They say home is where the heart is, and when you really think about it, that’s hard to argue with. It’s where everything feels familiar, where you’re most at ease, and where the best memories tend to stick. So when a couple decides to get married at home, it already feels like a pretty special idea. And in the case of Justin and Julia, it was even better than that.
Their cottage in Aberchirder sits with rolling farm views stretching out on one side and a dense forest pressing in on the other – the kind of outlook that costs a small fortune to rent for a day and can’t really be replicated anyway. Getting married there, surrounded by the place they actually call home, made more sense than any external venue ever could. It was intimate, it was personal and from the moment guests arrived, it felt exactly right.
Hog Roast Aberdeen was asked to arrive and be set up by 1:30pm – the ceremony was at 2pm and the last thing the couple wanted was catering vans pulling up mid-vow. We were there on time (as always), gazebo pitched and the hog already turning in the Hog Master before the guests had taken their seats. That kind of seamless setup matters more than people realise on a day where every detail has been carefully thought through.
While the hog worked its way slowly towards golden-brown perfection – sizzling, spitting, filling the garden with a smell that was doing a very good job of building anticipation – Hog Roast Aberdeen pulled the rest of the spread together around it. Sage and onion stuffing, homemade applesauce, tomato and mozzarella salad, mixed salad, coleslaw and grilled veggie kebabs for guests who don’t eat meat made sure there was something to suit every craving.
When guests finally gathered to fill their plates after the ceremony, their reaction was everything. The setup drew people in visually before the food had even made it to their mouths and once it did, the compliments came thick and fast.
The day was relaxed, personal and full of warmth, which is exactly what Justin and Julia had hoped for. For Hog Roast Aberdeen, it was another reminder that some of the best celebrations don’t need a v enue at all – just the right people, the right setting and a very, very good hog roast.