Tag: humanist weddings Scotland

Wedding Hotel of the Year (again) with Lindsey and Rob

On By @humanistbrianIn Balbirnie HouseLeave a comment

 

 
100916d-291100916d-131Balbirnie House is in the village of Markinch just outside Glenrothes and has won the Scottish Wedding Hotel of the Year Award so many times it is insane. But not unjustified. A short drive over the Forth Bridge and onwards into the heart of Fife, you approach the house through the manicured golf course. The staff ensure that every wedding is perfect and that certainly was the case with Lindsey and Rob’s big day.

100916d-132The one thing I remember above all else from the ceremony was just how friendly everyone was and how up for a party they were – I bet it was some night. The ceremony was that perfect mix of laughter and lumps in throats none more so than when they exchanged their pledges:

On this day,

I give you my heart,

My promise,

That I will walk with you,

Hand in hand,

Wherever our journey leads us,

Living, learning, loving,

Together,

Forever

Isn’t that beautiful.

Lyndsey sent me an email afterward:

We are so glad that we were able to meet you and have you be a part of our wedding day. Although at first nervous when looking for a celebrant for our big day, your brief description of yourself seemed to click perfectly with us and we were not disappointed at all along the way! We were so glad that we were able to communicate via Skype and then to meet in person closer to the wedding when we were up in Scotland.You followed our brief of how we wanting our wedding to be perfectly. We asked for it to be a happy day and to avoid tears and that is exactly what we received. You made everyone laugh in all the right places and helped us to make the ceremony both meaningful to us and lighthearted enough to show our less serious sides.The feedback from our guests was nothing short of outstanding. You were a true highlight on our wedding day.

Thank you once again for your guidance and support in helping us to create our ideal ceremony.

Lindsey and Rob

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Byre at Inchyra -Nathalie and Cameron’s Big day

On By @humanistbrianIn Byre at InchyraLeave a comment

Never been here before! This was a long distance wedding and I didn’t get a chance to meet Nathalie and Cameron until the week before the wedding all the way from Australia. We had, however, talked many times on Facetime and swappped many, many emails. On the day it was a very international crowd of guests that joined us crammed into a very sweaty byre. But boy did we have a laugh because the story of how the two of them got together was hilarious involving goat racing (don’t ask) and boar hunting.

I think the reading by Nat’s sister-in-law, Amy, kind of sums up the day:

LOVE IS LIKE A BOTTLE OF GIN

It makes you blind, it does you in

it makes you think you’re pretty tough it makes you prone to crime and sin its makes you say things off the cuff its very small and made of glass

and grossly over-advertised it turns a genius into an ass

and makes a fool think he is wise it could make you regret your birth or turn cartwheels in your best suit

it costs a lot more than its worth and yet there is no substitute they keep it on a higher shelf the older and more pure it grows it has no colour in itself

but can make you see rainbows you can find it at the bowery

or you can find it at Elaines

it makes your words more flowery

it makes the sun shine, makes it rain you just get what they put in

and they never put in enough Love is like a bottle of gin

but a bottle of gin is not like love

 

With Kirsten and Pablo at The Mackintosh Church Church

On By @humanistbrianIn The Mackintosh ChurchLeave a comment

Tucked away in Queen’s Cross is one of Glasgow’s hidden architectural gems. The only church in the world designed by the great Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and it is beautiful. I had not conducted a ceremony before so when Kirsten and Pablo contacted me all the way from California, I was so excited. and their wedding was truly wonderful.

Working with a couple from abroad takes a lot of trust and although we had chatted on Skype a couple of times we had obviously never met. Kirsten was returning home to get married and I believe it was for many of Pablo’s family their first time in Scotland. The ceremony that Pablo and Kirsten helped me put together was an emotional roller coaster and for many of the guests who had never been to a Humanist ceremony it was a real eye opener.As Kirsten wrote to me afterwards, “Starting out writing our ceremony was initially rather daunting however with your positivity, guidance and suggestions we managed to create the most perfect ceremony which was very personal to us and even better than we could have imagined! So many people commented on how lovely the ceremony was and how you managed to set the perfect celebratory tone for the day – relaxed and fun yet serious at the bits that needed to be! Thank you so much for helping us make our day so special, we loved every minute!”

