If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you’ll have noticed the word ‘homework’ cropping up quite a lot. I used to hate doing it at school, but now I love reading other people’s, and if I had to mark Stu and Kirsty’s, it would get a gold star.

As they wrote, they first met at a fancy dress party at work, where they’d been paired off as the Generalissimo and 1st Lady of Mexico by a mischievous match-making colleague, so Kirsty was wearing a hired red frock, a blunt fringe and a saucy look, while Stu was in tight trousers, fake tan, a moustache and mirrored sunglasses, like a Hispanic version of ‘Top Gun – The Musical’. Nothing happened that night, but Stu knew that he wanted to see Kirsty again, not least to see if her hair really was made of Lego.

You won’t be surprised to learn that this tale made it into the ceremony, but rather than have me read it, they invited three of their friends, Seyoan, Kat and Triona, to tell it, and they did a great job – a brilliant one, in fact, and they were so funny, I lost my place in the ceremony.

The next part was supposed to be where Stu and Kirsty themselves spoke about the reasons they love one another and want to spend the rest of their lives together, but for some reason I forgot, and went on to introduce their next speaker. I do sometimes say, “to err is humanist”, but I felt awful when I realised what I’d done. Luckily Kirsty and Stu were in a forgiving mood.

As Kirsty said, “In retrospect, it was probably for the best, as we were never 100% sure about that part anyway. Certainly nobody noticed, and it was probably better for the ceremony to be a bit shorter as a few of the little ones were getting a bit wriggly”.

Which may be true, but it’s still embarrassing!

Luckily by this point, nothing could dampen their spirits, and as Stu and Kirsty’s friend Adrian gave us a rendition of the old Morecambe and Wise classic, “Bring Me Sunshine”, their mums, Denise, and Pat signed the Marriage Schedule.

 Stuart’s cousin John gave us a final reading, of “Oh, the places you’ll go”, by Dr Seuss, 

Everyone joined in to speak a blessing, and then off they went, on a quick honeymoon to the magical Island of Mull.

I was so pleased to get these photos from Kirsty along with a note to say, “The ceremony was funny and moving – exactly what we’d hoped it would be. A good number of our friends said it was the best wedding ceremony they’d ever been to – I think we might be seeing a few copycat humanist ceremonies amongst them in the next year or two!”


So, as ever, my thanks to you, Kirsty and Stu, and to your photographer, Malin Widstrand, who as you may have guessed isn’t from these parts. It was a rather dull and overcast day, but you’d never guess from the pics, which have a lightness and brightness about them that really appeals to me. Very Scandinavian!