No.15

     If Robin and I ever get a divorce, the reason given in court for the breakdown, will definitely have something to do with travelling to unknown destinations together. I always give a small shudder when I realise that a wedding destination is some fabulous stately home or castle in the middle of nowhere, that we might possibly have heard of in an obscure wedding blog, but certainly have never visited in all those nonexistant family Sunday days out!
    Kindly friends and relatives have given us their secondhand Sat navs to use, in an effort to bring us in to the 20th Century of 'driving world', but they have been quickly shelved, after the monotonous voice that keeps saying, " Recalculating...recalcuating", gets too much to bear. I know, you should pay for a yearly upgrade, but let's face it folks, that aint going to happen, so as I drive in to the great unknown , with Robin as my co-pilot, we take the risk of bursting the marital bliss bubble with both hands and hope for the best.
      Katrina and Sandy's wedding was Robin's 170th since his story of being a wedding celebrant began...you know, he really should write a blog! He reminded me of this fact, the day after as we were heading off to find Haddo House and it took me back to the very first wedding that he did.....
        Stewart worked as a postie with Robin and decided to chuck it in to go and do Art History in Aberdeen. There he met the delightful Anny, from Luxemburg, and very soon he had dragged her back to Macduff ,to live in his 'man cave'.
         In 2003 Robin had been asked to do a blessing of a couple who were friends of theirs and it was at this occasion that Stewart and Anny hatched a plan, asking him if he would get his licence thing going and marry them! To cut a long story short, he managed to fnd enough people who believed in his capabilties as a  religious celebrant, form a small fellowship, write up a constitution and apply for a licence from Edinburgh. I can quite honestly say the only time I have seen him cry is when he recieved a letter from Edinburgh to say that his application had been refused! On calling the office, it turned out that there was a miswording in his application that made him sound like a cult leader and on changing it the first wedding could go ahead!
     Because Anny's family were all coming from abroad they had planned things very meticulously. Everyone would stay the night before the wedding in a National Heritage house near Stirling and after dinner Stewart and Anny would reveal to them all where the wedding was to take place. This was to be in Castle Campbell a National Trust property that they had managed to get permission to use for a short while (very relevant...take note!!) for the service.
          Robin and I had kindly been put up in a lovely hotel in Stirling where the wedding meal was to be held and  were really looking forward to the weekend, pretty nervous too as it was Robin's first time as a celebrant and I had been asked to sing ( No, I don't take bookings!)
           We drove up to the House on the morning of the wedding and found all the guests in various states of dress or undress after a a very heavy night of 'celebrating'. I was a nominated driver as our car had 8 seats at the time. Robin was to go with Stewart, wanting to get to the castle in plenty of time to set up, so I was taking the mother of the groom, his granny, his sister and friends.
  As the boys disappeared in Stewart's car, I got all my passengers on board and turned to ask who had the directions, as I knew that part of the revealing of wedding destination included a set of directions for each guest. Robin had taken ours with him.
    There was a brief silence and a few laughs as they all admitted having lost the important piece of paper , reassuring me that the castle was really easy to find, I mean how hard can it be to loose a whole castle?
    Really easy is the short answer to that! We ended up an hour late after almost going to the Wallace monument and having to stop at least two locals for directions. Thankfully we weren't the only ones, Robin and Stewart had got lost too as well as most of the other guests and despite Anny having to hide behind a car in the carpark for quite a while, we all managed to find our way there.
       Everything went ahead, just as planned, just a little later.......a wonderful day for all.

 Matt and Gilly had settled on Haddo house for their nuptials. It is a National Trust stately home near Methlick...Methlick, isn't that mentioned in a Proclaimers song? Apart from singing about it, I have never even been close, so we set off with me driving and Robin following google maps, shouting, " Turn left here" or "It's definitely straight along here" while I see the sign for Haddo house flash before my eyes, pointing in the other direction!

   We did eventually make it ,on relatively good terms, and proceeded along the drive at 15mph as per the speed limit. We were bombarded with signs along the way, warning us of our speed and the death toll to red squirrels!

By the 6th sign I was starting to wonder if this wasn't a bit biased, I mean what about the grey squirrels, are they just fast of foot or harder to hit? What about other wildlife?....

       As we approached the house  it was obvious that Sunday was a busy day for tourists and we felt mildly out of place in our wedding gear walking through the car park. I had decided to wear a dress I had got last week from the clearance section of Next that looked quite fetching with my lacy black heels. I felt black was in order after the abysmal marking of the UK's entry in Eurovsion the night before...poor old Electro Velvet....I thought it was a great song!



    I wore my flatties, as I was driving, and popped my heels in my one size fits all bag. I decided to keep them on as we walked through the grounds, hoping for an opportunistic moment to swap from comfort to glamour. Then we hit chuckies ( small stones for those of you not from the North East) and the flats stayed on. Then we entered the house and there was a sign up informing us that if you wanted to wear heels you needed to wear specially supplied heel guards. Now, I don't know if you've seen these before but they look like you've got small spaceships on the bottom of your shoes.

     I decided against the aforementioned fashion statement and the flats stayed on for the whole day!

    We were guided by men in kilts to the library where the action would happen and as I've just downloaded a new collage app, I thought I'd show you a few views of how great it all looked.

      

     Matt and Gilly had a very definite idea of how they wanted the day to go and everything was planned to perfection. There were instructions for a 'Haggis hunt' for the children to read while the ceremony went along.

     I was sitting at the back with a very tempting row of books to my right that I was deperate to pull out and browse. Especially as their friend Alex read 'A red red rose' by Robert Burns, I'm sure I would've been able to read along.



 

    We passed the rings down through the guests with each one being asked to bless them as they came by. How lovely for Matt and Gilly to know that each of these special people in their lives had held their rings and asked blessings over them before placing them on each others' fingers.

    We sang a very up beat version of 'Amazing grace' and 'Make me a channel of your piece' and as the couple held hands to partake of a handfasting , they asked each person in the room to hold the hand of the person next to them as a symbol of their joining together. ( Slightly awkward as I was a wedding crasher..but hey, you have to go with the flow!)

      The new Mr and Mrs Rinaldi kissed and walked down the aisle to the cheers of their loved ones and a trumpeter playing the wedding march.

         We followed outside to the spectacular front of the house where champagne was on constant refills and various Scottish canapes on offer.

    Matt had been practicing uncorking a champagne bottle by slicing the top with a sword. Apparently he managed first time with all his attempts at home, but after the 4th or was it 5th attempt, he managed and even took a swig out of the broken bottle! 

     Not happy with this amazing feat, the owls appeared! The  folks from the falconary centre had brought along two of their happiest owls, who were very calm and transferred from trainer to Bride and Groom with only a small amount of wing flapping. We were right up the back, so I couldn't snap this amazing sight, but I did manage to get the grand fountain in the middle of the grounds that they filled with rubber ducks, so the kids could fish them out...good enough?

