Guardswell Farm: New Events Venue

Delighted to find myself at Guardswell Farm yesterday, conducting the very first wedding to held at the new venue. Properly Exciting!

Andrew & Alina had taken a bit of a leap of faith when they booked a stone shell and some mud with an amazing view early last year...but it paid off, and Guardswell is going to be a great addition to my local venues (pictures of the actual wedding to follow).

As the space is very much planned as more than a wedding venue, the number of ceremonies per year will be limited, as is the on-site accomodation (22 folk just now, but pretty luxurious). I'm sure its location between Perth & Dundee and overlooking the Tay will attract folk nonetheless. I understand that more accomodation will be added as time goes on.

The look they have gone for is very much rustic chic, with a good dash of elegance about it too...clean lines, simple and light, the space also seems very adaptable, but I've not seen it all opened up (big sliding barn type doors) lead directly outside or to huge windows.

Alina & Andrew had chosen to keep the dining and reception area secret until the dinner started, so it was more enclosed than it would usually be, but I could see why they wanted to do that as well...
It really does make an impact when you walk in...

As I understand it the catering and bar plan is that you provide your own, but the kitchen is state of the art (i've been told!) and is set out to accomodate cookery classes and demonstrations too.

They seemed really on top of things, and as I chatted with Anne the event organiser about her work, she gave me a lot of confidence that they have a good approach to things...From the celebrants point of view it's fab...intigrated sound system for music, staff to operate it, and even a spot when I can get changed into my suit and leave my bag of emergency kit!

The space in which we did the ceremony was lovely, quite a long room, but with lots of light and really good accoustics, so no need for messy/ugly microphones or cables.

It did get pretty hot, and I think more ventilation will have to be thought about, but if you weren't keeping the adjoining larger spaces as a surprise, then there are doors that could be opened at the side, which I suspect would increase the airflow significantly.

All in all I had a lovely time, it was easy to find and get to, and the view was just fantastic...though sadly my attempts at capturing it were not! (sigh)

However, you'll find some great ones on their facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/guardswell

Soooooooo Funny!

Photo by Martin Ward Photography

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

This is the hilarity caused by a beloved Uncle reading a poem - in the 'The Doric' - written by himself, mostly about the Bride...but with a bit about the Groom too, and how he'll have to put up with all her foibles now...and it was not all complimentary by any means.
It was also kept secret - in that no-one knew what he was going to be saying in advance (except me!).
I learned a lot about them as a couple from it - (perhaps even more than I wanted to know?) - and I had a good chuckle myself even though I knew what was coming, but as you can see, for those who all knew them well? it was properly hysterical.
We're not all lucky enough to have an Uncle Denny with the skills to write something from scratch for our family occasions, but it can be great fun adapting an existing reading to make it more appropriate, adding in names or events or habits or places that fit the couple...or their families & friends for that matter.
I am very aware that not everyone thinks it is appropriate to have folk falling about laughing at a Wedding, and I do agree that there is a very serious side to what we're doing on the day...but no life is all serious (I hope) and I try to make sure that any wedding I'm part of reflects the lives that the couple themselves lead, and if that life is full of laughter (and Doric poetry!) then let's make it part of the ceremony!

Spotted myself in the reflection in the mirror too!

Photo by Ruth Trotter

 Just a few of my lovely local colleagues, as ourselves, rather than suited and booted!

 

Photo by Madeline at the HSS office!

Erica & Joachim, Inchyra Byre, April 2017

This photo is by me, which is why it's not so good...but it was such a lovely scene I had to try...

I first met these two down at the McRobert centre at Stirling Uni 18 months ago, and we've met several times since then...and it has always been great fun! We practiced Handfasting in a cafe in Perth one afternoon, much to the amusement of the folk at the next table, who were kind enough to wish them all the best for the wedding when we left!

 ...i'd like to say that we started on time, as Erica was all dressed, coifed, primped and ready to head down the aisle, but the bus that was bringing most of the guests from Stirling got caught in the tailback from the roadwork’s at Broxden...so for once we had the bride waiting for the guests, rather than the guests waiting for the bride!

That kind of delay may be inevitable on occasion, and it is usually not a problem to hold things up for a wee while, but it can be worth checking local events and letting your guests know if a delay is likely...so Highland Games, sports events and music festivals have all caused delays to ceremonies I was conducting...but the record goes to one much loved but slightly dotty Gran who took an alternative route the whole way round Loch Tay to get to the Kenmore Hotel...we started 75 minutes late...but the guests were in fine voice by then since they had been in the bar all that time, so the upside was that the singing was braw!

No singing at Jo & Erica's ceremony...but a great competition that was to run all day...Jo is a serious Star Wars geek, and the guests could earn 'nerd' points by spotting all the references or lines they managed to sneak into the speeches and the ceremony...I suspect there was a line in the vows too, but I'll have to watch all the films again to be sure!

