Monday 4 July 2011

A Scottish Island Wedding


Approaching Arran
The sun slowly rose in the almost cloudless sky on the island of Arran, as the preparations began in two separate hotels. The bridegroom nervously donned his kilt in his single room, while the bride and bridesmaid chattered as hair and make-up distracted them until the hour arrived. As the groom waited in patient anticipation in the tiny church, there was a clatter of hoofs announcing the arrival of the ponies and trap.

The first notes of Pachelbel's Canon alerted the guests. The beautiful bride was here. Slowly, she walked down the small aisle on her father's arm, followed by the lovely bridesmaid, and took her place beside her groom.

And so our son was maried to his beautiful bride on Friday as the small selection of family and friends looked on in delight. It seemed the more meaningful as they clearly spoke aloud their vows in such a lovely small church and I was so pleased to be asked to do a reading. My daughter was the bridesmaid - and 'best man' as it turned out, as my son's friend and his wife were about to have their first baby on the mainland! 

The whole day was a delight. The  ponies and Victorian trap were an elegant and romantic addition, carrying the bride and groom from the church at one end of Brodick to the hotel at the other side of the long promenade, much to the delight of all they passed by. The enterprising staff from one newer hotel even asked to use a photo of them in the carriage for their advertising and publications. As the two new families enjoyed a wonderful meal together in the evening, it was the end to a perfect day.


The bride, groom, bridesmaid and a couple of their friends went pony trekking the following morning while we explored the island, then we all met up for lunch.
 
If my long sight was better, I might have seen the golden eagle that suddenly appeared on the mountain top behind the distillery cafe. Mr and Mrs were in fine form, relieved the months of anxious preparation were over!

Our few days on the island were a mini holiday, as we explored the wonderful hills and glens, never far from the stunning coastal villages. The remains of the ancient castle at Lochranza sat in a peaceful setting, while the more imposing Brodick castle was hidden among impressive gardens. Overlooking the whole of Arran, the highest mountain, Goatfell, was visible from everywhere.

With its own whisky distillery, dairy ice cream, cheese, chocolate, beauty products (Arran Aromatics),  as well as various other cottage industries, Arran is a delightful holiday destination and the ferry ride is around an hour from the mainland, making it ideal for a weekend escape. The best part of all is that even in busiest times, there are almost empty beaches, coves and country walks that give it the feel of another world. The Holy Isle is even more of a retreat and is a short boat ride away from Lamlash - and it's completely car-free.

So, all in all, it was the most memorable weekend of the year!

Rosemary



41 comments:

Unknown said...

And the sun was shining! Looks like that was a day that will provide the family with many warming memories. Congrats to you all.

Carolb said...

Clearly a wonderful and happy day for everyone Rosemary. Congratulations to all of you.

Frances Garrood said...

Don't you all look gorgeous! I'm so glad you had such a happy day.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Michael - thanks for that. Happy memories indeed!

Hi Carol - thank you. The whole few days were wonderful.

Hi Frances - thanks a lot! I'm looking forward to seeing the official photos.

Teresa Ashby said...

What a lovely account of it all, Rosemary - and beautiful pictures. What a gorgeous happy couple. Congratulations :-)

Allison Knight said...

What fun. I love weddings and the bride and groom look so happy. Congratulations to all. And the kilt looks great; of course the boy in it looks better.

joanne fox said...

It all sounds so romantic and the photos are beautiful. Wonderful shoes also! Congratulations to the lovely couple.

Janice said...

How idyllic and romantic! The photos, your account of the wedding and your time on Arran are wonderful. The bride and groom look so lovely and your outfit is stunning, Rosemary. Congratulations to all.

Rhobin said...

Wow! How wonderful. Congratulations to your son, and to you!

Roseanne Dowell said...

What a perfect setting for a wedding. Your description was so visual, I felt like I was there. The bride and group are gorgeous. Congratulations to all.

Julie Eberhart Painter said...

Beautifully done, Rosemary. Love the pictures and the description. Your very handsome son and his lovely bride will charish this post forever.
Julie

Jude Johnson said...

So lovely, Rosemary. Pony trekking sounds like a lot of fun and the landscape appears so green... Everyone looks incredibly happy! Congratulations to your son and his bride, may they feel the joy of this day for a thousand years.
I'm so glad it was a beautiful day for the festivities!
Thanks so much for sharing!

Jude

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Teresa - thank you! It was a perfect day.

Hello Allison - thanks for visiting with such a lovely comment!

Hi Joanne - thank you! Had to include a shot of those shoes. Philip is a lot taller than Elaine as you can imagine!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Janice - thank you! You're very kind about the outfit - took me a while to get it all together but it was very comfortable and not too fancy!

