No.5

A lot of couples will come to see Robin after they get engaged, telling him that they just want a small wedding but by the time it comes to the big day the numbers have swelled considerably because 'we just couldn't invite Fred and his wife without inviting Marsha who lives next door.' or the infamous Mother of the bride who needs to invite half of her friends just because they were invited to their cousin's wedding 15 years ago....( I have been that woman!)
    Not wanting to fall into this trap were our No.5 couple for 2015, Steve and Lorraine. They approached Robin a few months ago, both having been married before and wanting a relaxing and enjoyable, hassle free run up to their day. This wedding was going to be top secret! Now I am the kind of person who wears her heart on her sleeve, so my heart filled with dread fearing that I would be the one to let slip and ruin their day. I have forgotten to mention till this moment that Lorraine is Robin's Aunt and for that first few weeks we were the only ones who knew apart from the bride and groom.
     Laura is my Avon lady and brings great joy to my life as i have recently, at the ripe old age of 48 managed to grow my nails and have become mildly obsessed with nail varnishes of all varieties. Laura turns up at my door bearing bags of goodies that I have ordered and we usually ( much to Riley, her little boy's chagrin ) chat for 10 minutes on the door step while sorting out change. Laura is Lorraine's daughter and I'm amazed my face didn't give away the wedding plans while we chatted during those first few weeks about my wedding blog and how she would like to be mentioned in one!
      The day started off well, maybe going to give a pint of blood at 10am wasn't the best idea for me as it usually makes me a bit light-headed but hey, you live and learn. After writing yesterday's blog, I put on my much worn and hugely loved purple peony chiffon shift dress that my dear friend Pamela gave me last year and has been worn to my Christmas night out and two weddings so far this year, and headed out the door, only to realise that we had very little diesel in the car.
     The wedding was taking place at a venue called Heath hill, an old steading just off the Fraserburgh road,  that has been beautifully converted into a fabulous restaurant, keeping all he original features with the old beams bared on the ceiling. We had use of their function suite for the day and the owners had it tastefully set out with covered chairs and silver ties to match Lorraine's wedding colours.
    After filling up the car, we headed off  a few minutes late in schedule only to see Robin's face pale as we passed the Gardenstown turn off, when he realised he had forgotten his 'bag of stuff'. This is the bag that goes to every wedding, containing quaiches, notebooks, tea-towel and occasionally a bottle of whiskey. Calmly we turned round, went home, got the aforementioned bag and off we went again, hoping that we would find Heath hill without difficulty as we had never been before.
           Thankfully it was very easy to find and as we arrived, Laura and her sister Naomi were getting out of their car with Laura's daughter Skylar ( almost 2) looking beautiful in her silver dress and running about having fun. Robin married Naomi and Richard, known by all as Mario, last year and it was lovely to see Naomi with her 21 week old bump having just recovered from the joys of morning sickness.
      Lorraine and Steve arrived with his bothers and their wives and we followed them through to the room to start the ceremony where Riley was the star photographer for the day, taking his official duties very seriously and snapping away through the whole thing. Obviously the grandchildren are a huge part of Steve and Lorraine's lives and you could see how happy they were to have them enjoying the company and the space. Robin read a poem to them that we have heard a few times before, in fact one bride ( mention no names Linsey Finnie) read it to her husband during their vows. A few words were tweaked to make it personal for Lorraine and Steve and I felt I should share it:

    Love me when I'm old : Bee Rawlinson

Love me when I'm old and shocking

Peel off my elastic stockings

Swing me from the chandeliers

Let's be randy bad old dears.

Push around my chromed bath chair

Let me tease your white chest hair

Scaring children, swapping dentures

Let us have some great adventures

Take me to the shops and bingo

Teac me how to speak the lingo

Bone my kipper and bring me tea

Show me how it's meant to be

Take me to your special places

Watching all the puzzled faces

You in shorts and socks and sandals

Me with warts and huge love handles

As the need for love enthralls

Wrestle with my damp proof smalls

Make me laugh without constraint

Buy me chocolate body paint

Hold me safe throughout the night

When my hair has turned to white

Believe me when I say it's true

The time is right to marry you.

Well, the vows were said and spoken from the heart, the rings were placed on fingers and Mr and Mrs Brown led us out of the room after signing the schedule and having a few fun pictures taken ( see below). 

  We enjoyed a glass of prosecco with smoked salmon blinis which Laura protested she was allergic to having been sick the last two times she had salmon. Being an understanding family, the rest of them told her it was all in her head, so when it came to the fish course of the fantasic meal, she bravely ate it, salmon and all. The latest is that she still felt sick but thankfully didn't throw up in Mario's car on the way home.   

           We left early, as usual and let the party continue at Mr and Mrs Brown's house in Mintlaw with invites to come down and spend the night when wedding season abates. An offer we will definitely be taking up.

