A little glamour on the Glasshouse rooftop

It was my first trip to this venue - the rooftop garden on the top of the Glasshouse beside Edinburgh's Playhouse Theatre. Right as Edinburgh was experiencing a summer heatwave, it was a perfect sunny spot for a wedding. Flora has on a beautiful silvery grey sequined dress, adding a bit of old-Hollywood style to the wedding, and the black and white theme around the garden definitely gave it a bit of glamour. 

Flora and Colin were eager to involve her children in their ceremony, making it about them all coming together as a family, so I suggested the sandmixing ceremony to them. It has definitely become a favourite of mine, especially when children are involved, and I think the end result looked amazing. Definitely something for them to keep as a reminder of their great day.

A stunning day at Archerfield House

This was my first visit to Archerfield House and I hope it's not my last. The beautiful sunny day definitely added to the atmosphere, but I have to say, I thought it was stunning. Our bride and groom, Emma and Alex, had hired the place for the weekend and so many of the guests were staying at the House that evening. 

Emma and Alex were mingling with all their guests when I arrived and then I invited everyone to take their seats for the ceremony. It gave our couple a chance to catch their breath and have a rare moment just the two of them, and then they were piped downstairs by Calum, ready to start.

It was a really nice relaxed ceremony, with lots of humour involved. The scene was set by their friend Tony who had written a fantastic poem about the two of them and being a guest at their wedding. Everyone laughed and relaxed and then we went on to share their story, with some funny twists and turns. They had both written personal vows to each other, balancing the genuine sentiment with the humour that is present in their relationship. 

And then, Emma's niece sang "Songbird" by Eva Cassidy and it was beautiful. It gave everyone a chance to reflect on their loved ones and our couple a chance to share a smile and a hug.

It was a lovely day - intimate and very personal, shared with their closest family and friends. I wish them well for a fabulous marriage.

A family coming together at the Dalmahoy

The Scottish weather has been even worse that normal, but on Saturday at the Dalmahoy Hotel, the sun was shining as Nikki walked down the aisle. This was one of the quicker planned weddings I'd done, as the couple had had to change their venue/date fairly late on and were struggling to find a celebrant. Thankfully a couple who had booked with me a year ago decided to put their wedding back a year and so I was able to step in and help Nikki and Russell.

I would usually meet a couple 2-3 months before their ceremony to plan all the details and decide on things like music, symbolic gestures, readings, vows and well wishings. But this time we met only a month before. However, they had worked hard and given a lot of thought to what they wanted their ceremony to be like which made my job so much easier. And like all the Humanist weddings I conduct, we discussed the small touches that would make it all the more personal to them. Nikki's teenage son was going to be an Usher and has also agreed to do a reading on the day.

It all came together great, and the vows they had written to each other were fantastic - a really good mix of serious and lighthearted - whether it was a little joke about watching each other's dodgy TV favourites, or which of them was the funnier one, by the time they had finished there were few guests who didn't have a tear in their eye.

At the end, they joined hands in a traditional Scottish handfasting, binding their hands together in their marriage, and then to show that twist of tradition and modern, they then walked down the aisle to "Do it again" by the Chemical Brothers!

A great fun ceremony and thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Not a dry eye at Eskmills Function Suite

I love the fact that every wedding is different. Some couples already have children together or from previous relationships, and it's lovely when we find a way to involve them in the ceremony. Thanks to Lynsey and Ross for letting me share their story...

Lynsey has a young daughter, Robyn, and together with Ross, they have a son Rocco. Both kids were involved. Wee Rocco (5) was running around play fighting with his Dad and looking rather cool in the little kilt his Dad used to wear. When Lynsey walked down the aisle, her daughter was right there as a gorgeous flowergirl. 

It's a emotional day anyway, but you could just tell how important it all was to Robyn who had a tear in her eye throughout the ceremony. However, I was really impressed with the way she took a deep breath and read out to everyone a poem that she had written herself. She got a huge round of applause from everyone, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house - including my own!

Well done to Robyn and Rocco for helping make your Mummy and Daddy's day so perfect!

Shieldhill Castle Hotel - our venue

Back in 2007 my husband and I got married on a beautiful September day at Shieldhill Castle in Biggar. Sadly the venue closed around 18 months later and we were disappointed not to have had a chance to return.

So we were thrilled when it reopened its doors in Spring 2012 and we took the opportunity to book back into the honeymoon suite for our 5th anniversary. It was fantastic to go back - we looked inside the chapel room where we'd had our Humanist ceremony, conducted by Tim Maguire, and stood in the spot where we'd had our first dance.

It felt a little indulgent, but when an offer came up on one of the discount sites to go back again for a DB&B deal, we grabbed it, and went back this past weekend. This time we took our 19month old daughter, Ailsa. While she's of course too young to appreciate it all, it was nice to be able to take her there and she had great fun taking her dolly for a walk in the grounds.

I must admit, it would be lovely to return as a celebrant and conduct someone else's wedding in this wonderful place that has such a special meaning for me... one day hopefully!

MacDonald Cardrona Hotel

Spring may be a little late this year, but the wedding season is already in full throw, and I was delighted to head down to Peebles on Saturday to conduct Claire and Gareth's wedding at the Cardrona Hotel. 

It's a lovely setting, with beautiful views out across the golf course towards the hills. There had been some snow and patches of it were scattered across the dunes and up the slopes which just made the view stunning.

It was an emotional ceremony - the groom was doing pretty well until the bride walked down the aisle with happy tears in her eyes. But they both did a fantastic job and gave their personal vows to each other before being declared Husband and Wife. 

They had also chosen to include the symbolic gesture of the Quaich in their ceremony. If you're not familiar with this, it's a Scottish two-handled silver dish shaped drinking bowl. It's know as the Scottish Cup of Friendship as you need to use both hands to hold it, which means you can't be hiding anything behind your back. This was used by Clansmen of the past to share a drink with another Clan and make a gesture of friendship and trust. Not bad sentiments for a husband and wife either!

And as everyone stood to give our couple an Irish Blessing at the end, the sun was shining on this chilly March day, and everyone headed outside to enjoy the views (and a wee glass of bubbly!)

With thanks to their photographer Jill for providing the image:
Photography © Jill Porter 2013
www.jillcherryporterphotography.com 
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