Zoe and Ryan Sutherland from Wick tell Karen Peattie about their big day in the Caithness town in 2021, when the sun shone just as brightly as the bride and the couple’s dog, Alfie, also walked down the aisle.
After Wick couple Zoe and Ryan Sutherland’s engagement while on holiday in Las Vegas five years ago, the wedding plans kicked in fairly quickly.
“We didn’t really want to hang about,” recalls Zoe. “We wanted to get on with it so we were pretty focused on getting things organised.”
Zoe, a nursery teacher, and Ryan, who works at Dounreay, have been together for eight years now and knew each other before they became a couple.
“I’d always liked the idea of an outdoor wedding,” says Zoe, explaining that when they did eventually get married in the Highlands on a sunny day in July 2021, it all worked out perfectly given that the Covid pandemic had disrupted their plans.
Wick, one of the two major towns in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, was always going to be where Zoe and Ryan had their nuptuials – and they chose Langhills House for the wedding with the reception at its sister venue, the long-established Mackays Hotel.
Both venues are owned and operated by Ellie and Murray Lamont and sit on the North Coast 500 touring route, which starts and finishes in Inverness and has been described as one of the best road trips on the planet.
Mackays Hotel, meanwhile, one of the north Highlands’ best-known family-run hotels, has been a popular hotel and wedding reception venue – and a cornerstone of local community life in Caithness – for over six decades.
It was purchased by Mr Lamont’s maternal grandmother in 1955. The award-winning hotel is also unique in that it is located on Ebenezer Place in Wick – the world’s shortest street at just six feet, nine inches long.
Both our parents got married in Mackays Hotel so
it was really nice for us to be able to do the same.
“Both our parents got married in Mackays Hotel so it was really nice for us to be able to do the same,” says Zoe. “Nothing was too much trouble and I had such a great relationship with Ellie – she sorted everything out and it wasn’t stressful at all.
“Nothing went wrong apart from Covid.”
While the couple were delighted to have their wedding in their hometown, Zoe admits: “We’re quite remote up here so didn’t exactly have a lot of options but we’re glad we could have our big day locally.”
Zoe was also keen to ensure that she supported other local businesses and found her perfect dress at the bridalwear store in Wick. “As soon as I tried it on I knew it was ‘The One’, she says, which is perhaps unusual given some brides spend months searching for that perfect wedding dress.
“The bridesmaids were in blue and looked stunning – I’d been set on blue from the start and the dresses they wore were just perfect.
“We also used a local florist and Tracey Inkson, a well-known local photographer, and had local gin and whisky brands for favours.”
Zoe and Jack, who also had their springerdoodle, Alfie, with them on their big day, topped it off with a honeymoon in Dubai a few months later in October.
“It really was one of the most special days of our life – exactly how we pictured it,” Zoe recalls. “Alfie walked down the aisle with one of the best men and absolutely loved the attention.”
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