I met Jamie on the dance floor of a now-defunct Forfar nightclub 14 years ago.
We had known of one another from our days at Forfar Academy, but this was the night our romance truly began.
Since then, we have been each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
We lead ambitious, busy lives.
We’re always chasing the next best thing and supporting one another to get into a better position in life.
I teach hairdressing at Dundee and Angus College, and in April this year, I opened my own salon, Loxx, in Forfar.
Jamie teaches mechanics and engineering at the college and recently started teaching yoga privately.
We welcomed our son after 12 years together
In 2022 we welcomed our little Covid surprise – Preston Frank Allan – the best surprise of our lives.
Our little boy came 12 years into our relationship, so he really ruffled up the feathers and the dynamic – but the best kind of ruffle you can imagine.
We also have our first-born, Ruby (our dog). She is a massive part of the equation.
The four of us tackled the North Coast 500 in our campervan this summer and it was quite the adventure.
Jamie and I have always wanted to get married, but it was just never a priority for us.
There were always more important things than a bit of paper, essentially.
Death of Jamie’s mum inspired us to tie the knot
But our feelings changed after Jamie’s mum suddenly died last November.
It put a lot into perspective for us.
We realised that if anything happened to one of us, the other wouldn’t be protected legally.
I was also the only one in the household without the Allan name.
So, this summer, we decided it was time to get married.
We phoned the registrar’s office to see when the next available date was.
We managed to secure a date at the Burgh Chambers Town Hall in St Andrews in August.
How we planned our wedding in six weeks
This gave us six weeks to plan the wedding.
Thankfully, we weren’t interested in having a big white wedding.
The two of us are always surrounded by people so we just wanted something sacred and intimate: just the two of us.
I got my dress from Innate Bridals in Lochee in Dundee.
I basically went in and said, ‘What can you give me that will be ready in six weeks?’
They were very accommodating.
My dress did not fit me when I first bought it, but the lovely seamstress completely redesigned it and made me a choker out of excess material.
She listened to my totally unrealistic vision and she made it absolutely realistic.
Emotional wedding day in St Andrews
The night before our wedding, Jamie and I enjoyed a meal in St Andrews with 10 of our closest friends and family, before staying overnight in Hotel Indigo.
The following morning – Saturday August 29 – Jamie’s best friend was there to help him get ready, and my mum, sister and niece were there to help me get ready.
Obviously, we made sure to avoid seeing one another.
Jamie’s best friend then dropped him off at the Burgh Chambers.
Meanwhile, my dad picked me up in Jamie and I’s campervan, which had wedding bows on it – very old school.
And then – with our videographer and photographer as our two witnesses – we were married.
It was very emotional.
When we came out, my mum and sister were waiting with Preston to throw confetti and celebrate.
Then Jamie and I went for a wander on the streets.
However, we soon realised we were attracting some attention from tourists.
St Andrews tourists chanted ‘Kiss, kiss, kiss!’
For some reason, they thought we were paid actors and could not believe we’d just been married.
We could hardly get through the streets without stopping to take selfies.
I think there were around 80 tourists off of one bus surrounding us at one point.
It was hilarious.
They were shouting, ‘Kiss, kiss, kiss!’ in Spanish.
We had no idea what that meant! We don’t speak Spanish.
Then we enjoyed a drink at The Criterion.
We just turned up. We had booked nothing. We totally blagged our way through that day.
But the landlady was amazing. She rang the bell, got the whole pub to congratulate us, and just made it such an amazing atmosphere.
It was a wonderful first drink as a married couple.
Things went downhill when I had to go into H&M to buy flip flops – it was 22 degrees that day, and my shoes were rubbing on my feet!
We planned our wedding for just £4,000
Then we went to the Boat Brae for a meal, before spending the night in the honeymoon suite at The Hideaway in Auchterhouse.
It was a totally romantic getaway, with a beautiful little cabin, an outdoor shower and a hot tub.
In total, we spent about £4,000 on the wedding.
This included our accommodation, the meals and drinks the outfits, hair and make-up – literally everything.
It was exactly what we wanted.
But it was a bittersweet day for us.
It was difficult without Jamie’s mum. He is an only child, so there was no blood family for him that could come.
I also had quite a hard time after the birth of Preston.
So, we’ve had a tough two years; mentally, physically, and emotionally.
We are not the kind of people who feel deserving of things – but we deserved that nice day together and we were very grateful for it.
My advice for anyone who wants an intimate wedding?
Since the wedding, so many people have messaged me asking, ‘How do I do this?’
Everyone keeps saying to me, ‘That’s great. Oh my god, I would love to do that.’
My words of advice to anyone who is thinking about having an intimate wedding?
Honestly, just bloody do it.
Jamie and I always say to one another: ‘It’s you and me, just us two of us’.
That’s all you need – you don’t need anything else.
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