Richard & Kathryn’s Humanist Wedding at Seton Collegiate Church

Kathryn & Richard first talked to me about their wedding plans over Skype from Australia where they live and it wasn’t until a few days before the ceremony that we finally met for the first time. Their wedding, on a glorious spring day in April, was a very relaxed and yet quite traditional one, with morning suits far outnumbering the kilts, which is rare in this part of the world. Kathryn is a fashion designer so of course her dress is her own creation and very lovely it is too.

I was surprised to discover that their friend Sandy lives a few doors away from me and he attracted quite a following, as all good pipers do!

Seton Collegiate Church is what guidebooks like to call “a hidden gem”.

Only 13 miles from the centre of Edinburgh, parts of it date from 1242 and although it endured various indignities at the hands of both the English and the Covenanters it survives as “a very impressive building with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere”.

At least part of that is down to the wonderful team from Historic Scotland who look after the building and its wonderful gardens, filled with the scent of magnolia and quite alive with goldfinches. Lesley Brown is the smiling lady who seems to run the show and does it so well, she even managed to find the time to take these photos of the wedding herself – who needs an official photographer?

I was conducting a wedding rehearsal there yesterday and was astonished to learn from Lesley that there will be only 13 weddings at Seton this year; it deserves to be much better known and much more visited. Click here to find out more. Thanks again Lesley for the photos!

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