Laura & Duane had a trip to Edinburgh planned with their wee daughter and contacted me to ask if it was possible, in a short timescale, to elope and legally marry whilst here. The answer was yes, but with only a matter of days left to submit their legal documentation, they needed to move quickly. Cue visa applications, phone calls to the very helpful Edinburgh Registrar and submission of their M10's just in the nick of time!
Plan A was to be an outdoor ceremony in Holyrood Park but Scotland did what it does quite well and in the days before their big day it absolutely poured down! A soaking and very muddy Holyrood Park with a toddler in tow most certainly wasn't ideal, so what could we do instead?
The Sheep Heid Inn is not only on the outskirts of Holyrood Park and is Scotland's oldest surviving public house, but also has a quirky traditional skittles alley that can be hired for personal use. A bit random but Laura and Duane loved the idea - and so Plan B was formed!
Their ceremony was intimate, heartfelt and such a delight, witnessed by their two close friends as the children kept themselves occupied with juice and toys. The staff of the pub told us afterwards that it was the first legal wedding to take place in the skittles alley too!
They made their personal vows to each other whilst handfasted. Laura made their beautiful handfasting tie herself - two tartans sewed back to back. They plan to pass on to their daughter in the future as a special keepsake.
A very important part of a humanist ceremony is reflecting on what marriage means to that particular couple - defined by them and no-one else. I don't often get emotional when couples send me their homework, but I did in this case! For Laura and Duane their decision to marry was not because of any outside influence or expectation. It was simply saying 'I choose you, I choose us.'
After we all signed the marriage schedule, Laura and Duane toasted their marriage with a drink from their quaich - a nice Scotch whisky which they shared with their witnesses too.
Then afterwards we wandered to the beautiful nearby Dr Neil's Garden which runs down to Duddingston Loch and is often called Edinburgh's secret garden. I said goodbye as they headed off with their very talented photographer Clare Cox who is credited for all of these gorgeous photos!
It was a wedding highlight of 2019 most definitely and a reminder that sometimes things may not work out exactly as you plan, but in the end they might just be even better! Laura contacted me afterwards to say, "We had a perfect day and the wedding of our dreams and are so grateful for all that you did to make it happen."
It truly was an absolute pleasure!
