I was really pleased that Jennifer & Mo sent me a link to this video of their wedding this morning. Not because it shows my best feature – the back of my head – but because it reminded me how moving it was to see and hear them speaking their vows to one another. The short … Continue Reading
I was really pleased to see this article in Comment is Free today. It points out the connection between the inexorable rise of the Humanist wedding ceremony here in Scotland and the question on religion in the forthcoming Census – or at least it would do if the editors in their wisdom hadn’t chopped my … Continue Reading
Sometimes weddings run like clockwork. Sometimes they don’t. But one of the distinguishing features of a wedding is that nobody ever seems to mind, even if someone’s forgotten the wedding rings, or left the paperwork at the hotel, both of which have happened to me in the past. It’s a happy day, and when something … Continue Reading
We’ve been waiting a long time to see this story in Scotland on Sunday (and thanks are due to Marc Horne the journalist for breaking the story). Four years, in fact, ever since Gordon Ross, who was then the National Ceremonies Convenor, got his calculator out and ‘did the math’ as the Americans say.That was back … Continue Reading
It was back in October that I celebrated Deborah and Brian’s wedding so I was really pleased this morning when I got an email from Brian telling me their great news – they’re expecting their first child! He went on to say, “So, before the next 20 years of my life disappear in a haze of nappies, … Continue Reading
There’s something inherently dramatic about the idea of marrying in a winter wonderland, but this is the first year for a long time that the weather in Scotland has made that possible over the Festive Season. Sadly for more than one couple, that led to last-minute postponements, but by the time Stephen and Heather’s big … Continue Reading
I have to say that despite all the weather reports, I’m rather enjoying the excitement that goes with driving over freezing slush with a spade in the boot and a life support kit on the back seat of the old Saab… On Saturday, I had to get to St Andrews; yesterday was in quite the … Continue Reading
It’s always lovely to get an email from couples when they get back from their honeymoon, but I was very touched to get a card and some old-skool photographs from Sara & Stuart who chose the romantic setting of Carberry Towers for their wedding. I was particularly pleased to read what they said about their … Continue Reading
When people ask me what I do as a celebrant, I sometimes talk about my ‘Virtual Parish’. As a celebrant, I conduct more funerals than I do weddings, but they are both ‘a celebration of life’, and just as at almost every wedding, someone comes up and tells me it’s the best they’ve ever been … Continue Reading
Mansfield Traquair is a stunning setting for a wedding, and I’ve never seen a shot that captures its magical atmosphere better than this one, from Richard and Emma. Here’s what Emma wrote when she sent me these great shots. I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you so so much for … Continue Reading