A beautiful summer St Andrews wedding at St Salvator’s Chapel and the University of St Andrews
Talia and Insung
- ThePlus Audio
- ThePlus Audio
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Talia and Insung met via a dating app not long after she moved from Boston, USA to London.
After five years together, Insung proposed on Lake Ontario in Canada (they’d moved to Toronto from London a few months earlier).
“It was a very sweet surprise and Insung had booked a boat to take us out on the water where he proposed at sunset,” Talia smiles.
“Our priority was finding a venue in a location that meant something for both of us.
“As I’m from Boston and Insung is from London we wanted to choose a location where both families could meet and share memories together.”
Talia studied at the University of St Andrews and the couple took a trip to the town early in their relationship – both loving it, along with the picturesque Scottish coastline.
“We loved St Salvator’s Chapel and both of us always knew we’d want to be married in a church.
“The proximity of the reception venue (Lower and Upper College Halls) to the church was ideal and made things easy for our guests – you just walk across the quad.”
As the couple were living in Canada at the time of planning their wedding, having a venue Talia already knew made it easier to plan from abroad.
“The events manager at St Andrews, Amanda Morrison, was so incredibly helpful and kind during our initial inquiry call that we felt we’d be in safe hands – which we were!”
Talia loves soft greens, pinks and whites, so there was a range of greens for the bridesmaids dresses, pinks and whites for the bouquets, and whites for the flowers in the chapel and reception.
She also decided to add a personal touch by hand-writing a letter for each of their guests which doubled up as a place card.
“It took months to write them all and it was probably the only detail we kept secret from everyone, but it was so worth it.”
Simply the best
Talia and her mum have been fans of Say Yes to the Dress for years, so she had some ideas of her own.
“I knew I wanted an A-line dress and something simple but beyond that I was pretty open to trying anything.
“We went to around five shops before we found the dress I chose.
“I’m not a very impulsive person so even though I knew it was the dress, I slept on it and then rang the next morning to confirm my choice.”
She fell for the ‘Jessica’ dress by Maggie Sottero at Boston Bridal Atelier back home in the US.
“It has a gorgeous chiffon ruched bodice with a cowl neckline and lace and beading peeking out.
“The lace and beading also outlines the low back and the edge of the train.
“I had the cowl neck on the bodice pinned in just a little bit when I got it tailored so you can see the detail a bit more.”
Talia wore a long and simple chiffon veil and a thin belt with pearls and small rhinestones to accentuate the waist of the dress.
Her shoes were open-toe heels adorned with little pearls.
She borrowed her mum’s wedding jewellery, wearing the drop pearl earrings and pearl bracelet she had worn for her wedding.
Midway through the reception the couple changed into Maputas, traditional Congolese outfits.
They chose deep blue and burgundy material with a floral design and a gold shimmer across the fabric.
“We loved these outfits so much and it was such a nice way to incorporate Insung’s culture,” says Talia.
Her bridal party of eight included four sisters-in-law, three friends from university and a childhood friend.
Insung wore a black floral jacquard tuxedo jacket and black tuxedo trousers and his wedding party consisted of Talia’s brother, his three brothers and five childhood friends.
Good energy
The couple spent the day before the wedding with a ceremony rehearsal and dinner.
“We were so excited to spend the time with everyone and kick off the weekend.
“While not necessarily relaxing, we wanted to spend as much time with people as possible and it was so much fun,” Talia smiles.
“I got a good seven hours of sleep, which was plenty as my adrenaline was high from the moment I woke up.
“I really enjoyed having the first hour of the morning to myself to soak in the fact that we were actually about to get married.”
Talia loved every moment of getting ready with her bridal party.
“Everyone had such good energy and made me feel really calm and excited,” she recalls.
She walked down the aisle to Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, played by the church organist.
“I couldn’t wait to get to Insung! I thought I might be nervous but it was the most special moment being there with my dad and knowing everyone had come to celebrate and support us.
“Seeing Insung’s face with the biggest grin is something I’ll never forget.”
The couple chose a Catholic ceremony that was led by Father Michael Galbraith.
“In Catholic ceremonies you say specific vows, so we did our own private vows as well the night before.
“It was really special having this moment just the two of us and being able to share the promises and hopes we have for our future together,” Talia says.
In between the church and wedding breakfast, there was a drinks reception outside in the quad for their 100 guests.
“Insung and I did our first dance to Lift Me Up by Rihanna, I did a first dance with my dad to Isn’t She Lovely? by Stevie Wonder and Insung’s brother sang Only Wanna Be With You by Samm Henshaw.
“We then opened the floor for dancing with I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston.
“The atmosphere was so lively! DJ Otiks was so good at reading the room,” Talia says.
“We had a small break midway through the evening for pizza, doughnuts and cake and after this we re-entered in our Maputas to Jerusalema by Master KG.
“This really kicked off the party! Vibes were still so high by the end of the evening we had an unplanned after party at The Vic in town!”
Castle Name
Joy Story
“With sun streaming through the St Sal’s quad I felt so lucky to be a part of Talia and Insung’s amazing destination wedding. People had come
from all corners of the world to celebrate them and you could truly feel the love in the room.”
Sarah
Here are the amazing suppliers that helped make my day so special
– I’d highly recommend them.
Bride’s dress | Maggie Sottero at Boston Bridal Atelier
Bride’s shoes | Maripé
Bride’s headwear | Etsy
Bridesmaid dresses | Azazie
Cake | Sandra’s Cakes
Celebrant | Father Michael John Galbraith
DJ | DJ Otiks
Events Manager | Amanda Morrison
Favours | Amazon
Flowers | Victoria Bloom
Groom’s outfit | Twisted Tailor
Hair and make-up | Suzanne Christie
Rings | Ingle & Rhode
Transport | Vintage Wedding Cars Fife
Videography | Stag & Doe Weddings
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