      The photographer was catching all the family groups, so we decided to head inside the house and relax while listening to Hazel the pianist on her keyboard . Gradually everyone came in to escape the chill and enjoy sitting in the splendid sitting room  and all that the house has to offer

                                                                          

Matt's Mum, Jacquie, came over to chat and told us that the day had been one of bizarre coincidences.

     Introducing  Matt's Godfather to Gilly's Godmother for the first time, they realised that their gardens back on to each other in the same town! She also told us of the first time that Matt went to visit Gilly's parents in London. He had never been there before, but his parents had before they had children. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he approached their house and he called his Mum to tell her. On describing the road, she was able to tell him that Gilly's parents lived opposite the place where she and Matt's Dad, Sean, had first met!!

          We followed the piper down to the hall where everything was set up beautifully for the meal. Matt's Aunt, Kate, had made the cake(s) and they looked beautiful with all the flowers placed around.

 

 We had a fabulous meal of Cullen Skink tartlets and chicken in a pink peppercorn and champagne sauce, followed by Cranachen shots and a delicious cheese board. Wine, white or red was continually refilled and so thankfully was the water and the delicious elderflower cordial that kept me hydrated.

   Matt and Gilly had taken instamatic pictures of themselves with a chalk board bearing the name of each guest for the place names. They propped these up with clothes pegs, such a great way to mark each place..

 

    The speeches were after the meal, which is unusual these days, but worked really well. Matt's friends had a sweepstake on how long the best man, Gwyn's speech would take and despite the story of Matt having stripped down to a leopardskin thong from George, when he was 15, for a laugh in the boy's changing rooms, it only took 12 mins 45 secs, pefectly guessed by Jacquie!

         Despite the lack of alcohol I was pretty shattered and as Robin had a funeral to conduct the next day we decide to head for home before the ceilidh could start. We said our farewells to Matt and Gilly and they promised to catch up when they got back for honeymoon.

 

We trundled back up the avenue to more warnings of squirrel danger, hoping that the total hadn't increased since we had driven down earlier. To our relief all was good in squirrel world.

      Robin has another wedding to do in Haddo house this summer, so we are now fantastically equipped to lead the way and show the guests how to get there.

    Thanks to Matt and Gilly for allowing us to join in their day and to become much better aquainted with places like 'Gight' and 'Cowbog' and of course the beauty of Haddo house. I hope that their Satnav skills as husband and wife develop continually as they start this wonderful stage of their journey together.

        

     

 

 

No.14

   One of the girls that I work with, Anika, is away on holiday this week with her partner Shaun and to be frank I'm really jealous.
     People often share what wonderful locations they have been to on holiday and it is a common question that we get at weddings,
  " So, are you guys going on holiday this year?"
   We did have a family holiday almost 12 years ago, but generally what happens is that I take some or all of the kids off somewhere and Robin stays at home to look after the dog and any remaining offspring (as long as they can be entertained with screens and live off pizza or chips!).
   He has been known to go off on a wee adventure without us all. The most recent was a pilgimage to Linsdisfarne a few years back, but he did go off to India with a group when James ( now 18) was just 3 weeks old and Cuba just before the twins came on the scene, which generally put a dampner on any travel arrangements for quite a long time!
     Our favourite holiday was to get a caravan at the Banff Links at the same time as my friend Ruth who came up from Edinburgh with her lot. We had the best of times playing rounders on the beach, building fires, occasionally sunbathing ( yes, it can happen) and relaxing with a gin and tonic or a glass of wine after the kids had gone to bed or were at least contained in their pyjamas watching a film. Robin would still stay at home, but came and visited us each day after his work as a postie, so it worked really well.
    So we try to explain this to people and they generally look at us as though we are a bit disfunctional, and do you know, I think we may be.
        The reason I am jealous of Anika and Shaun is that they are in Austria watching the Eurovsion song contest one of my all time favourite competitions.
    As and avid fan from childhood, having watched Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton John, Linsey De Paul, Brotherhood of man, Bucks Fizz, Dana, Johnny Logan and the rest, it's a night I hate to miss.
    I can only assume that any couple who get married on the day of the Eurovision final must be massive fans, so as the morning dawned with gorgeous sunshine, I was imagining the fabulous theme. ......All the tables named after the various countries and having corresponding flags The groom wearing his diamonte embossed kilt while the bride flies in on a wire to the most amazing light show, with her dress that tranforms into a mini skirt ,with a pull of her outer layers.
      With this in mind I decided to got 'my bling thing on'. I painted my nails with glittery nail varnish and donned my super sequinned 'Eurovision' dress that I'm sure even Conchita would be jealous of...

And off we go....

      It was pretty clear when I walked in to the Springs for Alexander ( Sandy, known as Spanky to his friends!) and Katrina's wedding, that I had been very mistaken...this was going to be a totally tasteful wedding,....how on earth would I blend in?

                Katrina and Sandy live in Macduff and so there were many 'well kent' faces there, in fact quite a few who have been to weddings Robin has done this year. This is often a common occurance where a group of friends who have grown up together all start the ball rolling by getting engaged around the same time and then have a massive glut of hennys, staggers and weddings all within a few years of each other...one long party...hey, just like Eurovison!!

              The chairbacks were ties with beautiful taupe ribbons covered in cream lace to match Katrina's beautiful bridesmaids. Even Robin was easily persuaded that it wasn't 'camel'...camel, really?

              

     Walking in to Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking out loud', Katrina looked stunning in her white strapless fishtail dress and was supported by her Dad, Dennis. He gave her way to Sandy and they laughed as Robin quoted Norma, Katrina's Mum by saying that Sandy fitted in so well to their family that he was her 'number one son', much to the disgust of Katrina's brothers who objected vocally! This was a standing joke for the rest of the day and even as we were getting in to the taxi at the end of the night we could hear a voice shouting

  " Number one son...I don't think so!"

   When it came to their vows, Robin started to ask Sandy if he would take Katrina to be his wife...before was even half way through, Sandy intterupted with a lovely "I do", so keen to have Katrina as his Mrs. After the false start, he managed to wait patiently and soon they were man and wife.

     Katrina finally gave up the fight she was having with her veil and like Jill a few weeks ago, handed it off to her Mum, so she could get on and enjoy kissing her new husband.

   So, as we sang 'One more step along the way I go', the quiaches were passed around and we toasted the new Mr and Mrs Stuart..

      Lots of friends had been involved in making this day special, as is the way with many weddings. Someone had made the most beautiful photo montage of them both during various stages of their lives, for us all to enjoy. It was pointed out to me that one of the pictures was of Sandy without anything on his bottom half, but on closer examination I realised that it was when he was just a few days old at the most, so we'll let them off!





