We attended a wonderful wedding in the highlands this weekend, on Easter Sunday, where our friend Claire got married. It was absolutely stunning.
There were some delightful moments along the way that made me think… there are many folks around the world who would like to plan a destination wedding in Scotland. With my experience of uh… two Scottish weddings…perhaps I’ll clue them in on how to make it a proper Scotsman’s event!
10. Choose a delightfully gorgeous venue, preferably in the Scottish highlands, where out-of-town guests will pass a few castles and half a dozen lochs to get there.
9. Choose a proper wee, bonnie Church of Scotland church, in a wee highland village. Pure dead brilliant!
8. At least a third of the gentleman in attendance should be wearing kilts. This is very important. If there is a baby there dressed in a kilt, well then that’s just an added bonus.
7. Encourage a few of the congregants to have a wee dram of whisky while they’re sitting in the church pew, waiting for the bride’s arrival.
6. The bride should be piped in by a proper player of the bagpipes, dressed in full regalia.
5. As the bride arrives, she should shout something very Scottish, like “What am I like?!” from outside the church, as she’s preparing to come in, so that everyone inside will hear and have a giggle.
4. Following the ceremony, the bride and groom should be piped through the streets of the wee village to the reception venue. Congregation should follow.
3. The speeches will not be complete without a good bit of humour almost crossing the boundaries of propriety. They should most certainly be filled with cheeky cracks at the bride and groom, and hopefully also make a bash or two at England because, well, it’s England, and it’s not Scotland.
2. The event must end with a ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee), which is for lack of a better explanation, kind of like a squaredance. This delightful moment should climax with the singing of Auld Lang Syne, with the bride and groom in the centre of the circle.
1. During the ceremony, the church should be filled with praises to God. The sound of the Scots – once a people so on fire for the Lord Jesus- worshiping their creator in such a lovely and worshipful venue, is unlike any other! I’ve yet to meet a more passionate people on the face of the Earth — and their passion is truly inspiring, when turned to Jesus.
Congratulations, Claire & Andy! Â It was a privilege to be a part of your special day! We rejoice with you at what’s ahead!
xCC
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So cool. Makes me miss Scotland!
Miss you guys.
Oh, did you hear that we’re having a boy!?
And Auld Lang Syne will end up more like a mosh pit than a circle… 🙂
It’s also almost inevitable that someone at some point for a laugh will take a picture up a guys kilt to see if he’s being a ‘true’ scotsman or not (yes, even when they are Christians this happens…)
Hooray Adam! I did hear that awesome news — a Mabry boy, hooray! We miss you guys too. We’ll see you when…we get back from my sister’s wedding. Ages!
Laura Anne — I thought about explaining the “true scotman” notion in this post, but sided with “propriety” and kept it quiet. You naughty girl! Just kidding that is hilarious and would make a great number 11!
Sorry Caroline, you know we Scots love to lower the tone of these things.
But have to say, we got a fright last year at my friend’s wedding when someone did that only for a picture of one slightly fuzzy but not too bad looking bum as a result. And a few years ago the groomsmen lifted up the groom’s kilt while the photographer took pictures, but alas he had forethought this likelihood of events and wisely put on a pair of tartan boxers on under his kilt.