Four newlywed couples tell us about choosing their celebrant and planning their wedding ceremony in Scotland

Four newlywed couples tell us about choosing their celebrant and planning their wedding ceremony in Scotland

It is the most meaningful little bit of the total matter, so you will need to get the ceremony correct. The latest newlyweds convey to Olivia Simpson how they did it, from producing their vows to picking ideal rituals

two grooms kissing in front of guests in a church
“Our ceremony included music and poetry, and the setting of St Palladius helped provide our fairytale to existence,” say Nicky and Dylan (Photo: Apricot Tree Weddings)

Nicky Spence and Dylan Perez, married by Jane Patmore, Interfaith celebrant

“We married at St Palladius Church at Drumtochty Castle on 1st January 2022 – for good to be regarded as New Year’s Homosexual!” chortle Nicky and Dylan. “We imagined issues had moved on, but sadly it’s continue to very difficult to locate any individual to joyfully marry homosexual persons in a church. Humanists are not eager to point out God, but it was critical for us to contain some spirituality (God-mild, if you will), so we were being thrilled when Jane, as an interfaith celebrant, was joyful to prioritise what was significant to us.”

The London-centered few did some on the net ‘speed-dates’ with celebrants and were amazed by how promptly Jane understood who they have been and what mattered to them. The outcome was a ceremony that was flawlessly personalized to them: “It was so ‘us’: touching, light at periods, severe and unique.”

two grooms posing on their wedding day wearing unique outfits
The few were delighted to be married in a ceremony that was a true reflection of their personalities and partnership (Images: Apricot Tree Weddings)

With Jane’s steerage, Nicky and Dylan deserted any traditions that did not really feel appropriate for them, leaving house for unique and emotional times to be treasured. They liked the ritual of hand-fasting, so did it using Nicky’s tartan and a piece of Dylan’s mother’s wedding gown. “We also processed down the aisle collectively with our parents, even even though some of them aren’t together any much more. Strolling the aisle as a joyfully disjointed clan obtained us correct in the emotions.”


Lorna and James Firscht, married by Craig Bouquets of Independent Humanist Ceremonies

a bride and groom standing under a chuppah during a wedding ceremony performed by Independent Humanist Ceremonies
The few married beneath a conventional chuppah (Picture: Whitney Graham Photography)

On 28th December 2021, Lorna and James received married at Gleddoch Golf and Spa Resort in a ceremony that fused the bride’s Scottish heritage with the groom’s Jewish qualifications. “We selected a humanist ceremony, as I am not religious and James is Jewish – it was the finest alternative to deliver in both our traditions but not be dominated by religion,” explains Lorna.

“We had been referred to Craig Bouquets at Impartial Humanist Ceremonies. James and I both of those liked his method: we did not want our wedding ceremony to be much too stuffy and Craig was fantastic at preserving it light-weight-hearted and was content to incorporate all the elements we ended up hunting for in our marriage.

a bride and groom in the grounds of Gleddoch House Hotel and Spa
Lorna and James, who married at Gleddoch on the Clyde, applied a tallit and tartan for their handfasting (Picture: Whitney Graham Photography)

“Craig actually served us to have the form of ceremony we wanted. We ended up married beneath a chuppah and, to integrate my Celtic heritage, we set our personal twist on a regular ‘tying the knot’ ceremony. We made use of James’s tallit (a shawl that he had from his bar mitzvah) and a tartan from my relatives, and we tied these parts together. James’s godfather also gave us a classic Jewish blessing.”

a bride and groom performing the Horah Jewish chair dance at their wedding at Gleddoch
They ongoing to rejoice James’ Jewish heritage with family and good friends lifting them on chairs on the dancefloor (Photograph: Whitney Graham Images)

The pair are comprehensive of praise for Craig’s organisational competencies, and had been amazed by the way he guided them and their visitors by the day: “He was good at conveying all the things to our family members and mates so they could all observe what was heading on,” suggests Lorna.

