Jan & Ruth ~ Newport on Tay ~ September 2016

Thank you very much!  It was a beautiful day for all of us. 

Everything went to plan, and everybody had a brilliant time. The ceremony went brilliantly, everybody really enjoyed the personal touches, and the weather certainly played its part too. 

We couldn't have wished for anything more. A big thank you to you!!

Melissa & Michael ~ Leng Memorial Chapel ~ September 2016

 

 

 

Allan & Sally ~ Atholl Palace, Pitlochry

"Our  humanist celebrant was Jane Bechtel, 

we loved her on our first meeting 

 as she was so laid back 

so it set the mood from the get go."

Marc & Jordan - August 2016

Our grooms: Marc and Jordon! 

With hand-painted 'tux' glasses. (All the guests

got one.  Not just for the fizz, but to take home, too.)

Centre stage was the cake...surrounded by 

the Groomsmaids' bouquets.  The ladies looked 

amazing, all dressed in black, their flowers

setting the rainbow-colour theme.

 

The ultimate village hall transformation, 

each table in one of the theme colours.  

Talk about attention to detail!

Jamie & Sarah ~ August 2016

Hi Jane, 

Really a heartfelt thank you from both of us on the ceremony, so many people were really touched at how personal and fitting it was and you brought a great sense of fun and calmness to the whole proceedings,  as well as some great adaptability to the weather!! And of course managing to help Sarah through her vows without the dreaded tears! 

Thanks again for helping us make it such a special ceremony which really set a great tone for a fabulous, and a little wild party to follow! 

Jamie & Sarah.

Rachael & Mark ~ April 2016 ~ Dunkeld House Hotel

Jen and Craig ~ 20 May 2016 ~ Huntingtower Hotel, Perth

Craig's Vows

Jen, I love you

From the tips of my toes

to the ever decreasing hairs on my head

I love how you accept me for who I am

How you are kind and gentle

How you suport and encourage me

How you challenge and inspire us

You are the Leia to my Han

The Belle to my Beast

The angel to my cake

You are the first person I think of when I wak

The last person I think of when I go to slepp

I vow to love you when it's easy and love you more when it's not

I vow to stand by your side for our amazing journey through life

I vow to be the man you deserve

Jen's Vows

Craig, you drive me mental.

Your untidiness makes me want to pull my hair out,

Your podcasts make me want to scream,

And your casual desregard for punctuality makes me want to smack my head off a wall.

But despite all of this, I happen to love you very much.

I love the way you always know how to make me laugh.

Your constant optimism is infectious and

Your love of life is unquestioning. 

You always see the good in people,

And you always see the best in me.

Not a day goes by when I don't thank my lucky stars that we met.

The last three years have been the happiest of my life,

And I love you more and more as each day passes.

You make my life complete.

I promise to support and encourage you in all that you do,

And to love you for the rest of my days...

...To infinity and beyond.

Together:

Do you promise to share your lives with each other;

To love and protect each other;

And to always be supportive and understanding?

"We do."

Do you promise to be trusting and honest;

To comfort and encourage each other

In times of sickness and in health,

Whatever the future may hold

From this day forward?

"We Do"

...and to all our guests, today, do you, their friends and family who have loved and supported them in the past, offer your blessing for Jen and Craig's marriage, promising to support and encourage them in their lifelong commitment to each other?  If you agree, please say, "We do."

"We do."

Atholl Palace ~ 1 August 2015

The Hermitage, Dunkeld

Marrying friends is always going to be special for any celebrant, and I was truly delighted when Crispin & Paula asked me to conduct their extra select wedding at the Hermitage in Dunkeld. With only 3 couples and their kids as guests, it was among the most personal weddings I've ever been part of....

Each of the guests had a job to do in the ceremony, whether that be doing a reading, or taking over a part of the ceremony that is more usually done by me...but when the story of a couple, their lives together and the years that have gone by is written & read by someone who was there the night they met, it can only be more personal & meaningful than anything I could have written.

They did everything their own way, and added twists and ideas I've never thought of...they had chosen to have a secret "Why I love you" bit in the ceremony and Paula went above and beyond the call of duty (!) by composing & declaring hers with the aid of a heap of carefully ordered Love Heart sweets, kept safe in a mini Tupperware box, that said it all for her.


The tie they used for their hand fasting was amazing too...it was woven ribbon, but they had added all sorts of bits and pieces from around their home to it as well: toys representing their family life, and bits and bobs from both their working lives as well as contributions from the kids....and speaking of the kids, when I asked them to pose for the shot, they really outdid themselves!
 

 All the Young Dudes!

Forter Castle - 1 June, 2016

Andrea & Tom ~ Atholl Palace ~ November 2015

As you might know, Humanists don't have a book of rules that says what a marriage should be, understanding that each marriage is as individual as the couple who are making it their own.  For Andrea and Tom, marriage means:

Accepting one another, in his or her entirety, as a lover, companion and friend.  It means caring and working for each other so that each feels loved, safe and secure.

It means to give your support, patience, and try your best to be understanding (not always easy!).

Being there for each other when the other needs it the most.  Helping with Architect exams!

It means putting a cold face cloth on Tom's head when he has a migraine...or is hungover.

Best of all, this marriage will signify a union of two amazing families, with plenty "character" (Jack's 'irn bur' kilt) and a lot of love to give.

