When you think ‘wedding piper’ you automatically think of a’ phìob mhòr, the Great Highland Bagpipe, but there are others. Some years ago in another life, I made a documentary called ‘Piping Hot’ about the first ever Glasgow Piping Festival, where I came across pipers from Albania to, well not Zambia but you know what I mean. … Continue Reading
I want you to imagine the man on the right, wearing a naval uniform while taking his clothes off for money… Yes, that’s what David was doing when Caroline first saw David. OK it was to raise money for charity, but I have to admit its one of the more unusual stories I’ve heard on … Continue Reading
Getting humanists to agree on anything is a good deal harder than you might imagine.
This lovely thank you card reminded me why I’ll never forget Ellie and Neil’s wedding.Ellie’s mum Catrin gave a reading of a poem by Edward Lear that had been Ellie’s favourite as a child. It’s called the Quangle Wangle Quee, and what made it so special was that Catrin was actually wearing the Quangle Wangle Quee’s hat! Thanks Ellie and Neil … Continue Reading
My old friend and colleague Chris Miller is a splendid fellow, who strains every sinew to make commercial radio listenable. He wrote this little gem on the subject of weddings, and as it made me laugh out loud, I hope it will have the same effect on you.
I first met Andy and Yvonne last October, and over the intervening months, they’ve had a lot of fun doing their homework. When they sent me their ceremony today, they included a surprise ending, which I’ve printed below. I don’t know why it should be any less embarrassing for me to post this on my … Continue Reading
I know, this is meant to be a blog about weddings, but I just had to share this brilliant piece by a physicist called Aaron Freeman that was sent to me today by Joanne & Colin, who I’m looking forward to marrying next June at Keavil House. It was posted on a Facebook group you may or … Continue Reading
James and Paula just came round for their rehearsal. I was sure they’d told me it would just be the two of them, but when I opened the door, I met not just Paula’s mum, who’s going to give her away, but Jeni and Rune, who I married to the sound of thunder on the … Continue Reading
When we want to talk about love, we tend to get tongue-tied. That’s when we turn for help to the poets, because they have the gift of expressing our thoughts and feelings better than we can ourselves. Few living poets do this better than Edward Monkton I first heard his poem, A Lovely Love Story, … Continue Reading
I remember when Graham and Amy first got in touch. They were working on a project in rural India at the time, and they got in touch because they’d seen I was the Humanist contact at The University of Edinburgh where they’d both studied, and first met playing Frisbee on the meadows on a cold, rainy … Continue Reading