A stylish and elegant wedding with personal touches at Voco Grand Central, Glasgow

Monique and Chris have Tinder to thank for discovering they were the perfect match for one another.

Both living in London at the time, they first met for drinks at a bar in Clapham Junction. Just over two years later, Chris proposed to Monique with a placeholder ring in Bologna, Italy, in September 2020.

Then when the couple relocated to Glasgow in 2021 they went engagement ring shopping together.

“I found Bejouled as I specifically wanted a conflict-free lab- grown diamond,” says Monique.

With a good-sized guestlist and a considerable amount of family and friends travelling to celebrate their special day, the couple wanted a venue capable of holding around 180 people in the centre of Glasgow.

“Voco Grand Central is so elegant and beautiful, you walk in and it feels very grand and impressive,” Monique says.

“The staff were always incredibly welcoming and friendly every time we visited and especially on the day.”

Both the bride and groom were keen for the wedding to reflect their different backgrounds – Scottish and Jamaican – and also a bit of the Isle of Man, where Monique grew up.

The couple loved working with Neil McKenzie from Fuze Ceremonies to make the ceremony relaxed and very personal to them.

“He was so warm and friendly, and made all of our guests feel so welcome,” Chris explains.

“He put in some really special touches such as a well-wishing and our ‘three things’ we love most about each other – which we told him individually, prior to the day, then heard them during the ceremony for the first time. It made the ceremony feel very unique.”

Green is the colour

Monique’s four bridesmaids and two bridesmen were a mixture of old school friends and friends from university.

For her ‘maids, she wanted to go for a mismatched style with each in the same style of dress, but slightly different shades of green.

“It was important for me that my bridesmaids felt comfortable in their dresses, so it was very much a joint decision with each bridesmaid,” she says.

“The bridesmen had trews sets with the same tartan as the groomsmens’ kilts – as the dark green would match the bridesmaid dresses – with sunflower buttonholes to match their bouquets. My dad also wore the same trews suit.”

Chris, his two best men, five groomsmen and his dad all wore a Modern Douglas kilt from House of Henderson, Stirling.

And Chris opted for socks, sporran and a tie in a different colour to the rest, so that his outfit would stand out.

Monique originally thought she wanted a dress with sleeves that was not fitted or figure-hugging.

“Of course, I ended up with a fitted sleeveless dress!” she smiles.

“I had a VIP appointment at Aimee Bridal Couture in Glasgow and went with my mum and aunt. I was feeling quite stressed about the appointment, nervous about having so much attention on me, and worried about making what felt like a pretty big decision.”

But staff were encouraging and supportive, helping her to pinpoint exactly how she felt in each dress, and making it a really enjoyable experience.

She chose simple ivory satin block heels from ASOS and her main priority was being able to walk in them – and feel comfortable, too.

“I knew I wouldn’t want to be in them all day,” Monique adds.

“After the post-ceremony photos, I changed into custom white Nike Air Force 1s I had made – with mine and Chris’ initials on the back.”

The night before the wedding, Monique and Chris enjoyed intimate drinks and canapés with immediate family and the wedding party.

This helped to ease their nerves and kickstart the weekend of celebrations.

Then in the morning, Monique was excited rather than nervous and enjoyed tunes, mimosas, and lots of laughs with her bridal party.

A wonderful moment

Monique walked down the aisle to a piano version of Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen.

“It was a total blur and a little daunting having so many eyes on me! But truly, it was a wonderful moment, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

It was so special having my mum beside me, and seeing Chris grinning at the end of the aisle,” she reflects.

The post-ceremony reception drinks were rum punch and red stripe – both Jamaican specialties! Guests could also play dominoes.

Then for a Scottish touch, a member of the couple’s ceilidh band Stravaig piped their guests in and out of the ceremony as well as piping the new Mr and Mrs Hart into their reception.

Tables had Jamaican and Scottish names and, in a break with tradition, Monique did the first speech at the meal.

For the evening reception there was ceilidh dancing and later a DJ. Evening food was a fusion of Scottish and Caribbean – Scotch pies and macaroni pies!

You can read Chris and Monique’s love story journey, as written in their ceremony script, on the Fuze Ceremonies website here

“The dance floor was heaving for every single one of the ceilidh dances!

We couldn’t believe how many friends and family who’d never been to a ceilidh before were dying to give it a go,” Monique remembers.

“So much planning and anticipation went into the big day – but it was truly perfect.”