 

 We went through for a drink  catching up with Shaun and Faye, Robin's 149th wedding, who were looking as though married life was treating them very well. They even had a new addition to the family...a  little kitten. who Faye said was getting her in to practice for when they decided to have family...I'm sure it's pretty much the same thing eh?
      The day, that had started off so beautifully, had started to dull over slightly, which in photography terms is wonderful, I've been told. The wedding party disappeared for the perfect photo shoot and we sat down to catch up with each other.
    Robin has been wearing more black ties this week than usual, if you know what I mean, and when he is particularly busy, it can be great to have a local wedding to go to at the end of the week, a kind of date night for the disfunctional couple!
     As we were chatting we noticed a couple of likely lads who on my count definitely weren't at the service and were mouching around with the other guests. Could they be 'real' wedding crashers?? We knew Robert as he lives just round the corner from us, so we accosted him on his way to the bar and asked for an explanation...

It turns out that two of the guests weren't able to come as one was being very sick in early pregnancy and Katrina had called Robert and Steven, his partner, asking if they wanted to fill the gap and enjoy the poor couple's meal! Never ones to turn down a free meal, they accepted gladly and I still don't know how they found out where to sit, but it all seemed to work out really well. In fact I noticed Robert shouting the waitress over to get more gravy, so he was well into his part by the end of the meal.

       Cake cutting came first and as we were sitting at the top table, I was perfectly placed to take a few pictures of all five tiers getting the chop.

 



 

We were sitting next to Norma and Dennis and enjoyed hearing how Norma had been brought up on a farm. When Dennis first asked her out on dates she had to make sure that she had picked enough 'neeps fae the park' for the cows before she would be able to go out courting. Dennis suffered a brain aneurism a few years back and you could see how much it meant to him to be be able to walk Katrina down the aisle and enjoy the day to it's fullest with all their friends and family.

     There was planty of banter from the boys during the speeches with Dennis reciting a witty poem about his daughter and new son-in-law and giving Sandy a gift of a new pair of Crocs as he obviously eyes Dennis' up every time he goes up to visit. As I write this Robin is standing in front of me with his faithful Crocs on, so he's in great company now!!

 

    Jordan, Sandy's best man, told us how he was amazed at how brave Sandy was to ask for Katrina's hand as Dennis had enough shotguns to 'invade North Korea...and probably in  his digger'...a brilliant mental picture!

          He gave us all a laugh as he brought out a life size cut out of Sandy in a dress, with a very fetching  headband on, that he donned during his stag do. I'm sure just having a picture of this passed around would've been bad enough!

          After a lovely meal where we served by the fantastic Louise and Jocelyn, who told me I had bigged Jillian up far too much in my previous blogs and needed to give them a mention, I managed to get a picture of the new Mrs Stuart with her new man....Mandy!

We got up to stretch our legs after a lovely cup of tea and opened the door to the foyer. It was hooching full of the bride and groom's friends who had turned up for the evening celebration. We caught up with a few glammed up guests and decided to bow out.

         So here I sit in my pyjamas watching Conchita singing her new song and waiting for the scores on the doors to be announced ,while getting constant whatsapp notifications form my fellow Eurovision fanatic friend Kirsteen, who hopes to be there next year.

   Katrina and Sandy will be partying just as hard, if not harder with all their loved ones, to Pepperpot a popular Aberdeen band, who certainly get everyone up and moving from the first to the last.

     A huge thanks to Katrina and Sandy for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to post the picture of Sandy in a dress on the internet ( I'm sure they said that was ok?).

    Even though they didn't go for the Eurovision theme ( does that mean my career as a wedding planner is a over?), Katrina still made plenty of waves(!) and I know that Sandy will save all his kisses for her (!)

   I, for one, give them a wholehearted 'Douze pointes' for a fabulous day and a wonderful life together as Mr and Mrs Stuart ......and Mandy of course!

            

 

 

No.13

    "My spots aren't as bad as they were yesterday". Caleb is standing in front of my bedroom mirror examining his skin, while I, having just returned from a brilliant day and night at the Norwood Hall hotel in Aberdeen, am sorting out clothes on the bed.
    I had left him in the capable (!) hands of his big brothers, James and Jake, for the first time instead of our usual plan, when we stay overnight somewhere, leaving them in the very capable hands of Robin's Mum, Evelyn.
   I looked at his face and realised that he wasn't talking about a few spots, his face was covered in a very nasty rash. He pulled down his pyjama top and showed me that it had spread to his chest. He confessed it had developed some time after we headed off for Aberdeen the day before, but James had reassured him that it was just adolescence and with a shrug, he accepted Dr Wiseman's diagnosis and got on with his day.
   So the contacting home and asking 'is everything ok?' wasn't specific enough. I really should've texted 'is everything ok and has your little brother developed any nasty rashes???'
      This lack of information reminds me of the time that I, against my better judgement, gave in to Caleb and Phoebe's begging to be allowed to camp out in the garden on a balmy July evening a few years back. I agreed, only on the terms that they would keep their walkie talkie by them and would contact me immediately, on my corresponding set beside the bed, if they were worried about anything.
     We found out from our neighbour Yvonne, the next day, that there had been a drive by shooting by some nutter with a rifle. They stopped beside our garden, fired a few shots and then headed off. The police were called out and were searching the area. Phoebe had heard the shots, but decided not to wake us as she didn't want to bother us!!
      I would've been pretty miffed if I had to turn tail from Aberdeen and come back to Macduff as I had been looking forward to this wedding for a long time.
    Hilary and I work together on reception at the health centre in Macuff, every Thursday I come in to release her from her morning shift. We always have a wee catchup about what's been going on, especially any family news. So when she asked me to check if Robin was free, to do her daughter Colleen and fiance Dave's wedding on May 16th 2015, I excitedly called Robin to check. Yes, all good, the date went in the diary..
   So a few years later here we were at the Norwood House Hotel, waiting to check in to our room that we had decided to book for the night.
  

As we stepped in to the Hotel ,the warmth  and the wonderful smell of the wood fires in the reception area hit us. We waited to book in and took in the amazingly ornate wood panelled walls and fantastic age old tapestries.
     We had stayed here once before at the wedding of Laura and Craig Park back in 2011  and had the most wonderful day with them and their family, so we were really looking forward to another treat.
      We were shown through the Pitfodels function suite, where the celebration would be, to our luxurious room, just along the corridor. And what a lovely room it was, really spacious, with a sofa and arm chair, a huge bathroom with double shower and bath and my favourite toiletries from Arran aromatics, I can tell you they would be coming home with me, every last mini bottle!
   Robin headed out after changing, to find the groom and set up his 'stuff'. I enjoyed a cuppa and put on my dress for the day....yes, it had a zip, but really I must get over that phobia...just to be on the safe side I brought another dress with me!
     The dress is an M&Co one that I have had for a few years and like my floral one, that I wore to Jill and Mark's wedding a few weeks ago, is a tried and tested favourite.

