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SHE LOOKED SO HAPPY, IT WAS WONDERFUL.“ ”

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T he wedding of Claire and Kirsten Coetzee was all they hoped it

would be – romantic, exciting and within a fairytale setting.

Claire, had always imagined getting married in a castle, and two

and a half years after her long-term boyfriend Kirsten proposed, she saw

her dream become a reality at Glenskirlie Castle. “It was definitely the best

day of my life,” she admitted. “It was just amazing. Everything was perfect

and was exactly as we hoped it to be.”

MEMORABLE MOMENTClaire, a graphic designer, met Kirsten, currently a law

student originally from South Africa, nine years ago when

they were both at university in Dundee. “He proposed

to me in 2008, the night we were leaving the UK to go

travelling and live in Australia for a year. It was a very

romantic addition to the excitement that we already felt

about our travels” she said. “We started the planning

when we returned to the UK in February 2010 which was

a lot of fun .”

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MAKING WISHES The ceremony was held in the castle at 2.30pm with 120 guests attending,

which Claire described as “traditional but with a few personal touches.”

She wore an ivory Pronovias dress while Kirsten was in full Scottish dress,

complete with black, white and silver grey kilt. The bridesmaids wore coral.

“The maid of honour was my sister Lorna Watson and then I had two of my

best friends, Rhona Cameron and Jill Clark, as my bridesmaids,” recalled

Claire. “Kirsten’s brother, JC, was the best man.”

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“FOR ME THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT WAS TURNING ROUND AND SEEING CLAIRE WALKING DOWN THE AISLE IN HER WEDDING DRESS.”

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“ EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT AND WAS EXACTLY AS WE HOPED IT TO BE. ”

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Lorna Watson, sister of the bride said: “I was the maid

of honour, which was very special as she had performed

the same role when I was married.

I organised her hen party for her before the big day –

a group of us went to Edinburgh for two nights. The

whole weekend was great fun. There were eight of us

altogether and we all knew each other well from our

school days. While we were there we had a “butler in

the buff,” who came and waited on us!

The wedding day itself was just great. I had never been

to the castle before and it was beautiful. The weather

was also amazing.

I wore a coral dress that matched those of the other

bridesmaids. The dress we all had could be styled in

15 different ways, so we each chose something different

– I wore mine in a Grecian style.”

Andrew Watson, brother-in-law of the bride said

“I first met Claire and Kirsten back in 2008, when I

started going out with Lorna, and it was nice to be asked

to be one of the ushers at the wedding. The day itself

was really good. The venue was lovely and there was a

laid back feel to the whole event, which meant everyone

was able to enjoy themselves and relax.”

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Richard Mitchell, father of the bride said:

“Kirsten had asked my permission to

ask Claire to marry him – and I was very

pleased to give it.

Claire always wanted to be married in a

castle and on her wedding day she saw her

dream come true. It was a very special day

for all of us. We looked forward to it and

it all went very well. The venue turned out

to be everything we had hoped it would

be. I wore a kilt in a tartan that was chosen

by the groom. I only had to prepare my

speech, which was nerve-wracking but

went well on the day – at least, everyone

laughed in all the right places!”

Christine Mitchell, mother of the bride

said: “We were delighted when they

became engaged – Kirsten is a very nice

boy and they had been together for a

number of years.

I wore a two-piece outfit in ivory and cream

and, although I wasn’t nervous at all, was

glad when the day finally arrived. For me,

the best moment of the day was watching

Claire walk down the aisle and everyone

seeing her dress for the first time. She

looked so happy, it was wonderful.”

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KIRSTEN HAD ASKED MY PERMISSION TO ASK CLAIRE TO MARRY HIM – AND I WAS

VERY PLEASED TO GIVE IT.

“”

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BEAUTIFUL COLOURSAfter the drinks reception held outside the castle in the

gardens, everyone moved into a magnificently dressed

reception area for the celebration.

The tables and chairs were dressed in black linen with

a coral tie around each chair. Arrangements of South

African flowers and flickering candles were scattered on

each of the tables creating the perfect atmosphere.

“We personalised it all and I did all the stationery myself.

There was a pack for everyone which enclosed the menu,

a scratch card to win a drink at the bar, a card and pen

for a quiz and a tag to write and hang on the wish tree,”

recalled Claire.

The meal was delicious, agreed all the guests. The starter

was a salmon and crayfish roulade. This was followed by

roast loin of venison and then a chocolate and raspberry

mousse for dessert.

The cake was created with tier after tier of cupcakes –

and featured the Scottish/South African emblem that

Claire had designed.

“The speeches from my Dad, Kirsten and JC were all

amazing and extremely emotional,” she said.

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“ IT WAS LOVELY TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME. ”

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FAIRY LIGHTSIn the evening, the dance floor was lit up with fairy lights and the

band, Franko, came on to play their own versions of favourite

songs. Kirsten said: “Our first dance was Stan Walker’s Let’s

Stay Together, a song we chose together. The atmosphere while

everyone was dancing was great. The only problem was that it

seemed to pass so quickly – it was all gone in a flash!”

SUNSHINE DAYSA South African-style barbecue was held outside in the evening

and then, after a night in the hotel at Glenskirlie Castle, the happy

couple headed off for a week’s honeymoon in Dubai. “It was very,

very hot in Dubai but it was lovely – and was a great opportunity

to unwind,” said Claire. And Kirsten added: “The whole event was

quite an experience but for me the most memorable moment

was turning round and seeing Claire walking down the aisle in her

wedding dress. She just looked absolutely amazing.”