Kris & Jen’s Humanist Wedding at The Den, Culross

Getting married is the third most stressful thing you can do.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

Getting married while you’re a) trying to find a place to live, and b) trying to find somewhere to go on honeymoon with your two kids has to raise that level of stress a notch or two, but you’d never have known that from the ceremony that Kris and Jen created.

I love it when couples tell me what the whole process was like in their own words, so sit back and enjoy their brilliant story!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

As I write this, I write it I’m at the airport waiting to fly home from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with Jen and the boys beside me. We are flying home to pack and move into the area we are after – all be it renting temporarily, but that’s completely fine for the time being! The crazy few weeks before Easter at school is over, and we are coming back well rested, well fed and 4 weeks happily married!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

The time away really gave us time to reflect and remember the day and finally take it all in.  We have all of our photos from Ashley and they are incredible! We looked through them the other night over a drink, whilst the boys slept in their buggy and they immediately transported us back.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

You were a huge part of our day, not just on the 12th of March, but starting way before that – supportive, reassuring and confident.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

We spoke over our whole day, and a lot about how important our ceremony was to us and how delighted we were with it!  

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

I want to say thanks for the effortless confidence you exuded when things ran behind and didn’t go the way we had anticipated!  Your calm, confident nature certainly helped me keep it together up there!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

So many people commented on how funny, beautiful and personal our ceremony was and so many people spoke to us afterwards about how great you were at delivering it!  

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

It all seemed so effortless to you – so unfazed by the whole thing, like second nature, like you knew us inside out! It made our ceremony really special – so thank you.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

The whole process in hindsight was fantastic. Although we left our homework late, reflecting on it now, it was more than just our wedding ceremony we were writing. 

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

It helped Jen and I to reconnect; to remember why we love each other, and exactly why we were doing this.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

We spoke to each other about things we’d long since forgotten about one another, and laughed about the reasons we love each other and what love meant to us.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

That whole side of having you as our celebrant was special.  It didn’t only make our ceremony fantastic, it gave Jen and I time to be us again – even for a night – in the madness of planning, work, kids and life! So again, thank you ever so much.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

Your approach was unobtrusive whilst still guiding us to where we needed to be with quiet pointers on the end of an email whenever we needed it! We couldn’t be more delighted to have had you as part of our day – it was better than we ever imagined!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

Please know how thankful we are for everything you done, and for delivering an incredible ceremony for our wedding day!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

Thank you so much, Jen & Kris – your words mean the world to me. They remind me that what I am doing is exactly what you said; encouraging you “to reconnect; to remember why we love each other, and exactly why we were doing this.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

Thanks also to Ashley Coombes, whose imaginative work I haven’t seen before. A former photojournalist, he really managed to capture the mood of the day, with so many little documentary details that made it so personal.

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

And thanks to the good folk who run The Den at Culross. it was my first wedding there, but I hope not my last!

Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross.

of course what we all want to know now is – have you found a forever home yet, Kris and Jen? I hope so – but do let me know (and I’ll update this accordingly!)

  1. […] Kris Lucas marries Jen McGuire at The Den, Culross. […]

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