Belladrum for brides who like to be different
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Sponsored content
"I want to get married at Belladrum because it's got that magic!" says Teri McKenzie who will be getting married to her partner Niall Addison at this year's Belladrum.
You have to find the festival pretty special to decide to hold the potentially biggest day of your life there. But there's another big reason for choosing it, if you are Teri.
"I like things to be a bit different," said the bride-to-be, before revealing her Belladrum wedding is going to have a Mad Hatter In Wonderland theme.
"It's got top hats and tailcoats, I like a little bit of dress-up. But I don't like too much attention. And I never wanted to be a bride who looks like a bride, I wanted to be a bit different, but I still want to look smart and 'Wow!'," she said.
"But not 'Oh, look at the bride in her bride's dress!'.
"I don't like too much attention. I would like to have something to wear that I could wear all day, to still turn heads, but they don't know why!"
Teri was also charmed when she discovered the Temple for the first time in the grounds of the festival.
"The Temple is nice and cute even though it's a kind of religious building. But I don't do tradition and it is an exception to the rule. I didn't even know it was on the estate till last year!"
Teri is also very organised and has already been having fun putting together little almost pre-favour bags with festival essentials for her guests – glowsticks and sunglasses included.
"And little lanyards I've made up, but for people coming to see the wedding!" she said.
Teri has also enjoyed introducing her parents to Belladrum.
"I'd said to my mum and dad – who are gardeners, but who had never been to this festival before – 'You'll like Belladrum, it's an estate. It's not just a festival in a field.'
"The first time we had been to view it a few weeks' back with my mum, she was so impressed with the place. She was educating the people showing us round on certain plants and trees and how back in the day estate owners would go around the world to bring plants back."
Choosing the festival as the location for her big day was mainly about one thing for Teri.
"It's about everyone having a good time the whole weekend. And just in case there is bad weather, I've bought a big tent.
"I don't just want it to be all about me – I want everybody to have a good time."
For Teri there are still things she is discovering about Belladrum as she hasn't been that often to the festival in the past.
"My partner had always been to Belladrum every year, but I hadn't. So there are stages I'm still finding! There are always little nooks and crannies to discover!"
But last year for Teri, Belladrum came as a nice surprise.
"Last year with Covid, like everyone else, we had paused life – we had forgotten we already had tickets!"
When it comes to recommending Belladrum's undiscovered treats, Teri says: "I'd always recommend just going for a wander. I found Trailer Trash last year for the first time.
"And we camped with our friends last year in the family area and I hadn't realised how much there was for kids, workshops and things."
Teri also realised how careful people are being with their litter and recycling compared with earlier years.
"I noticed last year that paying the extra £1 for the cup to keep it, no-one was throwing their cups down. It made a massive difference and people were taking their empty cups back to the bars and changing it back, it was fantastic! There was hardly any rubbish at the main stage compared with what there used to be."
Though there are still months before Belladrum and the wedding, Teri is already super-organised with her plans, getting her little bags for guests filled up and sorted out with festival goodies.
"I'm already probably more Belladrummed up than anyone on the whole planet," she laughed.
