Claire and Rich’s wedding at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire was a beautiful celebration combining the elegance of the venue with meaningful Scottish traditions, family, laughter and plenty of energy. From kilts and a traditional quaich ceremony to confetti in the Orchard Maze and a lively ceilidh in the evening, their wedding day was full of personal touches that made it completely their own.

 

Claire spent the morning getting ready in the bridal preparation house at Combermere Abbey, surrounded by her family and bridesmaids, while Rich and the groomsmen got ready separately in the groom preparation house. With Claire’s Scottish family heritage being such an important part of the day, traditional kilts were worn by the men, adding a wonderful sense of occasion and identity to the wedding photographs.

 

The morning included some beautiful emotional moments, including Claire’s reveals with her bridesmaids and her dad. These quieter moments before the ceremony provided a lovely contrast to the celebrations that would follow and gave us the opportunity to capture the excitement and anticipation of the morning naturally.

 

Claire and Rich were married in the Glasshouse at Combermere Abbey. As part of their ceremony, they included the Scottish tradition of the quaich ceremony. The quaich is a traditional Scottish drinking vessel often associated with friendship, trust and hospitality. Claire and Rich shared a drink of whisky from the quaich, symbolising trust and peace between their two families and bringing an important part of Claire’s Scottish heritage into their wedding ceremony.

 

After the ceremony, guests made their way into the Orchard Maze for confetti. Claire and Rich then led everyone back towards the Pavilion for their drinks reception, giving everyone time to relax, enjoy a drink and celebrate with the newlyweds.

 

We took Claire and Rich away for a relaxed couples photo shoot around the Combermere Abbey grounds, making the most of the beautiful landscape and historic setting. Later in the day, we also headed down towards the Abbey for more photographs as the light began to change. Having the freedom to use different parts of the estate meant we could create a varied collection of wedding photographs without taking the couple away from their guests for too long.

 

The evening celebrations brought another important Scottish tradition into the day - a ceilidh. Guests were talked through the steps before each dance began, meaning everyone could get involved regardless of whether they had danced a ceilidh before. The result was a high-energy evening filled with movement, laughter and plenty of interaction between everyone on the dance floor.

 

From the elegant Glasshouse ceremony and emotional family moments to kilts, whisky, the quaich ceremony and a lively Scottish ceilidh, Claire and Rich’s Combermere Abbey wedding was a wonderful blend of timeless surroundings and personal traditions.

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Venue: Combermere Abbey; Photography & Videography: The Newtons Film & Photography; Make Up: EH Makeup Artistry; Hair: Vicky M Hair; Ceremony Music: Ada Grace Wedding Musician; Evening Band: The Big Papas; Florist: Flossies Wedding; Content Creator: The Relaxed Bride; Humanist Celebrant: David The Humanist; Piper: Martin The Piper

 

Planning your own Combermere Abbey wedding? We’d love to hear about it.