James Oakley Humanist
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Elle & Iain

18/6/2019

4 Comments

 
I married Elle & Iain on 13/04/19 at Balbirnie Country House.
Here's six tips from them for you!

1. Before & After

There are two kinds of people in this world. People who are late and people who are early. I like to think I'm always early, and I was when I went to meet Iain & Elle in their flat in the Westend of Glasgow. I was a week early.

So I came back a week later and here we are at our meeting six months before I married them. Top tip is to be careful to remember to diary all your meetings accurately... Whoops!

Before

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After

...and now as Mr & Mrs just after signing the register!
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2. More Sequins & Pearls

I remember asking Iain and Elle were there any little touches they wanted to tell me about. And something I said about Iain and Elle in their ceremony was how modest they were, they didn't let on much about the decor of the room for the ceremony and then when I go there - WOW. Have a look at this. 
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I have never seen chair ties done vertically, mind blown. And look at that fabric, it's like liquid-magic, it shimmers and such beautiful fabric with pearls around! I couldn't believe it. They were so AMAZING that I hardly noticed the fresh petal aisle runners. Not only luxurious and beautiful, but wonderfully fragrant too. 

The room at Balbirnie House was just perfect and the entrance of the building itself announced the fact this was a proper formal Scottish wedding with some style, check this out... 

3. Make an Entrance

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What an entrance! Every piper looks grand, but this guy was on another level. And yes, that's perfect bright blue sky up there, they even got the weather! Here's another 'little detail' I loved... 

4. More Flowers

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First thing I'll say is bridesmaids don't have to all wear the same colour (but fine if they do!) and second thing is - OMG - look at those flowers. Wow. Bouquets like that make me want to be a bridesmaid. And, as is the tradition the brides bouquet was even more amazing than the bridesmaids, as you can just about see here...
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5. Bring Sweets

Before the ceremony I had a nervous little chat with the father of the bride. An absolutely lovely guy who was beaming with happiness and pride and carrying a little paper bag of sweets. These were to tempt the young page boy down the aisle. And they worked a treat. The only trouble was the sweets ran out and so the wee man got restless. Thankfully I have children a similar age myself and so using my skills was able to cajole him into joining in with the hand fasting just as his patience was fading. Usually an incident such as this might have been the main talking point after a ceremony, but not on this occasion, because after the ceremony we went outside and there were alpacas in bow ties. Don't believe me? Here's one taking a fancy to my shoe!

6. Alpacas in Bowties

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I always say the ceremony is a great way to tell the story of what's important to you, what the choices you have made say about you and your relationship. And in their ceremony I certainly mentioned Iain and Elle love animals, what better way to demonstrate that than by having these guys look the part! 
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Thanks Iain and Elle for such a fantastic day.

We just wanted to email to say thank you for being such a fantastic celebrant. You really played a big part in making our day as special as it was and so many of our guests have commented on how great you were. 
Thanks again
Elle and Iain x

The Official Photos

Karol Makula did a fantastic job as the official photographer capturing events brilliantly as you can see here. Pay special attention to the extra little helping hands joining in the handfasting.
A full feature photo gallery of Elle & Iain's wedding is available on Karol's website here - https://www.makula.co.uk/post/elle-iain-wedding-at-balbirnie-house.
4 Comments

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    James Oakley is a Humanist Celebrant based near Glasgow in Scotland who loves helping couples create their perfect wedding celebration.

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My local area is East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire and Glasgow. 
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Popular places close by include Loch Lomond and Edinburgh, and I can also travel further away - I have conducted weddings in The Highlands, England and Spain.

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