I really couldn't choose which pictures to go with here, so here's a link to the Photographers page too, and can see them all!
https://picturesque-by-mr-and-mrs-m.smartslides.com/erica-jo

The huge flower heart was made by Louise, a friend of the bride...and many couples used it as a backdrop for photos of themselves in their glad rags after the ceremony, an unintended bonus!

Photo by 'Picturesque, by Mr and Mrs M'

Photo by 'Picturesque, by Mr and Mrs M'

Gemma & Fraser, Dunkeld House, March 2017

...never one for messing around or making a spectical of herself Gemma!!

Hi Jane!

We had an incredible day, the ceremony for me was probably the best part if I had to choose. 

I'm so glad we put the effort into that part and delighted we found you, the perfect person to do it. Everyone I have spoken to came away saying that was the best ceremony they've ever seen…including my hard to please grandfather!!

The rest of the day was followed by wonderful speeches, food and a heaving dance floor all night. 

We came down to breakfast in the morning to the sight of one of our pals on a chair with a sweeping brush trying to get a tie down from the roof 😂

The next day saw 30 of us in Dunkeld town, singing, dancing and literally drinking the Tay Bank pub dry. It was amazing to have everyone together, so many laughs and so much love.

Our honeymoon has been wonderful too, this high will carry us with ease through the rest of our lives!  Thanks again for everything. Gemma & Fraser

Fraser to Gemma

 "I promise to take you as you are and not try to change you.

You are the nosiest person I have ever met which means that surprising you is getting more difficult as time goes on, but I promise to keep trying to surprise you with love and affection laughs and the odd small treat to show how much you mean to me.

Gemma you are my best friend and one of the funniest most creative people I have ever met and I promise to listen learn sing along and dance to every childhood song that pops into your head as well as every new song or dance that you make up.

I promise to continue to love Doggy and treat him as if he was my own and I look for word to the next stage of our lives together.

I look forward to hearing stories I've heard hundreds of times before and also all the things that I am yet to discover.

I promise to love you unconditionally and continue to try and build a life that is far more rewarding than we could build alone and with that I promise to try and learn the difference between tidying the house and cleaning it.

With that - I promise you today in front of all our friends and family, that I will remain your biggest fan in good times and in bad.

I will be by your side for as long as I can, even as time and life changes us and with whatever life throws at us.

I love you more than you could ever know all that I could ever show."

  

Gemma to Fraser:

"I promise to encourage your eccentricity.

Your mind is like no one else I have or will ever meet and I will never discourage you from thinking outside the box. It makes me a better person.

I vow to live the rest of our lives with the music full pelt and to promise to try my best just to ‘wing it’ instead of sucking the fun out of things with my relentless planning and need to know every detail about everything.

I vow to protect you and hopefully one day our children. But definitely one day our puppy, which you totally promised I could have.

Some days we aren't perfect but more often than not we are.

And that says a lot considering my unrealistic high standards.

You've done well.

Nothing and no-one is unapproachable or intimidating when I'm with you, because quite frankly you do not give a…jot about what anyone thinks.

And I am quite in love with that.

My final promise to you is to make sure you always look forward to tomorrow, even when tomorrow is Monday." 

 

Lisa & Adam. The Hermitage. Dunkeld

See that hug happening at the side there? That there is one of my favourite things about ALL my weddings.
It doesn't matter that I don't know the folk, or that they are not my family or my friends, just seeing folk come together is such a wonderful sight. There will be folk who have shared childhoods but not seen each other for 30 years, groups of pals from Uni who all kept in touch but not been all together since graduation...wee cousins who only get to play together at family gatherings.
I love to be a wittness to all that emotion & joy!

Ossians Hall at the Hermitage in Dunkeld is  spectacular with it's huge trees, river, waterfall and walks, but it can have its issues...the first limitation is it's size, as it doesn't hold too many folk, the second is the volume! If the river is in spate it can positivly roar down the waterfall and rapids just beyond the viewing balcony, and the wee bit protection given by the glass doors may not be enough to damp it down...there is no electricty either, so lighting & sound has to be considered too. There is limited vehical access  as well.

However, it can also be the PERFECT spot for a small, relaxed and not too fussy wedding, as it was for Lisa and Adam.
With their families arriving from the far north and far south, it was almost equidistant between to the two, as well as allowing them to be outdoors much of the day as they wanted to be, and make the ceremony as intimate as they wanted it to be too, without to much formality...and with the guests all around them as seen in these pictures, it really was ideal.
Thank you SO much for sending these through Lisa!

Leah & Andrew. Pratis Barn, Fife

I really loved this day with all the Livingston and Dalton clans, some of whom I've got to know well over the years I've been doing ceremonies...and with the sense of humour & relaxed approach these two had, it was always going to be one of the funny ones! Great live music from Chris Smith that day too.

 "For us a Humanist ceremony was important as we wanted our special day to be about us and the story of how we met and began our journey to becoming husband and wife.

Not only did the Humanist ceremony allow us to do this but it also allowed us to include our family and friends and those who played a part in our story, making our ceremony all the more precious and personal to us."

photos by andy alan