There’s something inherently dramatic about the idea of marrying in a winter wonderland, but this is the first year for a long time that the weather in Scotland has made that possible over the Festive Season.  


Sadly for more than one couple, that led to last-minute postponements, but by the time Stephen and Heather’s big day came round, the snowploughs had been out, and almost all of their friends and family made it to the splendid Victorian pile that is Cambo House.

Heather and Stephen first met when they were only fifteen, working in a hotel in Broughty Ferry. One of the many nice things that came out of their homework was the realisation that Stephen had clocked Heather fully a week before she deigned to glance in his direction…

But as he was wearing a paper hat at the time, and as he was up to his elbows in a sink full of greasy plates, perhaps she can be forgiven for failing to notice his rugged good looks.

I’d always thought Heather had more than a hint of Hollywood glamour, but it wasn’t until she came in on her father’s arm that I realised who she reminded me of: no, not Rosalind Russell, so much as Snow White!

Heather is also a talented designer, and I was struck by the elegant typography on the cards that she and Stephen used when they spoke their vows to one another.

It’s always good to have live music at a wedding, but it was particularly special today, because Heather’s father Derek played three pieces that he had chosen for the happy couple, and he kept them a secret until the day. 

They were an eclectic choice: The Man I Love, by George Gershwin, Liebestraume no. 3, by Liszt, and Liebesfreund by Fritz Kreisler, and he played them all brilliantly.

Stephen and Heather had to endure ten years of living in different cities before they finally clinched the deal on a winter holiday to Vienna. In the ceremony, they wrote very poignantly of the pain of separation and the joy of finally realising that their love for one another was more important than their careers, and that that no matter what, they would spend the rest of their lives together.
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As Heather wrote, “many of our guests said it was such a touching ceremony and that they’d never been to one like it, so our thanks again have to go to you for helping us create such a special moment in our lives and that of our families.”

My thanks to Heather, Stephen and their families, and especially to their talented photographer friend, Mary Beth Koeth, who worked with Heather for a while, but who’s now back in the States at the Miami Ad School. You can see more of her work here and here