Hi Rhobin - thanks a lot for visiting and for your comment!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Roseanne - thanks for coming over to leave such a lovely comment!

Hi Julie - thank you! It was such a perfect setting.

Hello Jude - thanks for your lovely comment! The west of Scotland is certainly green (all the rain!) and they loved their pony trekking as it was so relaxing after the long day before.

Pat McDermott said...

What a fairy tale wedding! Beautiful bride, handsome groom (love the kilt), lovely family. Even the weather cooperated. Glad you got to spend some time on such an idyllic island. Congratulations!

Rachel Brooks said...

What beautiful wedding pictures! I particularly love the bride's high heels. They're fabulous :)

Barbara Ehrentreu said...

Oh, what a beautiful setting for a wedding and the bride and groom look so gorgeous. You look beautiful and radiant and so nice to see a picture of you! Thank you so much for sharing these.

Elizaebeth McKay said...

Beautiful pictures, Rosemary. I'm glad you had such a lovely day. Arran is the perfect setting for a wedding. I love Vikki's dress.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Pat - thanks for coming over and leaving such a lovely comment!

Hi Rachel - thanks for visiting! Aren't those shoes gorgeous - I could never walk on such high heels!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Barbara - thanks so much for visiting and for your lovely comment!

Hi Betty - thank you! I'm sure Vikki will be pleased to see your comment!

K.C. Woolf said...

What a beautiful couple and such amazing scenery! :-)

I love the shoes, but I bet the bride was happy when she could take them off. ;-)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi KC - thanks for your lovely comment! I'm sure she was!

Melanie said...

Wonderful pictures! The scenery is breathtaking. And you were looking mighty glam in your role as mother of the groom.

Larion aka Larriane Wills said...

lovely setting and lovely couple.

Jill Browne said...

How romantic – the setting, your delicious descriptions, the photos, the elegant bride and dashing groom – this was a dream wedding.

Many happy wishes to the new couple!

You look radiant, as in BEAMING, Rosemary!

Thanks for posting. What a beautiful story.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Melanie - thanks for your lovely comment! You should have seen the way I gradually added bits to the outfit right up until the final few days before the wedding!

Hi Larriane - thanks a lot for visiting and for your comment!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hello Jill - good to see you here! Thank you for that lovely comment - I don't think I stopped smiling all day. It's such a beautiful island that it added to the romance!

Joanna said...

I'm so happy for you all. The pictures are beautiful. You all look stunning and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. What wonderful memories you must have and what a lovely family you all are. Many congratulations to the very happy couple.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Joanna - thanks so much for that lovely comment! it was a wonderful few days. I've put further interesting details about Arran on my other blog now!

Scarlet Wilson said...

Gorgeous pictures Rosemary. I only live a few miles from the crossing to arran so visit often. Glad you had fabulous weather as I seem to be a jinx and it always pours - it's nice to see sunny pictures from Arran!

Paula Martin said...

Wonderful, Rosemary - great photos accompanied by your heartwarming description, I felt as if I was there with you.
Must be hard coming back down to earth again after such a fantastic few days!

Lindsay Townsend said...

Congratulations, Rosemary! They look so happy and so beautiful. It looks to have been wonderful.
Wow, though! Those shoes!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Scarlet - thanks for visiting! We can't believe how lucky we were with the weather and it added to the perfect day!

Hello Paula - thanks so much for the lovely comment! I'm trying to catch up but it's certainly difficult - still in holiday mode!

Hi Lindsay - thanks for your coming over! I think those shoes should be in a framed photo!

Ayr Writers' Club said...

Congratulations to all. Photos capture a lovely, relaxed occasion, Arran is a beautiful backdrop and they certainly picked the right weekend! Wonderful memories to treasure.

Ayr Writers' Club said...

Forgot to sign above!

Janice Johnston

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Janice - thanks for visiting with your good wishes. I'm looking at the heavy rain this morning, very glad the wedding was last Friday!

Linda LaRoque said...

It all sounds like a beautiful fairytale right out of the books. What a wonderful memory for the couple and you all. The pictures are wonderful. You know Scotland and Ireland are on my "want to visit" list so this makes me want to visit even more.

Best wishes to the happy couple and to Mom and Dad.

Cathie said...

Trust you to find capture the special day in words and pictures. The wedding looks stunning. Just the way it should be with no Big Fat Gypsy trimmings stolen from Katie Price's wheely bin.
You all looked so relaxed and happy just enjoying the experience. I'm sending cyber wishes for a long and happy future together to the Bride and Groom.
Cathie

Talli Roland said...

Fantastic, Rosemary! I'm glad it all went so well.

Love the shoes!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Linda - thanks a lot for your good wishes!

Hello Cathie - thanks for that. It was a very small wedding but very special!

Hi Talli - thanks for visiting! Those shoes are becoming famous!