I love it when a single photo sums up a whole wedding!

I knew from the get go that Ruari & Victoria were going to take the idea of creating their own ceremony and run with it, and they really did.

I didn’t tell their story: their family did. Jill & Donna (the mothers of the bride and groom) kicked us off with the story of how they met when they were working at Forgan’s in St Andrews. Bridesmaid Amy and Annilese took up the tale of their journey to becoming the ‘power couple’ that they are now, while Ruari’s sister Lucy and Best Man Scott led us to the lakeside proposal at Zell am See in Austria’s powder country.

After Charlotte read us ‘He’s Not Perfect’, by Bob Marley Victoria and Ruari’s Grannies and Aunties gave them some advice on marriage, and in a nice twist, those messages were printed on cards that had been distributed at random to the guests as they came in, so in a sense, we heard eight voices rather than just four.

Then, after a moment for quiet reflection, Ruari and Victoria spoke their vows directly to one another.

I absolutely loved the way they made their day their own – which is the whole point of a humanist wedding – and of course I absolutely loved the email Victoria sent me just the other day.

We would like to firstly say a massive thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for the ceremony you led on our wedding day.

After a year’s postponement, we weren’t sure how our vows would translate a year on, but everyone commented on how brilliant the ceremony was, and after looking through the photos (that we got back last week) everyone is smiling and laughing, which is exactly what we wanted. 

Creating our ceremony, with your guidance, was honestly the toughest but most rewarding part of our day. 

We wanted to “get the tone right” so we spent hours deliberating over the order of service and how much guest interaction to include. 

Knowing what was coming up, and who was saying what next, put us at ease during the ceremony.

It was almost like seeing our favourite novel being turned into a movie, because we knew what was coming and what was going to be said. 

Your natural calmness put me at ease when all of a sudden I got nervous prior to walking in, so thank you for that!

I know Ruairi was also thankful for your presence when his nerves kicked in (although he might not admit it!) 

Anyway we just wanted to thank you again and attach some of Sarah’s great pictures. 

This isn’t one of them! It’s just one of my happy snaps from the day and it reminds me how much fun it was to work with Sarah – you can find her website here.

I really liked all the thought Victoria and Ruari put into the set dressing.

There was a strong photographic theme to their ideas.

And as you might expect from a couple who come from the world of ‘Hospo’ as the Australians call it, they had some pretty cool guests…

You probably recognise the incredibly talented Masterchef the Professionals winner Chef Dean Banks seen her with his beautiful Brazilian fiancée, Isabela.

One of these days, I hope I’ll get to see some or all of them again, but in the meantime, I just want to say thank you, Victoria & Ruari – you inspired your guests, you inspired me, and your ceremony is continuing to inspire other couples even now, and thanks again to Sarah from Joy Story for her pics