Our Wedding: Johnny and Hayley had a sheep as ringbearer at their Perthshire woodland wedding

When physiotherapists Hayley McDougall and Johnny Farrell tied the knot at Comrie Croft, Oreo the sheep was the reluctant star of the show.

Who are the happy Our Wedding couple?

Hayley McDougall, 30, physiotherapist at Perth Royal Infirmary and Jonathon Farrell, 30, physiotherapist at PRI and Crieff Community Hospital, got married on May 4.

Here, the happy couple tell us about their Irish/Canadian wedding in the Scottish countryside.

How and when did you meet?

Johnny and Hayley: We met when we moved to Scotland in January 2021 to study physiotherapy at Robert Gordon University.

During the height of a new lockdown, we spent the first few weeks noticing each other on online lectures.

We met for the first time to exchange protein blueberry muffins and wine for a haircut for Johnny.

The muffins were very dry, and the haircut was choppy, but the company was second to none!

Our friends and family would probably say that they knew we liked each other before we really realised it ourselves.

When did you know you were ‘the one’ for each other?

Johnny: There was no single moment for me, but being from different countries (Ireland and Canada), Hayley and I felt it was important for us to decide whether this relationship would work or not, so we moved in together after two months!

After our degrees, we decided that we would rather stay in Scotland and continue to develop our relationship and careers than be apart.

From there, and planning out our next adventures and travels, we realised that home isn’t a place, it’s with each other.

Tell us a little bit about the proposal?

Johnny: While Hayley knew a proposal was inevitable, I was glad I still managed to surprise her.

I let on that I wouldn’t be proposing until I spoke to her parents, which she assumed would not be until we were visiting Canada that summer.

Little did she know, I had already got their blessing so now just needed to plan the event!

When Hayley suggested camping along the NC500 over a long weekend in April, I knew this would be the perfect time.

I searched for castles en route (Hayley absolutely loves castles) and came across Castle Sinclair Girnigoe in Wick.

I knew this place would be perfect due to its well preserved ruins by the sea. So we had a wonderful day sightseeing along the east coast of the NC500, just in time to make it for a perfect sunset proposal.

We then watched the sunset over the ocean together with a picnic and watched the stars for a time before retiring to our tent. Perhaps not the most glamorous place to sleep, but we loved it!

Where did you get married?

Johnny: Comrie Croft, up in their woodlands. It made for the perfect ceremony site. The sound of birdsong and running water from the stream and natural daylight through the trees made it seem magical.

Where was the reception?

Johnny: Also at Comrie Croft. They have a fantastic private courtyard where we could have our drinks reception and the start of our speeches (Irish family meant we needed to split our speeches in two!) And then into their barn area for the meal and dancing.

Who was your photographer?

Hayley: We were very lucky that our friend and fellow physiotherapist Mae Mackay, is also an incredibly talented photographer and she offered to photograph our wedding for us.

She did an incredible job and was there from dawn to dusk celebrating with us.

It made it truly special that it was our friend that got to be the one to capture our day.

Tell us about your wedding dress?

Hayley: I got my dress at the British Red Cross Bridal Shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh.

I felt that giving to charity and giving a wedding dress a second life was the perfect combination for a white dress that you’ll only wear once.

I fell in love with the dress the minute I put it on.

For the dancing, I then changed into a shorter dress to show off my cowboy boots and dance all night!

I found that one on Vinted, chopped off the bottom and altered the bodice myself.

Also being born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, I grew up in cowboy boots and knew I needed a special new pair for my wedding day – I found the most perfect dusty pink pair of boots at my local tack and western wear shop at home.

To complete the look, I found and fell in love with a set of freshwater pearls from the Errol car boot sale, of all places!

What music did you walk up the aisle to?

Hayley: being a Highland dancer, it always had to be bagpipes!

My sisters walked down the aisle to Caledonia and then I walked down hand in hand with my mom and dad to Highland Cathedral.

I’ve known that would be the tune since I was 16 years old, long before I met Johnny.

I was dancing in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo the summer of 2012 with a Canadian highland dance team where the massed pipes and marching bands performed a rendition of Highland Cathedral that brought me to tears.

First dance song?

Hayley: Heather on the Hill by Nathan Evans. Our friends shared the song with us years ago, stating it’d be our wedding song and they were right!

And of course, it was choreographed from start to finish by ourselves.

Did you choose a special theme or wedding style and why?

Hayley: We went with a colourful, DIY wedding that everyone felt was very ‘us’.

Think country rustic meets vintage with a burst of colour and a few surprises.

What did you splurge on, and what did you save on?

Hayley: Our wedding was a lot of DIY which I always knew I wanted (and it helped the budget).

I’m quite crafty so I handmade all of the teacup candles, pressed flower candles, welcome sign, and seating plan.

Johnny and I burned names into wooden bookmarks for all of our guests’ place settings.

I also collected all of the blooms from Tomnah’a, the on-site florist at Comrie Croft, and arranged all of the florals with a bit of help from family and friends!

Arranging our bouquets and arch flowers with my sisters in the garden is a core memory for me.

In the year leading up to the wedding, Johnny and I also collected beautiful bottles for floral centrepieces and I dried the petals from all the flowers Johnny bought me for natural confetti!

Johnny and my younger sister Erin baked and decorated our three-tiered wedding cake from scratch!

In terms of setting up the wedding venue, it was an ‘all hands on deck’ situation and our family and closest friends really pulled through to pull it all together.

Do you have any tips for people planning a wedding now?

Johnny: Don’t worry about other people’s expectations, make sure it is what you want as no one will remember it as much as you.

Also rope in every friend and favour you can to help!

If you’re worried about the weather, just go all out and speak to your local weather witch, bury the sausage, find yourself a sixpence coin, and put the Child of Prague out on the doorstep (an Irish tradition where families put a popular religious statue outside before a wedding to bring good weather)!

What was your highlight of the day, Hayley?

My wedding morning was absolutely perfect. It involved getting ready with my two sisters and mom and dad, doing each other’s hair and makeup and just hanging out like the good old days!

Then I met my soon to be husband for a first look and a walk that we’ll always remember out to a waterfall for some photos before the ceremony.

I think that moment really grounded us and was so special.

And for Johnny?

Before the ceremony, Hayley and I did a ‘first look’ by the waterfall at Comrie Croft.

It’s a short ten minute walk from the venue and was a beautiful, magical moment for the two of us to take it all in and appreciate each other and the work that brought us there before the madness of an Irish/Canadian/Scottish wedding kicked off!

That, and seeing the Irish and Canadian guests try to keep up during Scottish ceilidh dancing!

Did anything not go according to plan?

Johnny: We had a lovely sheep that belongs to a pal who acted as our ringbearer (ring-baa-er).

While Oreo is usually very outgoing and friendly, he got a bit of stage fright on the day and needed some help getting down the aisle…thankfully everyone and the rings got there and it made a good story!

Not every couple gets married, why did you choose to?

Johnny: While we’ve had ideas of maybe saving our money for other things, ultimately it came down to us choosing that for us.

There’s value in bringing everyone you love together to witness you joining your lives together. And while money can always come and go, an amazing wedding lasts forever!

Any notable elements of the day or suppliers you want to mention?

All of our suppliers were amazing and thankfully all from the Perth and Kinross area. They included Strathearn Food Company who run Kin & Co in Auchterarder, our band Amber Lights, drinks from Mobile Measures and flowers from Tomnah’a.

All the other details such as decorations, videography etc, were done by us and our friends.

Would you like to share your wedding story with us? Or are you a wedding photographer who would like to nominate a couple to do so? If so, email nmcelhone@dcthomson.co.uk.