Jeanette Winterson is a writer whose work I’ve long admired. She’s gay, and she was always against the idea of getting married because, as the sub-headline in her Guardian article says,” Why conform to patriarchal ideas of monogamy?” She’s clearly changed her mind, because she has just got married, and I really liked her vows. I promise to look … Continue Reading
Distinguished Guests…
We all like to get dressed up for a wedding, and I was really impressed when I saw these gentlemen at Edinburgh Castle, where I was conducting the wedding of Mati and Kenny the other day. Mati hails from Spain, and her father is a member of La Fundación de la Orden de la Bienaventurada … Continue Reading
Can you spare 15 minutes?
The lovely people at the Scottish Wedding Directory came round this morning to do a Live Facebook Chat: as a former producer and director, it was fascinating to see what you can do with just an iPhone, a tripod and a microphone.Whether what I had to say about what makes humanist weddings so special is … Continue Reading
Speaking from the Heart
What language does your heart speak? More and more I find it’s not English. But that’s not a problem. One of the good things about getting married in Scotland is that the ceremony can be conducted in any language, as long as all parties (including the celebrant) understand what’s being said. You can … Continue Reading
Anne and Wullie’s Humanist Wedding at Eskmills Venue
Anne and Wullie’s wedding was memorable for lots of reasons, and not just because they were my FIRST EVER Tinder wedding! Wullie chose a perfect place for their first date: the fabulous Cocoablack in Peebles, recently named UK Confectioner of the Year. He’s still convinced that Anne drove past a few times to … Continue Reading
Becky and Jim’s Humanist Wedding at The Caves
Jim and Becky are actors: it’s almost three years since I conducted their wedding at The Caves, and I’ve been itching to write about it ever since because the way they chose to open it was so original! First of all, they chose not to go up onto the stage, like everyone else. They wanted to marry … Continue Reading
Hatches, Matches and Dispatches
I’m a big fan of Get It On, the nightly request show on BBC Radio Scotland, presented by Bryan Burnett and a rolling team of producer co-hosts. They do some great themes, and tonight’s was a belter: A few days ago, they were talking about doing a theme on music for funerals, so I sent him a … Continue Reading
In Memory of Bill Purves
What do we mean when we say someone’s a character? It’s a word with many nuances, but I can think of no-one about whom it is more appropriate than my neighbour of twenty years, Bill Purves. I live in a mews and when I first moved here twenty years ago, there were still two working … Continue Reading
How to have the best ever Humanist Wedding!
My friend Ditte Solgaard Dunn is one of Scotland’s top photographers. She invited me to tell her followers the secret of having the best ever humanist wedding on her blog, and in return I have asked her to give you some advice on how to get the best from your wedding photography. That story will be … Continue Reading
Gemma and Calum’s Humanist Wedding on Buachaille Etive Mhor
Calum and Gemma got in touch with me way back in December 2015. They’d checked out my blog about Jo and Rob’s wedding on the Buachaille back in 2011, and as they said, “Oddly enough that exact route, Curved Ridge and mountain would be our first choice too.” As you can tell from the photographs, they’re experienced … Continue Reading