The ceremony concluded with one very last cross-cultural flourish as Arkleston Piping played the newlyweds out with a rendition of ‘Hava Nagila’, the common Jewish celebration music, on the bagpipes!


Steph and Robert Boyle, married by Barbara Campbell, Interfaith celebrant

a smiling bride and groom in a garden signing their wedding register
Steph and Robert liked the wonderful weather conditions all through their outdoor ceremony – and the wasps did as well! “There was one perched on my head for a bit but it didn’t make any difference, “ shares Steph. “My bridesmaids were swatting them away with their bouquets!” (Image: Ross Alexander Pictures)

When Steph and Robert had been arranging their September 2021 wedding at the Loch Lomond Arms Resort, they settled on an interfaith ceremony. This permitted the religion and spirituality that Steph had grown up with (and proceeds to take pleasure in in her daily life) to be recognised without having dominating the day, considering that Robert does not think in God.

Steph met with a pair of inter­faith celebrants, ultimately determining to go with Barbara Campbell. “I was searching to click on with someone,” she displays. “We did not obtain that with any person till we fulfilled Barbara. She was heat and attractive and we actually appreciated chatting to her. She matched our electricity as a couple better than any other celebrant.”

a wedding ceremony of a bride and groom in the grounds of Loch Lomond Arms Hotel
Robert and Steph’s relaxed day intended lots of smiles and laughter (Photos: Ross Alexander)

In the months primary up to the wedding day, Barbara was in contact often. “We went back and forth on vows and ceremony drafts till we received what we were pleased with. I am a journalist, so I was specific about the ceremony and how it sounded, the story-telling part of it specifically. So she almost certainly set up with a few more amends than she commonly would! It usually takes a specific particular person to make each individual couple truly feel as nevertheless you have acquired to know them truly effectively and offer you these kinds of a personal assistance.”

Robert and Steph at first regarded as astonishing each other with their vows on the day, but determined in the stop to publish them together, with enable from Barbara: “She sent us a enormous checklist of vows. We took a couple things from a couple of those and added in our have terms much too,” claims the bride. “We both equally reported the exact same vows to each individual other and it was so distinctive. We wrote them with each other and we explained them collectively. They’ll always be just ours.”


Barrie and Sarah Arthur, married by Mo Ackroyd of Fuze Ceremonies

a bride and groom signing the wedding register in a marquee
The happy few make it formal at their second ceremony (Picture: Camerashy Pictures)

Confronted with acquiring to postpone for a 2nd time, Barrie and Sarah determined to marry in a short, casual ceremony in their backyard very last August, followed by a even larger bash finish with vow affirmation at Cornhill Castle in February just past.

Celebrant Mo Ackroyd, who experienced formerly performed a friend’s wedding, led proceedings on both events. “Neither of us is religious, so we preferred a secular ceremony that celebrated us and was exciting,” says Sarah. “Mo’s technique was specifically what we required: she was attentive, laid-back and favourable.”

Mo, she adds, went previously mentioned and past to guarantee the ceremony actually felt like them. “We fulfilled her pre-Covid and had a lot of Zoom phone calls, so she was ready to get to know us as a pair – this confirmed on our big day. She also took the time to interact not just with us but with our little ones far too, as we required them to engage in a big portion in the day. Mo spoke to our buddies and family members as properly, and absolutely everyone commented on how superior she was and how pleasing the ceremony had been.”

a smiling bride and groom walking up the aisle in a marquee surrounded by clapping guests
Sarah and Barrie at last bought the wedding day they desired at Cornhill Castle after Covid disrupted their organizing. “In legitimate Scottish design and style, it was blowing a gale and there was torrential rain during our ceremony at Cornhill – at details we considered the pavilion was about to get off!” laughs the bride (Image: Camerashy Pictures)

The celebrant also helped the pair settle on which meaningful rituals to involve. For the very first, they had a sand ceremony for the next, they reaffirmed their vows with an oathing stone.

Their best tip for when it will come to organizing the ceremony is to be yourselves: “This will make certain your celebrant receives a feel for your personalities and understands you as a pair, which will in turn make your ceremony just perfect.”