 

I've never told you this before, but since Michael and Jill's big day back in January, I have used the same handbag for every wedding I have been at since and the plan was to try and take it to every wedding this year.....

 

....Though I brought it along to Colleen and Dave's, I just felt that it really wasn't necessary as I store all my emergency kit items in it and didn't really need to carry them about as we were staying just up the corridor form all the action.

      So the bag stayed in the room and I went off to enjoy myself.

 

       Robin was mucking about with the furniture when I came into the beautifully laid out function suite and I helped him secure the candles, that the bride and groom were lighting, to their bases ( I have my uses) . Soon it was time for the guests to come through and I soon had company as Lynsey and her husband Michael came and sat beside me. We had seen each other last year at Lynsey's friend Lorna's wedding, to John ,which they had in a Marquee in front of their house. A fantastic day where they had a hog roast and enough meat to feed an army. Lynsey made me promise not to mention her in my blog, so I'd better get back to the wedding.....

   The best men ( yes, there were three) and groom were piped in, with Robin announcing their names. "Dave, Francis, Andy and Frodo"...Lynsey ( Oh, no I've done it again) and I looked at each other, puzzled and wondering if Frodo was a dog or a pet hamster? It turned out that Frodo was Kevin.. 'the ring bearer'....such is the sense of humour of these lads.

          Colleen's bridesmaids Claire, her sister and Victoria looked simply stunning in their 'Sea green' dresses ( not Duck egg blue Robin!). They walked down the aisle with Freya and Fletcher, Claire and Mark's beautiful children.

    We all stood and Colleen came in looking quite stunning on her dad, Leslie's arm. In fact I think he was so keen to get rid of her he ran her down the aisle, it was like , blink and you'll miss them! We found out later that nerves had got the better of him just before the ceremony and he was just glad that his legs were working at all!

       The ceremony was lovely with advice from their dog Sophie, who Robin claimed to have had a chat with, earlier in the week. Questioning Leslie, asking if he really was happy to let Dave, a Manchester United fan, in to his family as he is an Arsenal supporter!

           They said their I dos, even to the extreme promises of allowing Colleen to watch her 'Made in Chelsea' programmes and for Dave to be allowed to splash out on his designer outfits. We all toasted the new Mr and Mrs Masson with some whiskey from the quiache and watched as they beamed their way down the aisle.

       I caught up with Hilary and Leslie outside to offer my congratulations, and though the weather was a bit changeable, they all managed to get their photographs taken outside as planned. Here's the proud Mum and Dad with their beautiful daughter.

 

We all enjoyed a glass of bucks fizz with some canapes. Robin's eyes lit up when he saw there were haggis balls on the plate. Now let me tell you that a haggis ball can be a very dangerous thing, they smell delightful and come in a very handy, 'just the right size to pop in your mouth'. But woe and betide if they have just come out of the oven, for those little beggers could do some damage. Once at the Springs Robin took one and popped the whole thing in his mouth, only to realise too late that it was 200C in the middle. It was really amusing and I'm only sorry I didn't have my camera at the time to show you his facial expressions as he tried to keep it in his mouth!

         We popped back to our room for another cuppa and for Robin to catch up on whatever sport it is that he likes to watch ( so, not interested!). We had been told there was going to be a line up just after four, so we headed back out and were eventually told that the bride and groom were ready to greet us with their parents.

     We went through first so kissed, hugged and thanked all the 'lineupees' and went to our seats at the top table. We sat down and were accosted by the maitre de who told us that as we were at the top table, we needed to be piped in with the rest. So we (again!) had to leave our seats and  take a detour round the hotel so we could do a grand entrance with everyone else. Thankfully at this stage I got a really good look at the bridesmaids dresses and the girl's kindly posed for me to give you a front and back view. You can't see Victoria's face, but i can assure you she is in every way as beautiful as Claire, take my word for it!

We finally were piped in and took our seats, us sitting next to Leslie and Hilary and the speeches began. Leslie had chosen not to do a speech, so Dave kicked off the proceedings , telling us about Colleen's great love of darts that she inherited from her Mum. Not long after they moved in together he found her on Face time with Hilary singing the theme tune together with great vigour!

    The best men carried a third of a speech each and had a slide show for us all to see. After giving Leslie the fright of his life by announcing that he had indeed decided to speak, the real fun began! They had managed to interview few 'local celebrities' with best wishes for the happy couple. One was the owner of the kebab shop in Banff, where Dave is obviously known as a near family member. Eddie's touching words of wisdom were very moving to hear as he carved the donner!

    This was followed, much to Colleen's horror, with pictures of both her and Dave from birth to the present day...a lovely touching tribute that saved the trio of best men from being completely in the dog house after their initial comments about Dave!

         We had a fabulous meal and really enjoyed sitting with Leslie and Hilary, especially hearing how Leslie had left his bank card at a petrol station on their way in to the hotel the night before. He only realised it was missing when he went to pay for their meal on the Friday night! Thankfully he got it back and the wedding was able to go ahead!

        After the meal I got a whirlwind tour of the hotel and Colleen and Dave kindly let me have a peak at their fantastic four poster bed in the bridal suite. I watched as Victoria professionally managed to tie Colleen's train up for the evening ( very impressed ) and headed back to our room to put my feet up before the evening fun began.

     The band for the evening were Mustang, a  great four piece band from Aberdeen. We had missed them at Lauren and Jimmy's wedding last Sunday after the second awful zip incident. Then on Saturday evening at Ross and Eilidh's wedding they were setting up as we were leaving, so I was looking forward to hearing them and I was in the mood for a dance!

     We met the girls from my work in the bar as we waited to go in for the dance. After we had discussed the difference between the price of a pint in an Aberdeen hotel ( £6!) and one in the golf club in Macduff , we headed through to grab a table.

                    We grand marched and watched as Dave and Colleen danced their first dance to 'Thinking out loud' by Ed Sheeran.

        

   Well the next song wasn't 'Brown eyed girl' by Van Morrison, it wasn't 'Walk of life' by Dire straits and it certainly wasn't 'Dance the night away' by the Mavericks! No, it was Paulo Nautini's 'Pencil full of lead' followed hot on it's heels by.....wait for it.....only one of my all time favourites...'Ship called Dignity' by Deacon Blue...I was in dance heaven!

    And what a great evening...up dancing to nearly every song and enjoying the great company.

 

After bacon baps and wedding cake, Robin decided that his four a.m. start had caught up with him and we decided to back out gracefully.