This was definitely a day to remember for me and for Kirsten and Pablo. I do hope that they keep in touch.

Kirsten and Pablo Wedding 486{D - The Bride and Groom

Outdoors With Lee and Scott. In May!

On By @humanistbrianIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

166A4328_resized

A wedding outside in Scotland at the end of May? You’ve got to be joking but Lee was insistent that her wedding would be in the unforgettable scenery of the banks of Loch Ard and, sure enough, it was. But my goodness was it chilly, I think, if you look closely, you may be able to see Lee’s goose bumps in the photograph. Altskeith House was the venue for the big day and, my goodness, it is gorgeous, what I call a “do it yourself” venue where you hire the house and then bring in your own caterers etc.

 

Lee and Scott decided that they wanted to integrate a hand fasting into their ceremony and you can see their hands bound as they made their vows. Very romantic, very Scottish, just perfect for the location and Lee told me it was the best part of the ceremony for them both.: 166A4331_resized“I’d like to start by saying that my day was perfect, and that all started with you. I couldn’t have asked for a better ceremony. Everything was amazing from start to finish.

IMG_1744You helped us so much with our preparation and made us feel completely at ease. You’ve had numerous compliments from our guests, and I know that choosing you as our celebrant was the perfect choice. 
I loved the handfasting, the photos of that are some of my favourites. Also the way that you interact with the guests make the ceremony that little bit more special.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning Dundas Castle with Victoria and Joe

On By @humanistbrianIn Dundas CastleLeave a comment

 

I arrived at Dundas castle to be told that poor Victoria was really quite unwell and “had spent most of the morning in the toilet”. My heart sank at that point but, heh, I wasn’t going anywhere else that day so we could all just wait until she recovered. Which she did and in tons of time for her own wedding. Phew!
Now, the chapel in Dundas Castle is not a large room so when Victoria told me months before that she had five bridesmaids and a bridesman (is that the right word?) and Joe then followed that by telling me that he had two best men and two ushers that he wanted at the front with the wedding party I thought wee were going to be a bit cramped and, to be honest, on the day they had so many guests there was no where else for them all to go anyway. So we were a tiny bit cramped, but it was so cold it actually helped keep us all warm. The ceremony that Joe and Victoria helped put together was just beautiful and so, so personal. In their homework Joe wrote the most amazing passage about what marriage meant to him so, with Victoria’s permission, I read it at their ceremony:

““It means making a commitment to ensuring Victoria is as happy as she possibly can be each and every day.

Marriage means bringing two families together as one – Officially, at last!
Marriage means accepting each other for who we are.
Marriage means planning for the future and all the exciting things that it holds for us.
Marriage means celebrating what we represent as a couple.
Marriage means having shared beliefs and values that we live by together.
Marriage means being completely comfortable in each other’s company – comfortable being our true selves together.
Marriage means committing ourselves to be the best we can be, both individually and as a married couple.
Marriage means I get to spend the rest of my life with the person I love.”
 
There was not a dry eye in the room and I think the bridesmaids used up a whole packet of my tissues on their own. But that wasn’t even the high point because they followed that with reading aloud to the other what they loved about them. Victoria’s was five paragraphs long and just inspiring. It ended as follows: 
 
“I love that I have no doubts, no fears whatsoever in the future of our relationship. I have never been so sure of anything. You are my light, my sunshine.”
 
To be honest I think I was sobbing at this point.

Victoria was good enough to drop me a note after the wedding:
“We just wanted to also let you know how fantastic our ceremony was. It was truly personal and it was without a doubt my favourite part of the day. Our guests (many of whom had never attended a Humanist ceremony before) were blown away by it. They loved how quickly you put them at ease with some humorous remarks and I believe that you created a relaxed and happy feeling that lasted throughout our whole day (and night!). You were wonderful and I cannot thank you enough for making our wedding ceremony so memorable with the perfect balance of laugher and tears!”

Oran Mor with Fiona and Keith

On By @humanistbrianIn Oran MorLeave a comment

FionaKeith_HiRes_357For those that love theatre Oran Mor offers it all and a location plum in the busy West End of Glasgow right next to Byres Road. Fiona and Keith’s wedding was a big affair and the place was buzzing. Their ceremony was lovely there were three readings in all with Fiona’s Mum Moira doing a wonderful reading which had everyone, including her in tears:

Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It FionaKeith_HiRes_298offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is
promised for a lifetime.