   And now the secret is out...the pictures are on Facebook and Lorraine and Steve can enjoy  all the warm congratulations and most of all being able to have exactly the kind of wedding they wanted. I felt very blessed to be a part of it. x

No.4

Of the 156 weddings that Robin has done, we manage to keep in touch with a lot of the couples. Facebook is a joy to me as I connect with folks, watching over the months and years as their relationships blossom and  rejoicing in their good news as maybe babies are born, then watching all the wonderful clips as the children grow up. We have made many special friendships through this wedding lark and I have a feeling that this weeks' couple could be among those.
    Stuart and Amanda turned up at our gate on Friday having travelled all the way from Brechin near Dundee where they live.Both lorry drivers, Stuart was brought up here in Macduff, but his head was turned  when he spotted Amanda walking past his cab in her  Hi-viz overalls and after a bit of detective work, some stalking and a move to Brechin....well, the rest is history. I popped out to meet them as they handed over the wedding schedule to Robin. Cyrus, our golden lab had run out as well and I was a bit concerned that they might not like dogs...well, I couldn't be more wrong, there was Stuart cooing and patting him like a long lost friend, even inviting him to the wedding, now there's a first.
           The morning of the wedding had been forecast to be unseasonably warm and indeed, I was running about like a headless chicken trying to make the most of the fine weather, getting washing in and off the line. The important thing is to make sure that all school uniform is ready for the week ahead. The last thing I need is for someone to be shouting ' Mum, where's my shirt' at 7am on Monday morning.
        Stuart and Amanda had decided to get married at the Knowes hotel in Macduff. A great choice for us, not just because we know John and Debbie Henderson who own it ,so well but because it is a 5 minute walk ( in flatties) up the hill from our house. Could you ask for better?We have spent lotsof great times there over the years at weddings and parties. Sadly , this would be the last wedding here under John and Debbie's ownership as they have just sold up and will be moving out in 3 weeks time, in fact the new owner had wanted to take over sooner, but Debbie had let him know in her wonderful Welsh twang, that she wasn't budging till Stuart and Amanda were safely hitched!
           I decided to wear one of my all time favourite dresses , grey tartan and matches Robin's kilt perfectly. It was a great find in the Red Cross shop a few years back and despite the fact that the zip is broken at the back and won't go down, I persevere every time and slide it over my head sometimes getting Robin to shimmy it down over my curvaceous figure! The things you do just to co-ordinate with your loved one eh? My one problem with the aforementioned dress is that it is difficult to find a necklace to wear with it as it has a quite high neckline. I have one necklace that goes well with it, but for the life of me I couldn't find it so decided to  go bare necked.
         We walked up to the Knowes and family who had travelled from down the road were enjoying the sunshine and having a drink outside. Stuart was all ready to go, showing no signs of nerves at all and everyone was enjoying the view from the front of the hotel  looking over the whole of Macduff and across the Moray Firth.
         Amanda's Stepfather was unable to come to the wedding due to ill health, but the wonders of modern technology saved the day. As Amanda's Mum came in to sit down, Diane the groom's sister came in with a laptop and placed it on the table upfront. There Den was able to watch, over Face time, the whole ceremony. It made a real difference to proceedings.
    I must let you know now that Robin doesn't stand on ceremony. He likes to meet with couples maybe 3 or 4 times before their big day and get to know all about them. When it comes to the ceremony he speaks directly to the couple making their day all about them, feeding back stories and anecdotes that they didn't even remember telling him and making the whole thing relaxed, yet personal and intimate.
      For Stuart and Amanda, they entered into this style of ceremony wholeheartedly ad libbing  as they went a long and bantering with each other. It was really great to see them so relaxed. Kevin, the best man entered into the fun when asked for the rings. He opened a box with two washers in it and a note saying 'Times are hard'...then, when he eventually gave them the real thing, Amanda warned Stuart that she had super glued the inside of his ring, so there'd be no getting away!
    Diane cheered when they were pronounced Mr and Mrs Keddie, saying she was relieved to be rid of her brother after 34 years, a day she thought would never come, so she brought us all a drink to celebrate!
    The meal was great, the staff always so helpful and attentive. We sat with Stuart's Aunt Chris who is 90 years old and still goes to all her Grandson's football matches and has a better football package on TV than all the family, so they all go up to her's to watch the big matches. What a great plan to keep the family around you eh?
Speeches were to be kept till  the evening guests came, after a few thankyous Stuart gave Robin and I  a gift each! I was so touched, as I am always excited to get an invite to a wedding, never mind someone giving me a gift for turning up! I couldn't wait till I got home to see what was in my box, so opened it after the meal and there was the most beautiful crystal pendant set in silver with a little sliver leaf across the front and guess what?Yes, it was a perfect chain length for my dress and matched it perfectly....I was so chuffed...though Amanda told me later I nearly didn't get it as she liked it so much!
                     The evening guests gathered and the speeches were heckled through.Cards were read and the evening festivities began. We left everyone to have a great time together and said our farewells.Just incase we don't see John and Debbie again we had a few hugs and a happy reminisce wishing them all the best for whatever life ahead holds for them. As for Stuart and Amanda, well, I have a feeling we'll be seeing them again, must go add her on Facebook eh?