     We said our farewells, just in case we wouldn't see folks in the morning, thanking Dave, Colleen and all the family for making us feel so much a part of their day. We headed for bed leaving the party in full swing.

   In the morning we had a full English breakfast in the tapestry walled dining room and thought that as we checked out we would miss everyone. But no, Hilary and Leslie were around, having been up till 3am having coffee and wedding cake in their room.

       Well after all the planning and the decision making, the emotion and the celebrating, the laughter and the love that goes with a wedding. I wish Dave and Colleen all the best for this new chapter in their lives....and even though the fans would've liked something different I think that the Man Utd v Arsenal score of 1-1 was a great result for today...just like Dave and Colleen...a  well balanced and perfect match x

   

        



     
   
  

No.12

I met Robin when we were at college together in 1990. We'd only known each other a matter of weeks when he asked me out and then 9 days later popped the question. All the naysayers who said it wouldn't last can be pleasantly proved wrong after  almost 25 years, 5 children and a gorgeous grandson, we are still going strong.
    That's not to say we don't have our disagreements. One of our on off arguments that we like to have is over who does the driving to weddings. When we have a wedding that is too far to taxi to, I always end up at the wheel and on a few occasions I have strongly hinted to my beloved that it would be nice if, even once, he would volunteer to drive and give me a break.
          Robin's side of the debate says that on the way to the wedding, he is still tweaking what he is saying and really needs that time to polish up his talky bits for the day. On the way home, well that's not even an option! He feels that during the day it is the manly thing to do, to discuss in great detail what each man has in their hip flask and then pass it round for everyone to have a little sip. Especially as the nervous groom waits  with his best man and groomsmen for the inevitably late bride to turn up. So, even if he doesn't really drink anything else the whole day, because of the new laws on drink driving...well, you can't really take a risk!
       Never mind, I'm up this morning, fresh as a daisy, after driving to yesterday's wedding and raring to go for today's, so all is good with the chauffeur job.
       Ross and Eilidh asked Robin a couple of years ago  to officiate at their wedding. This was just after Ross had asked Eilidh's Dad, Alistair, for her hand while he was building a timber shed and had a nail gun in his hand. Ross must've been pretty confident that the answer would've been yes!
         As well as chauffeur, I also work as Robin's PA taking calls for him when he is out on visits etc. On Friday I took a message from a couple who thought Robin would be the perfect person to do their service. When Robin returned their call, he came off the phone telling me that the wedding proposal had been done on Ant and Dec's Saturday night takeaway with a thing called the 'Supercomputer' that gets set up all over the country and challenges members of the public to do different tasks. After doing his bit, Don asked the computer to help him propose to Julie and to rounds of applause she accepted. They won a holiday to New York and went on Ant and Dec's show the next night...how exciting. I'm only telling you this now as it's a 2016 date and I will have finished my blog by then...maybe I'll do a few one off specials!
       I digress...as usual..
   Fyvie castle was the venue for Ross and Eilidh's ceremony and we have been part many special days there. A really stunning location, in any kind of weather, but for this wedding the sun was shining. We walked up from the car park through the most beautiful gardens with the rhododendrons coming into blossom and I was glad that I had worn my floral ( zipless!) dress  and made Robin take a picture.

     As we approached the castle someone had placed a sign with 'nearly married' on the pathway, just to remind everyone what the plan for the day was.

 

      Robin had married Ross' brother Scott and Marie in 2011, his 39th wedding, so it was lovely to see them again, especially Chloe, who was only a wee toot of 2 at the time, and Leo who has come on the scene since then and were part of this ceremony as flower girl and page boy.

      As we stood outside catching up with Michael Ross' Dad, we spotted an oyster catcher that had taken up residence in the central flower stand in the castle courtyard. Apparently it nests there every year and was quite happy to sit on it's eggs in the middle of the flower bed while everyone milled about. Only getting a bit vocal when anyone decided to get a bit close for comfort.







Eilidh was fashionably late due to having to make a fuel stop before heading off, but as we were entertained by some wonderful harp playing, no-one minded and she walked in looking beautiful , on Alistair's arm letting the ceremony begin.
      We sang 'Wild mountain thyme' accompanied by the multi-talented harpist , Vivien,who also played piano. At the end of their vows Robin was saying a blessing over the new Mr and Mrs Clarihew and suddenly Alistair's phone went off in his pocket. He swore to us afterwards that no-one ever phones him, so he never thought to turn it off but it gave everyone a laugh and at least it was a pleasant ring tone. I've just changed mine to the minions singing 'Ring ring ring.....' to the tune of the Beach boys 'Barbara Ann', so I can tell you, that's the first thing I do when I go in to a wedding...turn it straight to silent.
   We went back down the 60 stone spiral stairs of the castle. Yes, I've counted them and I'm sure that between that and the walk up to the castle in high heels on gravel paths, my exercise quota for the day was complete.
    Things had turned a bit chillier, so after a celebratory (soft) drink and strawberries dipped in chocolate (one of my 5 a day ), I managed to get a picture of the happy couple and we headed off to Meldrum House hotel for the reception.

       Another very popular venue, Meldrum House is a stunning old castle-esque building on the outskirts of Oldmeldrum. And though it was raining quite heavily by the time we arrived, the staff were on hand with umbrellas to shelter guests and guide them in to the  beautifully refurbished stable area for drinks and canapes.
  Being old timers, we went in to the main hotel and asked the staff if we could get a cup of tea, which they kindly brought to us as we sat in front of the open fire in the reception area on fabulous leather chairs enjoying a bit of quality time together.
    Very romantic I hear you say...this is when another argument ensued. What colour were the bridesmaids' dresses? I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of them to let you see, but I can tell you now I'm right and the colour was royal blue. Robin was adamant that they were purple and so the discussion went on. I know it was royal blue as this was the colour of our old school uniform skirts before they changed it to grey and hideous burgundy....a colour I can't wear to this day.
      I'm convinced that Robin is colour blind, though he has been to the opticians and they have ( according to him) assured him that he isn't. We have had many arguments over this in our years together...but he wasn't going to shift on this one.
   As we went in to the marquee , a permanent feature of the hotel, and shook hands with Ross, Eilidh and their Mums and Dads in the line up, we took our place at the 'Cruden bay' table. The flowers at the table centre were beautifully simple as though someone had gone out and picked some from their garden, with bluebells and grape hyacinths all in a lovely shade of ...royal blue...to match the bride's colours.
    During the speeches, Alistair's phone went off again...this time on silent, but he was holding the wireless microphone and as the phone went off, the mic made a morse code sound as the phone silently rang...poor man! Scott told some amusing stories about Ross, particularly that he has been a serial sleepwalker since childhood, being known to walk in to Scott's room in the middle of the night and start to pee in his toy box! At a wedding a few years back he actually sleep jumped out of a 1st floor window, narrowly missing a greenhouse and breaking his leg!
              Robin had been asked to say grace, so stood up and asked ladies at the top table..
"Could you settle an argument, what colour would you say the bridesmaid's dresses are?"...Eilidh, her Mum and Ross' Mum looked at him like he was mad and said, "royal blue" in unison.
    I gave a cheer, that was greeted with complete slience by the rest of the guests and slid down my chair hoping the ground would swallow me up!
 Then we heard a faint voice,of one of the groomsmen ( who obviously had too much to drink) shouting , "purple".....and Robin looked round triumphantly...I mean really he's male and totally outnumbered!
     Still convinced, Robin indeed did say grace and we were able to eat. Thank goodness!
  We had a great meal, sitting with Andy and Gail who's son Graeme and wife Chris were Robin's 119th wedding last year. We had made our menu choices a few weeks back and both Gail and I were convinced that we had ordered something different, so decided to do a swap, her beef for my chicken. When the waiter came round asking Gail how she would like her beef done...she turned to me and said..."How do I like my beef?"....I said "rare", and all the other guests at the table looked at us wondering what on earth was going on. It worked really well though and we swapped as soon as were served, enjoying each others' food immensely.
       We watched Ross and Eilidh cut their cake which was wonderfully rustic, like the rest of the wedding theme, and decided to head for home after saying our farewells.

