Another Family Wedding

 The Builder's Baby Brother got married last week. 

It was such a joyful event for our families. 

And aren't they simply the handsomest couple you've ever seen? 

(Doesn't that sound sufficiently Mrs Bennett-esque. It's really quite an achievement when one begins to sound like Mrs B without even trying. Or maybe a worry, rather than achievement.)

Either way, they are a wonderful looking pair. 

Just as all the guests were lining up for a group photo, I was able to sneak this photo of the bride's hair. Isn't it gorgeous :)

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Instead of a traditional wedding cake, they had this impressive stack of macaroons.

Ohhhhh. Yum.

Raspberry macaroons, pistachio, salted caramel, chocolate orange .... the list goes on and on. 

So did our eating of them.

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The wedding also gave us the opportunity to get a photo of ALL the cousins.

Don't they look fab?!

Although, I have to be honest .... it took some work to get them all looking so, erm, presentable.

First we had this ...

and then we had this ...

C'mon, folks, third time lucky, eh?

Maybe not. As I say, it took a while, but eventually we were able to get them all looking reasonable.

More than reasonable, wouldn't y'all say. These guys are such a wonderful bunch of kids. It's so hard for us to have taken our Wee Guy - sorry, Calum Stewart (I'm still not used to calling him by his name!) so far away from them. I'm concerned he'll end up needing therapy as the years go on. Or even worse, that he'll be putting us in an old folks' home when we're old as a punishment. 

Oh well, we'll always have DR, Catherine, and Katie to look after us. Isn't that right, kiddos?

And talking of kiddos...

My boys were there ...

And my girls were there ...

and our new kiddo too. Everyone was there, and so I was in my happy place.

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After the speeches, and the meal, everyone gathered for some music and dance.

Here are the Bride and Groom taking part in one of the the Eightsome reels. Not many folks could dance a Scottish Strip the Willow that elegantly in such a dress. 

Of course, I would be just as elegant. But I know y'all know that anyway. 

Yeah. Right.

Another Strip the Willow. Such fun!

And here are Stewart and Marie, this time taking part in a Virginian Barn Dance. 

With a name like that, who could not love it!

What blessings we have in our lives! Marriage is such a God-given blessing, and families are such a God-given blessing. Last Friday we were able to be part of both these wonderful gifts our loving Creator has given us. We thank Him for marriage and for families; for siblings and for nieces and nephews; and for times of joy, when we rejoice with them who do rejoice (Romans 12:15).

My Sister ...

There are so many angles from which to come at our recent wedding, but this one is going to concentrate on my sister and me.

A few months back, Marina and I were involved in a radio programme being broadcast on what was, apparently World Sibling Day.

We spoke (and laughed) about what it means to have a sister, and on our similarities in the things that really matter to us – our faith and our families, in particular. We also spoke on some of the (many) differences in us in the things that don’t – to her – matter so much: you know, things like history, and politics, and such like. And on the other hand, things that don’t – to me – matter so much: you know, like fashion, and dress sense and such like.

But we both know, probably at this stage of our lives more than at any other, the preciousness and blessing in having a sister. Seven years of a difference may seem like a fair bit when you’re young; but when you’re our age (of course, Marina is still very young....), seven years seems much less of a gap.

Over the weeks and especially the days leading up to the wedding, I saw more than at any other time of my life, just what it was to have a sister. Apart from the number of times she answered my, ‘What do you think, Marina?’ questions – invaluable, at a time when I had a million questions going around in my head. 

She is so good at saying, depending on the situation:

“oh, that’s a good idea!”

or, “What? That’s a rubbish idea!”

or, “Hmm, let me think about that. Let’s see how that would work”

But simply having her around for moral support, and for very, very necessary light relief was incalculably beneficial for me.

And so, in this tribute-to-Marina and to sisters everywhere, you’ll forgive the load of Marina-and-I photos in this post.

I’m beginning at the morning of the wedding. I had to include this photo of Marina and her beautiful daughter, Iona. 

Marina has her, ‘Erm, excuse me, but who made this tea, and why is it not to my satisfaction?’ expression on her face, while Iona sits so beautifully serene beside her.

We all had the benefit of being together in Inverness all week – Marina and Iona, along with our whole family (and Elissa, Catherine and DR’s American friend, who had the pleasure of meeting Marina and myself for the first time, but Elissa is for another blog post). It was such fun for us all simply being together. We had three days before the actual wedding of coming and going, to-ing and fro-ing, but also of simply chilling, relaxing, and having light-hearted banter. All this time, I was so very aware that this pleasure of simply being together was a luxury. I wanted to savour it, and having Marina there added to the enjoyment so much, not only for me, but for the kids too.

So, back to the wedding morning....