 In committing themselves to each other in marriage, Andrea and Tom will share laughter and tears, joy and sadness...they will not belong to each other, but will belong with each other.

 They each understand that the commitment they are making today will require hard work and sacrifice on both sides, that their voyage through life together will sometimes be calm and may sometimes be story, but they know now that their love for each other will see them through.

Atholl Palace, September 2015

Elizabeth & Brent ~ Lands o' Loyal Hotel, Alyth ~ August 2015

Lizzy and Brent were very, VERY firm about how they did NOT want their wedding to be...and, despite the old world setting, did an amazing job of making the whole occasion their own and of being themselves throughout...hence Brent's total disregard for the idea that the groom should NOT stand there with his hands in his pockets!

There were a lot of laughs in the ceremony, too, and Lizzy and Brent were even brave enough to let their readers not only choose, but write, their own contributions...and let them keep them secret until the ceremony, too!

The New Family! ~ Aaron, Hayley & Flynn ~ Balmakwan Coach House, Angus ~ February 2015

"Now, when I asked these two to think about what they wanted to say to each other -- and, indeed, about each other -- today, Hayley was very honest in saying that Aaron isn't really one for poems, so the ones we'll hear today have been chosen by her, but with his approval!

This first piece is amazing, and I'm delighted to be reading it for you...Hayley loves this as she thinks it's short, sweet, and embodies one of the most important things about true love: always thinking of the one you love and never what you will get in return.  We don't even know if it has a name, but we do think that it was written in the 14th Century by the Sufi philosopher 'Hafiz'.

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.

 And we are here, today, to see these two rather nervous, but happy people joined to each other in Marriage in the ancient traditions of humanity, with a love that lights up all our lives, just by being itself..."

Happy February 2015! ~ Pam & Mark, Wedding No. 1 ~ Murrayshall, Scone

These two really put me to the test!

While they had planned their wedding in loads of time and had applied for a registrar to conduct the ceremony, sadly they were let down by a lawyer who failed to get their paperwork to them in time to get it all sorted, and of course the registrar cannot conduct a non-legal ceremony; so, with all the guests invited and frocks bought, Pam called me in tears on the Wednesday lunchtime...we met at 5:00 that night at the Red House Hotel, and I went home to draft the ceremony...and sent them off to think about Vows!

First draft was in their inbox by 11:00 a.m. on the Thursday, finalised that evening over the phone, and we got them married in a non-legal -- but very personal -- ceremony on the Friday afternoon!

Pam and Mark Wedding No. 2! 
I'm delighted to say we kept in touch, and, with the legal paperwork finally sorted, I had the proper pleasure of marrying them -- for real -- in their own front room with a handful of pals on the 7th of May, 2016.   

Hilarity at Prestonfield House ~ Vicky & Ford ~ 19 September 2014

This brave groom stood at the front and played the pipes as his bride was escorted into the Garden Room...and the sun came out soon after so we got photos outside, even if we didn't manage to have the ceremony on the lawns.  There was a lot of warmth and humour from all who spoke that day.

I have two daft but entertaining extra reasons to remember this one...there was a helicopter parked outside the hotel that would be used the next week to ferry guests to the Golf Open at Gleneagles (how the other half live!)...and, just five minutes before the ceremony started, I had to ask the groom to swap positions with me at the front of the room:  when I popped out to fix my lippy and wash my hands before the ceremony, I went to use the lovely posh hand lotion, only to have the dispenser fire it out at me sideways, and it spat out a long line down the front of my suit trousers!  No hope of getting it out before we started (it had to be dry-cleaned to get it off), so I just had to swap sides with the groom so that I could stand side-on to the guests...and it didn't look like I'd dribbled my lunch!

Annie & Donny at Kennacoil, Dunkeld

Wonderful, sunny, crazy chaotic afternoon with Annie & Donny at Kennacoil above Dunkeld. All the family in attendance and of course Winston the greyhound in his collar and tie. Good look for him. 

Some of the ceremony was literally made up as we went along, as a few things had to be left out for practical reasons, but as more elements seemed to add themselves as we went along, it wasn't a problem...the first time I've seen a handfasting done by ALL the children at the ceremony, who got to pick their own ribbons from the bag too...Molly got in there first and tied her Mum and Dad up with the skull and crossbones one!

My own photo's this time but I hope to get better ones once their photographer sorts everything out.

Farleyer Lodge with Fran & Dustin

 

Fabulous day dodging the raindrops on Monday with Fran & Dustin (and best man Dan) at Farleyer Lodge, near Aberfeldy. A new venue for me, and loved the place. Quirky and stylish in it's very own way...very much like the ceremony, the bride and groom and of course the guests!

I think the unusual tree you can see in the background here is a Himalayan Handkerchief tree. Really.

Also, the first time I've ever seen crisps as a wedding favour. Superb!

Leanne & Alex at Dunkeld House

This was one of those perfect summer days in Perthshire...and it feels so right that you can trully imagine it being like this all the time! Though everyone was dressed up and the setting was rather grand, the wedding still managed to feel small and relaxed with lots of laughs, and really personal vows spoken by both the Bride & Groom.

Down by the river after the ceremony. Photo by David Lozowy.

I took this one myself...just amazed that so much of the river bed was exposed...where Alex & Leanne are standing will 20 feet under the Tay by the end of November!

Glynis & William ~ Lands o' Loyal, Alyth ~ 14 May 2016