 

 

A big thank you to Mr and Mrs Clairihew for letting us settle our disputes in public at their wedding and not having us thrown out. I hope as they head off to the Maldives and Dubai for their honeymoon that they have as happy a life together as Robin and I despite the odd argument or two.....

 

 





  

   

No.11

I'd like to place a disclaimer on this my no.11 blog...after last week's distressing zip splitting incident, I stood on the scales and I am indeed the same weight that I have been, give or take a few pounds since I gave birth to twins almost 14 years ago. I'm not big on weight watching as you know, but I felt I really should check just in case I had been fooling myself and gradually expanding. So, Phew!
      With that in mind and the fact that I had so successfully washed my latest dry clean only dress in the washing machine...I decided that for Lauren and Johnny's wedding on Sunday I would wear a dress with the same instructions that survived the same wash and had kindly been passed down to me by my friend Jane.
           Johnny and Lauren's theme for the day was a gangster/NewYork one and Robin had decided to get suited and booted to blend in. As a devoted wife, I had been thinking long and hard as to what kind of dress a gangster's lady would wear and after a few try ons settled on this little number.

Now, I have a size 20 bust  and a size 14 waist, so getting a dress to fit is always a tricky task. This one fitted really well, if not a tad firm over the upper half, but hey, that's what husbands are for, pulling up zips that you can't reach yourself!

        We headed off into Aberdeen, leaving plenty of time to find the Chester hotel. It's a newly done up venture that Johnny and Lauren booked a few years ago, knowing they would be one of the first couples to get married there. As we drove through Aberdeen the cherry blossoms were out in full bloom and my favourite foliage, the Peirus forest flame, with it's vibrant leaves that turn red/pink, at this time of the year. I spotted it last year as we went into a wedding at the Palm Court hotel and was so taken with it that I bought a small one for the garden.

    We found the hotel, with the help of google maps and as we were parking Johnny was walking down to the entrance of the function suite. Well, I could see straight away why Lauren fell in love with him so quickly. As we approached him, Robin introduced me and Johnny said, "Well, you've  punched well above your weight there Robin"...adorable, one of my all time favourite people already!

   

I persuaded the boys to get a pre-wedding photo taken in their fabulous suits, don't they look great?
       Everyone was setting up and buzzing about as we came in and the staff were incredibly attentive offering us teas or a glass of water, nothing was too much bother. The decor was lovely and fitted in really well with all the vintage NewYork bits and bobs that were around.

As the guests came through to be seated we spotted a few trilbys and pinstripe suits as family had taken on board the theme. Lauren came in on her Dad's arm looking every bit a Hollywood star. Her dress was really stunning, layers of veil with pale purple embroidered flowers that sparkled beautifully as she made her way down the aisle.

                The ceremony went well. Robin had aquired a new set of Scottish ox horn quiaches which made a great addition to the ceremony and allowed everyone to toast the happy couple with a drink or a raise of the quiache. Their handfasting was with a strip of Stewart tartan that came from Johnny's side of the family and as they said their own personal vows to each other, the new Mr and Mrs Lamb walked out to applause and 'New York, New York' by Frank Sinatra.





   Poor Alistair, the videographer, started to feel ill and began to panic, thinking he might faint and drop his camera on the floor while filming the ceremony. He managed to hand over to his assistant and go have a seat ,in a seamless motion, without collapsing on top of the wedding party. At a wedding that we were at a few years ago the videographer did indeed pass out stone cold during the bestman's speech. As a little circle gathered round the poor man, who had made a massive thud as he fell, the bestman continued on regardless, thinking it was just someone who'd had a bit too much to drink. Hard life taking video all day you know!
         We enjoyed a seat in the bar while all the photos were being taken and Pat, Lauren's Mum, came up to show us her beautiful Mother of the Bride outfit. We've known Pat for many years as she used to live in Macduff, just round the corner from us, as the kids were growing up. So it's so lovely to see them all again.



We went through for the meal and got a chance to congratulate Lauren and Johnny as they lined up to greet their guests. I got a chance to snap the amazing NewYork skyline cake that they had made, and it was a good thing that I did as the first thing they did when they came in, was cut the cake.