Within the circle of its love, marriage en
compasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. And there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent or child.

FionaKeith_HiRes_543Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly.

Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life.

When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words.

Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.

But real highpoint was when, after we signed the Wedding Schedule the choir that Fiona sings with all came forward (there seemed to be many of them) and surprised everyone by performing two wonderful songs. Goose bumps or what?

The highpoint of MY day was meeting Ewen, Fiona’s nephew because I married Morag and Nemes, his Mum and Dad in 2013 and they live in Australia so very few us had the chance to meet the wee one before today. Now, all go awwwww

FionaKeith_HiRes_392

Thank you so much Fiona for sending the following note to me:

“We chose to have a humanist ceremony as we wanted to celebrate our marriage in a personal way which reflected our relationship and personalities…and that’s exactly what we got!   Meeting you in advance really helped us prepare/build the ceremony so we had nothing to worry about on the big day.   Keith recalls all the guests being put at ease with your humour before I arrived and during the ceremony we felt like the only people in the room.  Saying our vows was such a special moment and one we will never forget; you really kept us relaxed and happy throughout.   Having my choir sing after we signed the register was the icing on the (wedding) cake to what was already the most magical part or our day!”

To The Roman Camp with Katie and Sam

On By @humanistbrianIn Roman Camp1 Comment

A beautiful drive up to the Trossachs, still not too many caravans on the road nor tractors to raise my blood pressure so arrived relaxed and ready to go. The Roman Camp is a lovely venue, expensive I imagine, but lovely with the most amazing staff. I was greeted by Alex Graham as I arrived. He was the pianist for the ceremony and he and I had worked together before but neither of us could remember where. I found Sam and the Best Man amongst the guests in the bar and walked through the ring exchange with them. Katie and bridesmaids arrived on time.
One of the things I ask my wedding couples to do is some homework and I ask them to tell me their story and their hopes and dreams for their marriage. The thing is that I ask them to do it separately and sometimes, just sometimes the result can be hilarious. Let me illustrate from Katie and Sam’s ceremony:
” Sometimes you read someone’s homework and your heart sinks. Let me quote from the first paragraph of Katie’s homework, “We were set up on a blind date by Sam’s brother, didn’t go so well – he was a cheapskate who had no clue about wine and was very keen.”  It doesn’t get much better but let’s just find out, from Sam, what actually happened.

According to him that first date generally went very well. I hate to think what a date going badly would be like. Anyway, apparently there was a slight misunderstanding over the wine because Sam thought £14 for a bottle of house wine was expensive. Well, they had managed to get through two of them but still, so he asked Katie to go Dutch. The word cheapskate does actually spring to mind Sam.  As Sam says in his homework, with a hint of despair, “there was no second date”.”

Needless to say it all turned out right in the end. we had two readings and the second was read by Lisa, one of their friends. It is called Marriage Fulfils The Dreams And Love Two People Share by Glenda Wilm:

“Everyone searches for one special person
They can share their lives with.
The other half who makes them whole,
Like two notes blending together to make a beautiful song,
Or the colours that complement
Each other to form a rainbow.
It is everyone’s wish to have a lifetime of sunny days,
A rainbow after every storm;
A lifetime of loving and living and growing and giving,
Of sharing and caring; a lifetime of days together,
Learning from the bad times and cherishing the good times.
Marriage is everything your heart desires
And the strength, courage and determination to work for it.
In marriage you take care of each other’s heart
And hold on to what you share.
You hold it gently so it doesn’t smother
And firmly so it doesn’t slip away.
Hold it so that it can grow
And you can grow together
And live and laugh and love together always”


Not a dry eye in the room.

A Chilly Day at Dundas Castle with Marcus and Lindsey

On By @humanistbrianIn Dundas CastleLeave a comment

It was quite a cold and damp March day as I threaded my way through the road works for the new Forth crossing, skirted South Queensferry and made my way through the front entrance to Dundas Castle. Perhaps they will restore the wee road outside Newton once the new bridge is open.




