Is this the smallest wedding venue in Scotland?

I think so. Many castles have a private chapel, but the one at Forter Castle takes the biscuit. It’s not so much intimate as minute, so for once, the phrase ‘the best things come in small packages’ is entirely appropriate!

Emma and James love playing games. It’s something they’d done throughout their courtship, so when they decided to get married, they modelled their storytelling on a game called ‘Cards Against Humanity‘. If (like me) you hadn’t come across it before, here’s how Wikipedia describes it.

Cards Against Humanity is an adult party game in which players complete fill-in-the-blank statements, using words or phrases typically deemed offensive, risqué, or politically incorrect, printed on playing cards.

The game is simple. In each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card – or they can write one of their own.

I really love the company’s attitude. You can buy lots of different versions of the game (including a ‘Culture Wars’ one) but since Day One, they’ve made it available to download free from their site too. How cool is that?

The guest list was small, and almost half the audience were of school age, and they started off sitting on the steps up the side of the chapel, but Emma and James wrote their own ‘child friendly’ version of the game, and it wasn’t long before they had all come down to join in the fun.

And fun it was – big time! I can honestly say that in all my 18 years of conducting ceremonies, I’ve never seen kids enjoy one as much as this!

Because it was such a tight squeeze, I sat outside with James and Emma’s lovely Labrador puppy to give the guests and photographer Danielle Stewart as much room as possible and I think I had the best seat in the house!

Yes; the secret of involving your kids in your wedding is to let them to say naughty things!

it works for grownups too…

I loved being a part of James and Emma’s ceremony, but what I loved even more was how they took the idea of creating something engaging and fun, and ran with it.

They told bits of their story, their guests completed them, and everyone got to join in.

It really was a joy to behold.

As James and Emma told me, “the guests loved it!”

It was incredibly relaxed, it summed up everything we had wanted, plus everyone could play a part.”

I am so pleased to hear that, Emma and James! Thank you for choosing me as your celebrant – but thank you even more for creating such an engaging and inspiring ceremony.

I hope many other couples are inspired by your example – and by Danielle Stewart‘s great photos.