All the tables were named after parts of NewYork. Ours was Long Island and we were sitting with a few couples that we knew, so it was great having a catch up.
       Pat did a wonderful, Mother-of-the -bride speech and Ziggy the bestman gave away some of Johnny's deep dark secrets, forcing him to try on a mankini and a bib over his wedding suit ( I'll say no more). It was all going wonderfully well..
       Well......at this point I was twisted round, as my back was to the top table...no, I'm not going to blame the seating plan. I'm actually struggling to write this now as I know that a large percentage of you will shake your heads in derision...but , as I turned back to the table at the end of the bestman's speech to toast the bride and groom. I felt that feeling that I really hoped I would never feel again in my whole life.....yes, that pop and loosen of my dress zip!
           How can this happen twice in two weeks?? I'm panicking, going a ghastly shade of grey, wondering how I can get to the toilet without revealing my magic knickers to the world. Well, all I can say is thank goodness for my pashmina. I waited patiently till the end of the speeches and the cards were read out and gracefully rose from my chair with my pashmina pulled down at the side and sprinted like a woman with an exceptionally full bladder, to the nearest loo!
    This time I have my sewing kits...but no time to sew...the panic grows.....the safety pins, maybe if I could just pin it together and hide the damage, it would work. Let me tell you folks, I'm going to buy a set of nappy pins, because those little things you get in a sewing kit are no good under pressure.
           My meal was about to be served out and I certainly didn't have time to sew anything. So I draped my pashmina as gracefully as possible at a jaunty fashionable angle, held my head high and walked back out for my meal.
       And what a lovely meal it was, tainted only by the fear that my carefully placed covering would shift and reveal all to the next table. We finished up and Robin had the gem of an idea to give me his jacket to wear and so, with a slide and a swing, I popped it on and hey presto, a new fashion statement is born...it looked quite good, though I say it myself and we were able to go round saying our farewells with confidence.
        Having not really seen the kids for the whole weekend we really had to leave early and as the band were just setting up, we had to head before the first dance. Through the joys of FB though I added Lauren as my friend and saw their first dance on video this morning!
       "At last", by Etta James was the perfect dance for these two lovely people. And they looked so happy as they sang the words to each other.
           As we reached home I told Phoebe about our wonderful day. After she had stopped laughing when I showed her the side of my dress, we decided that it was worth my humiliation to share with you all the second zip incident...though if it happens again I'm just going to lie about it ok?
       Even that didn't spoil our day in any way. We had such a lovely time with everyone and will be waiting with bated breath to see the pictures of Mr and Mrs Lamb in Las Vegas and New York on honeymoon. Hope you win big Mr and Mrs Lamb, but then again, you already have eh?
        

No.10

       It's ten o'clock at night and I'm sitting in my pyjamas writing this blog. I really should be going to my bed as we have a wedding in Aberdeen tomorrow and I have no idea how to get there, but here I sit listening for the washing machine to stop it's cycle so I can take my tights out and have them dry for tomorrow! I forgot to mention that I also stuck my dress that is 'dry clean only' in with the tights, on the off chance that it might survive to be worn to another wedding.
   I bought it ( full price ) to go to the Scottish BAFTA's 18 months ago with my dear friend Ruth. She managed to get us an invite from MAC makeup who sponsored the event and we had a blast of an evening, having our makeup done and a slap up meal with loads of celebrities around and the highlight of my year...getting the guys from Rockstar North, who created GTA to sign my brochure for my son Jake ( even though I won't let him play the game!!)
        Anyway, the dress has been worn and few times and freshened up, but now 'D' day has arrived and by the end of this blog, I will let you know if it made it!

Officially I shouldn't really be counting this as wedding no.10 as I didn't get invited to the service. But to be fair to Wayne and Nicola, today's couple, not may of their guests did.

          Nicola had decided that she wanted just immediate family there as they said their vows in Duff House and the rest of the guests were invited to join them at the Springs for drinks and canapes afterwards.

            Duff House is our local stately home, owned by Historic Scotland, one of the most beautiful places you can imagine to get married. My kids have been brought up with visits to the house as regular family outings, generally with me shouting 'don't touch that' or 'don't sit there'. After  the 'tour' we usually took a walk round the Wrack woods that are part of the grounds. Through the seasons the walk through the woods change with blankets of snowdrops in  late Winter, then daffodils in Spring and finally bluebells in abundance in early Summer.

                  My eldest daughter, Ellie, decided that the mausoleum in the woods was the perfect location for her and Conor to get married. As I drove up to the house today to drop Robin off I was reminded of their day. Almost two years ago now, but still remains my favourite wedding apart from my own of course.

 

               Today was perfect for Nicola and Wayne. As I arrived at the hotel they were still away having their photo's taken and enjoying the amazing day of sunshine that they had got. Robin had walked up from Duff house and was sitting enjoying a Pimm's when I walked in. We sat and enjoyed the view from the front and I decided to play around with my new panaoramic app to see if I could capture the amazing view that you get on a day like this.



        There was a sign up as we went in to the function suite saying that there was no seating plan, just to plump yourself wherever you liked. So, just as we sat down and introduced ourselves to the folks around, Jillian came up and told us that we were actually meant to sit at the top table. We made our apologies ( hoping that Robin hadn't licked his spoon or anything) and moved toNicola and Wayne's table.
             The tables were beautifully laid out with silver candalabras, all with stunning vintage shaded fower arrangements. Margaret, Nicola's Mum, told me that tomorrow they were going to the home that Nicola's granny had been in before she died so the residents could enjoy them.

Not only did they want to share their flowers, but they had specifically asked people not to give them presents and for any donations to be split between Cancer research in memory of Wayne's uncle who died prematurely of cancer at the age of 55, alzheimers Scotland and Multiple Sclerosis Scotland. A lovely gesture and one that made Nicola and Wayne's family very proud.

       Nicola's Dad, Hamish, gave a heartfelt speech and was followed by Wayne's brother and bestman Graham, who told us a stpry of how Wayne had tried to run away from home when he was younger , after his three older brothers had been teasing him. They picked him and his suitcase up in the family car ,3 telegraph poles down from the house ,  and all headed off for a Sunday run in the car. I had to smile at this reference as this was a regular activity in our home on a Sunday. All piling into the car while our Dad drove us to various picturesque venues and all we wanted was to get out for an icecream. It usually ended in us getting our legs skelped for fighting and someone being threatened to walk home (usually me!).

    Well, when they all got home, Graham took the suitcase out of the car and out of inquisitiveness had a look to see what Wayne would take in his case if he was planning to run off and live alone. There he found 8 tins of beans, 6 pairs of socks and 4 pairs of pants...but no tin opener! No wonder he needs Nicola to look after him!

         Both Nicola and Wayne are from farming families and anyone who has been brought up on a farm as I have been, knows that they have a way of their own. Hamish had already been out this morning feeding all the cattle and finding two new Aberdeen Angus calves had been born in the night. The problem with coming from 'fermin fowk' is that a sunny day is a dangerous thing that tempts them away from family occasions.My Dad was bestman at his friend's wedding and it was a glorious summer day, they ended going out after the wedding service to do some combining as they didn't want to miss a good days work! Amazingly that marriage lasted....what an understanding wife.

 

           The cake was cut and  guests came for the evening as we watched  'The limit' set up for the dance. They are a 4 piece group of guys with a really great lead singer and a great choice of music, definitely one I would recommend.

 

       Everyone got up for a grand march and then the new Mr and Mrs Laird danced to Ellie Goulding's 'Your Song' surrounded by their guests who joined in after the first few verses.

    We decided as the music was so good to stay for a bit of a boogie and show the young ones how to really dance! But then the reality that we have to be up and away for the next weddding tomorrow morning, hit. We'd really better go.

      Robin called for a taxi and I took one last shot of the sunset as we waited for our ride home.

 

Well, it's 11.20pm, the wash is complete and the dress survived!! The tights are on the radiator ready for tomorrow and a new outfit.

