pandemic and the team were so understanding and patient. Every visit to Opus felt special and I never felt rushed. I highly recommend them to all brides-to-be!

Let’s start from the beginning? How did your partner propose?

We met at a mutual friends birthday dinner almost 10 years ago, and had been together for 6 years when Gavin decided to propose in Barcelona! It was on our first night there and we were away for a week, so it was great to have the whole holiday to celebrate and stay in our newly engaged bubble! Gavin is a graphic designer, and proposed with a photo book he designed containing notable highlights from our time together over the years with some very sweet words; ending the book with Will You Marry Me?

Next up - THE DRESS

I pretty much knew exactly the type of dress I would like from the beginning; long sleeves, high neck, lace detail..but definitely kept an open mind when trying dresses on. After my first trip to Opus, we hadn’t quite found ‘the one’ but some options were being considered. Soon after, Susan phoned me and said a new dress (Leonora by Enzoani) had arrived in store and she thought of me as soon as she saw it as it was exactly what I had described to her! Susan sent me a photo of it, and sure enough I knew I had to try it on! As soon as I tried it on, I knew the search was over - it was so stunning, and felt so ‘me’! Honestly I couldn’t thank Susan enough for such amazing customer service - she clearly knew my vision! I love every part of the dress, especially the intricate lace. It has such an elegant, and vintage feel to it, and I felt beautiful wearing it.

Now for the big day…

We knew we wanted quite a relaxed and intimate wedding, with a rustic yet elegant feel. We chose earthy, delicate tones as a colour palette to suit our country estate venue. I knew I wanted dried flowers from the beginning also, so they played a huge part in the decor and I took on the task of creating the centre pieces/decor throughout the day, which meant my house was full of boxes of decor for way too long ha! Pinterest and Instagram were major elements in our planning process!

We would love to hear a little more on your wedding day…

Obviously after 2 postponed dates due to Covid, we were just so thrilled that our day could actually go ahead! We made our guest list smaller and honestly, it suited us better! We really had the most perfect day, everything fell in to place and there were no real big hiccups at all. Every one of our suppliers were fantastic. I remember right as I was ready to walk down the aisle, a wave of calm came over me and I just felt so excited to see Gavin! Our ceremony was so personal and fun, our food was incredible, and our DJ kept the dance floor busy all night - he was amazing!

Do you have any advice for our future Opus Brides?

More than anything, we knew we wanted the day to represent us as a couple, and for us to be as comfortable as possible. So I would say, step back and really think about every aspect of the day; ask yourself what you want and why you’re doing it. It’s easy to fall in to the idea that you have to follow ‘wedding day rules’, but you can tailor the day to suit you as a couple! For example, we didn’t see the point in cutting a cake and didn’t like the tradition behind it, so we decided not to do it, and it saved a good bit of money. Also, I recommend keeping a spreadsheet of everything you have booked and bought to keep you right with budgets! And most importantly, we knew the day would go by quickly, so really try and be in the moment and take it all in - spend quality time with your new husband/wife on the day too.