Melrose Abbey wedding

I caught the bus to Melrose to marry Kerry and Alistaire. I had never been to Melrose Abbey before and would never have thought that you can hire it for a wedding venue. How stunning is this?



Apparently Robert the Bruce's Heart is buried there! The sun was shining on melrose and it was a lovely ceremony.



Some people may think it is strange to have a Humanist wedding in a 'religious' building. Here is what Kerry and Alistaire wrote in their ceremony which explains their reasoning much better than I can:

"Kerry and Alasdair did think it may seem ‘odd’ to have a humanist ceremony in an Abbey as for many who visit and see this beautiful surrounding, Melrose Abbey represents a rich and deep religious history.

When they knew Melrose Abbey had been deconsecrated, and therefore allowed ceremonies such as today’s to be carried out, they realised that the Abbey could not be a more apt place to have their ceremony, as it now stands as a striking historical symbol which accommodates different beliefs and values, illustrating how our society accepts the way that individuals chose to lead their life. "

I think this is a very sensible and quite moving way to think about these historic buildings.

And if I haven't given enough reasons that i loved this location, how about this very dashing gentleman who was the master of ceremonies?

The Water Tower Wedding

Isn't the Water Tower in Dalkeith a gorgeous setting for a wedding? It's owned by Gerry Goldwyre who was cooking up the loveliest canapes when the ceremony was happening - he won Masterchef, back in the days it was worth winning.



The garden looked over the valley and was so lovely. And so are the happy couple, Euan and Seonaid.



A nice touch in the ceremony was when both both Seonaid and Euan's mums did a reading and they both read beautifully.

A Country House wedding

Jane and Ian chose to get married in the sumptuous setting of Melville Castle.



The light was lovely as we were all signing the paperwork.



They make a very elegant couple. I wonder if there have been any other weddings at Melville Castle where everyone sang Here Comes The Sun?

Orocco Pier Wedding

This was a last minute wedding for me. I only met Ben and Christine a few days before the ceremony. They had already married legally when they were both living in New York City and did the honours at Central Hall, which Christine compared to queueing for the post office!



They had relatives come over to Edinburgh from Massachussetts, where Ben hailes from and Australia where Christine has some family. Unfortunately my camera doesn't do the venue Orocco Pier in South Queensferry justice. The huge picture window gives a backdrop of the two Forth bridges. But here is a lovely picture of the happy couple. Gorgeous!



Christine's mum has been growing sunflowers in her garden all summer to use on the tables, in the buttonholes and of course, on the cake.



I've recently had a few grooms ask me if it's OK to have their ushers standing at the front with them as well as their best man. Of course it is! This is common practice in the US where they're called Groom's Men. They all had their kilts on and were muttering something about being true Scotsmen. I cannot confirm, but it is definitely true that Americans have great teeth:



Hello ladies!

Dryburgh Abbey Hotel Wedding

I don't often do weddings in the borders but the drive down to the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel for Fiona and Jonathan's wedding was a treat.

I was especially pleased when I got there because I met this falconer with his lovely baby Barn Owl. It's only 15 weeks old.



The sun was out so the wedding was in the gardens of the hotel and the bride made a dramatic entrance to the bagpipes.



The ceremony was lovely.



And Fiona and Jonny make a unique couple - check out his black nail varnish! I loved Fiona's dramatic scarlet gown, which her mother had customised.



Fiona's mum also made these gorgeous bridesmaid dresses.



And the best man looked very dapper too.

Holyrood Park Wedding

Driving to Holyrood park for today's outdoor wedding, what should I come across but...



And in the carriage was The Bride with her lovely bridesmaids. They were drinking Champers and having a jolly time.



The setting was lovely and for the first time in ages, the sun came out.



Mike and Suzanne are the first couple who have asked me if they could 'jump the broomstick'. This is an old tradition and it symbolises the bride's willingness to clean the house. Whoever jumped the highest was the decision maker in the home and surprise, surprise this was usually the man. It's not as easy as it looks in a big frock and high heels, but I'm pretty sure Suzanne jumped the highest.



And here is the happy couple at the end of the ceremony. What a sexy bride!

Abden House Wedding

Sometimes I can get quite caught up in the emotion of the day. Kara and Gordon said their vows in the lovely setting of Abden House with so much love in their eyes that we all felt a bit teary! It was a lovely ceremony and the best part was the baby naming of their little boy Lewis, who slept through the whole thing and didn't cry at all.



They make a beautiful family:



Here's a lesson in how to choose bridesmaids. At this wedding we had an adorably cute one and a gorgeous foxy one:



I love these 'Good Luck' horse shoes, and wish I'd been given some on my wedding day!