    Wayne and Nicola will still be up dancing with their guests and making memories. Wishing them all the best for their years together. x

No.9

I was sitting on the toilet ( with the lid down) in the Springs with just my underwear on and a pair of high heels. I stared at the dress on my lap and wondering how I was going to fix the zip that had just split open a few minutes beforehand......
       Friday weddings are always a challenge and as anyone who knows me can tell you, I am up for a challenge. I even attempted the Banff bay swim a few years back and had to get dragged out of the water by the local lifeguards, half way through the mile swim, in a very ungainly manner after getting seasick. I mean who would've thought it, hey, but at least I gave it a go. Phoebe and I still look at the sea and say, 'Now, this would not have been a good day for the Banff bay swim', as we look at the ever changing moods of the North sea and remember that fateful summer.
     I work at the local health centre every Friday morning. As I like to be up at work nice and early for opening at 8am, a Friday wedding means I  get up at 6am and do my hair, make sure that my dress is laid out and pressed and all my accessories are to hand, so when I finish at 12, I can nip down the road and slip into my wedding gear and do my makeup in time for heading off for the day's nuptials.I pride myself on being organised.
              Today's couple Stuart and Charlotte ( known as Charlie to her friends) live in Aberdeen but hail from Banff and Macduff. Most of their families still live in this area, so the Springs was indeed the perfect place to hold their big day.
        I had got a beautiful handmade brooch for my birthday from Robin. He had picked it up on display at the Cullen bay ( see wedding no.1) made by Cullen based artist  Oriel Manni.

I could visualise wearing it with my grey tartan dress (the one with the stuck zip), my new grey paisley pashmina from big sis Susan and my teal patent heels.

As I stepped into the taxi, Jan said 'My, you're looking dapper' and really, I couldn't argue...well, not for the next 20 minutes that is!

        We arrived at the Springs as Hamish the piper played, I grabbed my bag as I jumped out of the car and felt a sudden pop and a slide and a gush of air around my back...yes, my tricky zip had decided that this was the moment to die!

   There's a verse in the book of Psalms that says 'The Lord laughs in his heavens' and my initial thought was 'Ho, ho, very funny...now get me out of this one please!'. I turned to Robin and said " My dress has just split down the back, " while still smiling sweetly. He obviously thought I meant a small tear and looked behind to see my whole back revealed to the world from neck to knicker line and grabbed my pashmina to cover it as best he could.

     I walked as gracefully as I could into the hotel holding tight to my covering , headed straight for the toilet and stripped....

     I am usually the fixer upper at a wedding. I carry a supply of safety pins, a spare pair of tights, some paracetamol, a nail file....the list goes on. The one thing I'd forgotten to put in my bag was my mini sewing kit that my friend Sue had given me last year...Aagh!

   As I was trying to work out how to fix the whole thing together with safety pins and pondering if I could get away with a Liz Hurley, I heard a voice say,

"Lynda, could you use a needle and thread?"

       No, it wasn't God (though I'm pretty sure He had something to do with it!), it was Jillian. Robin had briefly filled her in on my dilemma and she came to my rescue. A disembodied hand came over the top of the cubicle bearing two little sewing kits and I sat for the next 20 minutes in a state of fear that I was going to miss the whole ceremony, sewing 2 foot of zip together from top to bottom. I can tell you that for anyone of my age, threading a needle is difficult enough in normal light, but in the confines of a toilet with ambient lighting, it is no easy task.

       I slipped back into the dress, praying that it would hold, powdered my nose and emerged to find Robin and Jillian waiting outside the toilets. Not for me really, Stuart, the groom had forgotten his specially made button hole and had to dash back to Macduff to get it. Phew, if I'd known that I would've spent a bit longer on my finishing!

        Stuart returned and the guests filtered through to wait for the bride to arrive.

   Charlie came in on her Granda's arm looking really radiant. She wore a cream antique lace gown  and was holding a brooch bouquet with a picture of her Grandma on it so she would have her at the forefront of this special day.

Their little girl Grace took pride of place as flower girl and stole the show for most of the ceremony. During the hand fasting she joined with them as they bound together for this new chapter of their lives as a family.

      We enjoyed our afternoon, while the wedding party disappeared for photos, leaving us with the option of ice cream from a van they hired to sit outside, a gift that all the kids, big and small took advantage of. We sat out in the new foyer, enjoying the view out over the Banff Links beach and the company.

          Charlie is 90 years old and he and his wife Chrissie sat with us for a while. It was great to hear how they had met during the years of World War 11 before Charlie got called up to the RAF to go to Burma. He was there for 3 years and wrote to Chrissie, bringing back an engagement ring that he had specially made while in Calcutta. He joked that  he would've kept it if she said no, but obviously she didn't and they rest is history.

       My own Uncle Lithgow passed away earlier this week at the age of 92 . He was also in the RAF and we had been sent some information by family about letters he sent home while in a prisoner of war camp in 1943. Through the wonders of Internet access, I was able to show Charlie the letters and a photo of my uncle's squadron. It was a fascinating conversation.

        Stuart is obsessed with Batman and as a gift a friend had made him his own Batman cake with him as the hero on top and Charlie in her dress. The actual wedding cake was beautiful with cascading dusky purple flowers trailing down the side.

 

We had a lovely meal, sitting at the Batman table, together with Stuarts Grandma and his parents. The rest of the tables had similar batman themed names which gave everyone a good laugh. The food and the service was perfect, a really good team that work together well.
          All the button hole and the bridesmaid bouquets were made of buttons. A lovely idea that was introduced to us a few years ago by my friend, Donna, who made my daughter Ellie's wedding bouquet. We gathered together beautiful buttons and brooches scanning all the charity shops for any interesting finds. Donna took all of these and put them on wire with small crocheted flowers and created a bouquet that not only was totally unique, but that Ellie can keep forever and pass on. Such a brilliant idea. I'm sure Charlie and her bridesmaids will love to keep theirs too and treasure them.

        
The evening guests arrived and the disco started. A sweetie cart was set up and a photo booth for anyone wanting a memento of their day, especially once you've decided to put on one of those wigs they supply! We decided to give it a miss and sit with  Morag and Colin, who had come along for the evening with their daughter Lenise and gorgeous grandson who kept us all amused with his fascination of the never ending supply of sweeties from the cart. Needless to say when the sugar kicked in it was hard to pin him down...I'll bet he slept well last night.
          We watched as the new Mr and Mrs Nicol danced, looking so comfortable and happy together.

Wishing them all the best for the future, we phoned Jan and waited in the foyer for her to arrive, hugely thankful that my dress had held together for the whole of the wedding, I even had time to do a quick shot of Robin and John the bouncer posing in the new flash reception area.

I'd like to thank Charlie especially for making me feel so welcome to her big day. I hope that having Robin there to marry them made the Batman theme perfect and that Stuart will be her superhero for all the years to come.