Rhiannon and Alastair
A love story rooted in meaning and adventure, Rhiannon and Alastair’s wedding was the perfect blend of heartfelt intimacy and cityscape magic. With Edinburgh as their backdrop and sunshine defying the forecast, their day was filled with laughter, emotion, and unforgettable moments — from a handfasting ceremony at City Chambers to hiking up Arthur’s Seat in full wedding attire. Rhiannon chose her dream dress — the flowing, romantic Rhea gown — after spotting it online and knowing deep down it was the one. Her journey to the perfect fit, paired with her Renaissance-inspired style and thoughtful custom touches, made for a bridal look as timeless and beautiful as the love it celebrated.
How would you describe your Mirka Bridal Couture experience?
So easy and straightforward! I had only gone to one place before Mirka’s - a sample sale shop which was like that one episode of Friends (iykyk!) which had been an awful experience. Mirka Bridal Couture was the complete opposite - nice and easy online booking, a quiet shop that was nice and airy, lots of dresses to look at and try on with matching veils and accessory ideas. Mirka is so chill and lets you verbalise your way through a dress and offers ideas so you know what kind of alterations you could get; and is very thoughtful of your budget too!
Can you tell us a bit about your dress?
My dress is the Rhea design with a higher neckline and adjusted back panel - I wanted to have some ventilation as we got married in May and were expecting hot weather; and I didn’t want to be that bride who was constantly on watch for her dress falling down in the front. My favourite part of this dress is the comfortable, flowing fabric and the sleeves - I’ve always been a sucker for any kind of renaissance-esque/vintage sleeve and this design certainly delivered everything I was looking for!
When did you know you had found the dress for you?
I had actually booked a fitting with this exact dress in mind - I’d seen it featured in a wedding Inspo blog for “ethereal elopement wedding gowns” and was so excited to find out that the designer was in Scotland. This was also a bit of a gamble for me, I’d built up a picture in my head of this being the dress and I knew that if I put it on and hated how I looked in it I would lose faith in finding a dress and end up getting married in my pyjamas! Mirka kindly let me try out a few different styles just in case (definitely ruling them out though they were gorgeous!) but as soon as I was buttoned into Rhea it was like the stars had aligned - I’d have handed over my money and walked out wearing the sample I loved it so much; and trying a veil solidified the fact that that was my dress!
How did you find the process of having a dress made to measure for you?
Incredibly calm and straightforward - I had initial measurements taken at the fist appointment, then a second measurement at my first fitting. Following fittings allowed me to see my dress taking shape from lining to fully-fledged gown. Mirka is very efficient in every aspect and thinks about potential alterations you might want ahead of time (like tightening my sleeves at the wrist) and also allowed me to add a veil as a part of the final look.
How did you feel in your dress on the day?
It’s kind of difficult to describe, I felt very special and a lot of tourists on the mile were filming/taking pictures/shouting congratulations to us; but I also felt weirdly incognito? Like, you’re told in films/tv and imagine when you’re a kid that when you’re in your wedding dress that it’s heavy, it pinches, you need an entourage just to visit the loo, you need to constantly adjust it. I had none of these issues. I was in this dress from 9am to 2am the next day and probably could’ve slept in it!
Tell us more about your big day/ What was your biggest wedding inspiration?
Me and Alastair have always been team elopement since we first talked about marriage - neither of us wanted to have a massive wedding and often joked about taking off up a mountain in full gown and kilt with a photographer and celebrant - but we decided on a small, intimate wedding when we found out that his mum’s cancer had come back. She very sadly passed away before we had started properly planning, and after the funeral we decided to go ahead with planning to have something positive to pour ourselves into. The vibe very much became “We’re ‘eloping’ but you are the elite who are invited to join us for the party” with our closest family and friends attending. We did a hand fastening ceremony at Edinburgh City Chambers, followed by a reception at the local BrewDog (where my husband works) and a small hike part way up Arthur’s Seat to the Ruined Chapel of St Anthony. While it was forecast to rain like stair-rods, we got glorious sunshine all day; and it was such a fun day walking around Edinburgh together looking all fancy!
What is your favourite picture from your wedding day and why is this image so special to you?
It’s very hard to choose as our photographer was so wonderful and we love many photos for different reasons; but we both loved this black and white one of us together. Lizzie took us to a hidden garden area in the heart of the Royal Mile, and the wind was playing the perfect maid of honour with the veil toss haha! Me and Alastair are constantly making each other laugh and this more traditional shot was taken before I decided to jump the puddle on the way out (made it over without a splash!)
Finally, do you have any advice for future brides visiting Mirka Bridal Couture?
Just enjoy the process, from start to finish mine was 15 months which in the grand scheme of things is a long time; but I swear I left the shop in February 2024 having chosen the dress, blinked, and I was picking it up in May 2025 a few weeks away from saying my vows!
If you like what you see, here are some of the incredible suppliers that brought this wedding to life:
Photography: Lizzie Thurgood
Hair: Tracey Reid (traceyreidhair10 on Instagram)
Kilt: Macgregor and Macduff
Bouquet: Happy Blossom and Hidden Botanics Weddings (mixed by bride)
Venues: Edinburgh City Chambers; Brewdog (Doghouse)