(Probably) the last wedding of 2017

We have had a wonderful year for weddings in 2017, having had the privilege to celebrate with not one, not two, not even three, but four happy couples as they tied the knot. The final one of these was last weekend when P’s cousin D married R at the beautiful Seamill Hydro in West Kilbride, overlooking the Firth of Clyde.

To me, this was a particularly heart-warming event because of the efforts made to include D’s daughter S in the ceremony at every stage possible. After all, a wedding is hardly ever only about a couple, but about the drawing together of a whole family. I thought it was touching that the couple went to such great lengths to include S.

The ceremony itself was not a totally traditional one, although the couple did exchange rings and the bride wore a white dress, the event took place entirely in the hotel and there was nothing especially religious about it. Instead of hymns we all sang along to Love Is All Around Me, supported by a fantastic string quartet. The couple, and S, also took turns in pouring sand from their own individual jars of coloured sand, into one larger jar. The significance was explained; just as the sand cannot now be truly separated, so these three will now always be together in some way. A slightly odd ritual, perhaps, but it made a pretty ornament and will always be a good conversation piece.

After the ceremony, we sat down to dinner. As these things tend to, dinner faded into drinks, drinks faded into dancing (not to mention a slice of cake – don’t worry, they weren’t that unconventional) and before I knew it it was well past midnight and people were drifting off, either to rooms in the hotel, or to the coach that would take guests back in the direction of Glasgow.

We had elected to do neither. The Hydro is lovely but staying there costs an arm and a leg, and we hadn’t wanted to miss out on any of the fun by having to be on the coach in time. Instead, we’d booked a small B and B only a 3-minute walk down the road – the Carlton Seamill B&B turned out to be ideal for our needs, and I’d go so far as to say that their bacon rolls solved the problem that too much prosecco the night before had caused.

It was fantastic to celebrate this relationship, just as it has been fantastic to celebrate during all four weddings this year. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of a trend – I’m of the right age where all my friends are starting to get engaged now – and I absolutely can’t wait to start the celebrations for next year’s weddings. Just as soon as I’ve had a bit of a rest.