I discovered Marcus and his best man with his guests in the tower relaxing (ha, ha) before the big event. We managed to grab a few moments and walked through the ring exchange just to make sure we all knew what we were doing.
At Dundas Castle the ceremony is held in the chapel atop the tower up a long, winding and uneven circular stone staircase and I seemed to spend a lot of time and energy going up and down the stairs to get updated on Lindsey’s progress.
The guests were all asked to climb the stairs to the chapel, the music played and we waited patiently. Then, in the distance, I heard the swirl of the bagpipes that heralds the bride’s entrance.
At the beginning of the ceremony Lindsey and Marcus took a moment to light a candle for everyone who could not share in the celebrations; a very touching moment. The rest of the ceremony was very simple, just as they wanted it to be and focused very much on them and their hopes and dreams for the of life together.

 

Dundas is a wonderful venue, very traditional, a true taste of Scotland and remarkably close to Edinburgh. The staff are professional and whole event is always handled with care and precision. What more could you ask for?

Just Perfect – John Muir Grove with Victoria and Gavin

On By @humanistbrianIn Botanic Gardens, John Muir GroveLeave a comment

It’s Official.
I have decided that my favourite venue in May has to be the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and the stunning John Muir Grove. The rhododendrons and azaleas are just coming into their own, their flowers vivid and bright and the whole place is lush with spring growth.

Even last Sunday it was beautiful. The weather was dubious, it had been very showery in the morning. Showery as in stair rods showery, and my heart fell for poor Vicki. But as I drove over the rain slowed it dried up, and as I arrived I noticed the staff carrying the chairs across the path and up the hill to the John Muir Grove. Gavin had taken an executive decision to move the wedding outside and a good call it was as well.

The guys from the Apollo Strings were there, tuning up in the marquee before making their way up to the grove and there were the usual crowds of inquisitive tourists and spectators wondering what on earth was going on with all those men in kilts hanging around, beautiful women in their fancy frocks and staff wrapping seats in white and rolling out red carpets.

The ceremony that Gavin and Vicki had written was short, simple and humorous, just exactly what was required for the day because it was a bit chilly when the sun disappeared.

 Oh, and the Apollo Strings have changed their name to Capella thereby ruining one of my best gags when I ask the “appalling strings” to play while we sign the schedule. Anyone who can come up with a good line around “Capella” gets a prize.

Completely Mad – David and Laura at the Birds and the Bees

On By @humanistbrianIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

 “We thought we’d do a kind of fairground theme,” said David when we first met back in January. “We’re planning to have the wedding outside.” he said,
“In May? In Scotland?” I replied thinking, this man is off his trolley.
“Yeh, we’ll be fine. We’re going to put up a small marquee just in case it rains and people need somewhere to eat at the barbecue.”
“Barbecue!” I was thinking that I’d had barbecues rained off in Scotland in August never mind May.
“It’ll be fine.” Laura emphasised.

And so the day dawned and it wasn’t too bad, a bit cloudy, odd bits of sunshine, occasional drizzle and a cold wind from the east that would have cut you in half but we went for it and it was charming.
The wedding was held on the 4th May which as well as being National Weather Observers Day was, of course, Intergalactic Star Wars Day and I could therefore say “May the fourth be with you” with out blushing (too much).

Laura’s good friend Irene began with a reading which was unfamiliar to me:

 His hello was the end of her endings,

Her laugh was their first step down the aisle.
His hand would be hers to hold forever,
His forever was as simple as her smile.

An ocean couldn’t prevent it.
A New York minute wouldn’t let it pass.
Does the universe decide for us,
Which love will fade and which will last.

He said she was what was missing.
She said she instantly knew.
She was a question to be answered.
And his answer was “I do.”

I performed a variation of a hand fasting for them called “tying the Big Knot” where, by using two broad, stiffened ribbons and a little piece of magic the ribbons tie themselves into a beautiful double bow. The exchange of rings was interesting. David had decided not to have a physical ring but rather have one tatooed onto his ring finger so Laura uncovered his “ring” after hers had arrived on the back of a remote controlled car. What else?

My overwhelming memory of their day? It has to be the big bowls of chips that everyone shared after the ceremony.

A great day.