“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I think that’s true
because when we lived on the opposite side of the planet, 
I’m pretty sure you made my heart grow so big It burst out of my chest.”

 You know those nights when you go out for a drink and your world completely changes? That’s what happened to Neil and Jenna precisely nine years before they tied the knot at Carlowrie Castle.

Jenna was studying in London, but she decided to spend a couple of days in Edinburgh before the semester began. Eager to see all the city had to offer, she and her friends planned a night out, beginning at Frankenstein’s. Completely oblivious to this alignment of the stars, Neil had to be dragged out by his friend Kieran, but once he got talking to  the beautiful blonde in the flowery blouse, he suggested they go to a proper club – Hive…

Jenna was heading back to London so they thought that would be the end of things but by good fortune, Neil had a few days off, so he headed down and they spent four days getting to know each other as they toured the city.

By the time he left to go home, they knew they didn’t want it to end, so Jenna came back to Edinburgh one last time before going back to to finish her degree in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Spoiler alert: that wasn’t the end of their story.

After three years of long distance which included daily five-page text messages, thousands of Skype hours and hundreds of thousands of air miles, Jenna moved to Edinburgh to study a master’s degree in global health policy. They knew they didn’t want to go back to being in a long-distance relationship, so when Jenna graduated, she and Neil eloped in Jamaica on the 20th of February 2020. 

We all know what else happened that year…

Humanist weddings have been legal in Scotland for such a long time, that people have become very used to them, and for most people being able to do the legal bit at the same time as making the moral promise is a big attraction.

As a celebrant, I really love it when couples who have already married choose to have a blessing ceremony as well, because it just goes to prove that it is in the moral promise that the real meaning of marriage is to be found.

Jenna and Neil’s blessing ceremony was four years after they eloped, but it allowed them to bring together everyone in their world, and they created a ceremony that was brimming with both emotion and imagination.

They kept their vows a secret – and that quote at the top comes from Neil’s – and they put their own twist on the Quaich Ceremony too.

As they said, “one of the things we love most is our daily ritual of a cup of tea and some chocolate. No matter where we are and what has happened that day, we alwaysmake time to connect over a cup of tea and a treat.”

I was particularly pleased because they had clearly read this cautionary story from my blog…

When Harriet and Stuart got married, they decided to share a cup of tea from the quaich, but they burned their lips because they used a metal one. Thanks to their experience, Neil and Jenna made sure their quaich was made from ceramic!

If you’ve loved these photos – not my iPhone snaps, but the pretty ones – then you need to check out my friend David Louden.

Yes: he’s the guy on the right of frame…

I love how he managed to capture so much detail – not just during the ceremony –

but how he caught all the emotion too!

I know Jenna and Neil loved his work, and I was really chuffed when they sent me these words, along with a link to their gallery.

“We’re so grateful for everything you did that helped make our day so special.

The ceremony was definitely our favourite part of the day, especially the secret vows, and the Lovework helped tremendously with writing them.”

Thank you for planting a tree for us, that is such a lovely gesture, and thanks again for everything you did for us; we are so glad we had you as our celebrant.” 

It was a pleasure, Neil and Jenna – and I’m so glad you chose me to be your celebrant!

Thanks again for your kind words; thanks to David Louden for all the great shots, and keep on enjoying your cups of tea from your very own ceramic quaich!