Our good friend, Donald (known as Twin) – who is responsible for taking practically all the photos I can show you – was with us the morning of the wedding. He and Marina were in school together, so they go back a long way. Old friendships are fabulous, don’t you think. Twin’s camera was useful, but his constant source of laughter was truly invaluable.

Here, he’s taken Marina and I outside (I forget why, but he possibly had no logical reason other than to grab a few snaps on his phone), and is trying – successfully – to make us laugh.

The difference between Marina and I is that she is able to laugh elegantly. She keeps her composure and her good looks, while I ... well, you can see how I laugh at Twin’s comments. One day, I shall grow up to be just as mature as Marina.

Or maybe not.

And you know, the relationship between Marina and I doesn’t stop at us two. As the years have gone on, and Iona has grown up and grown to love Catherine and Katie more and more, and our own girls have grown closer and closer to Marina, the extent of our love has widened as well as deepened.

Isn’t it good that Iona has such good role models ....

Yeah. Right.

So many of the memories we made over the past year or two have included Iona as well as Marina. Both Marina and I have noticed more and more over the years that our kids are happiest at events when they’re all there together. It’s a joy for us, and clearly a joy for them too. For myself, I’m a different person when I know Marina is involved with our preparations, and when she’s there by my side.

From 18th birthday parties to 21st birthdays to Hen Days, Iona, as well as Marina, has been part of them all, and she and our girls have grown to be more than simply first cousins. As I said, having a sister has benefits that widen and deepen and begin to include so many more people than just the two of us.

Here’s my dear sister and her long-suffering very fortunate husband. Strangely, although Marina and I are very different in so many ways, we went for very similar fellas, I’d say. We both got great husbands. God was truly good to us both in that regard.

Having the same foundation in our lives makes our relationship more than simply that of genetic sisters. We are sisters in Christ too, a relationship  that will last beyond this life, and transcends even the closest of familial relationships. The combination of the two is so precious.

I also think that being different ...

in our natures – I am so glad for who she is, and her constant ability to make me laugh (especially at myself); I love how easy it is for her to speak of matters of the soul and of what she has recently been reading or hearing of our Saviour, and her enthusiasm when she learns something new

in our interests – I reckon her lack of interest in my ‘pet subjects’ .... you know, things like the American War between the States, or the history of Fascism in Europe, or the progression of a European Union, etc etc, enhances our relationship. In fact, as I write these things, I can see her eyes glaze over and I can feel that look she gives me. It says something like, 'Anne, I know there's a noise coming out of your mouth, but to us normal people, it's nothing more than that: noise. I'm officially zoned out. You are officially boring. I want tea and cake. Zip it."

Isn't that right, Marina?

Despite, and probably because of these differences, I love my sister so very much. And now that we've moved away, I miss her more than I can say. Yes, I know we can be in touch every day - and how I love modern technology for this! but I still miss that I can't just hop in the car and pop in for tea and cake and chat (as long as I keep off my pet subjects, eh, Marina!)

So to all you sisters out there, remember this: y'all are the best thing since sliced bread. 

Wedding Day, Part I

I don't have any 'proper' photos, so I've nicked some of the ones my Facebook friends have posted and will give you a wee glimpse into our day.

This was the moment the Builder first saw Catherine in her wedding dress. At this point, all my morning's emotion was bubbling very, very close to the surface. Dangerously close. 

As he moved forward, himself with tears in his eyes, he hugged her in a way that said, 'I am holding you lightly because of your veil and hair and dress. But my desire is actually to hold you so tightly and never let you go.'

At this point, my heart truly felt painful. I had to keep my emotion in check. I cannot do an elegant tear rolling down my cheek. If I allowed my emotion to seep through at all, the floodgates would have burst open. It simply couldn't happen.

The Builder then prayed with us. I am turned away from him and Catherine at this point. I'm sorry, I really don't want to sound dramatic, but this was agony. 

(Yes, I'm thankful, as is Catherine's dad, that she is marrying in the Lord. What could be better? Yes, we are sharing her joy that she is marrying the man she loves and that God took into her life. Yes, I am thankful that her leaving home is in the best possible way, and for the best possible reason. But I repeat: it was painful. It is painful.)

Okay, I'm going to move on from the Builder and myself, and focus on the beautiful bride ....

...and her beautiful bridesmaid. 

This has got to be Katie's best selfie ever. I simply love it!

Here I am standing outside the church with John's mum. At this point, the day was dull but dry. We were all at the church on time. My emotions were doing just fine. And all was going swimmingly.

I'm not sure who was still around at this point ... whose photo this is ... but here is the Builder, ready to walk into church with his daughter on his arm. Ready to give her away.

And here he is a few seconds from answering the question, 'Who gives this woman away?' with the two simple words, 'I do'.

And that was it. She was then placed in the hands of the man who will take care of her for the rest of his or her life. She is his until separated by death.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Trip to the Mainland: Weather and Wedding

I had a trip to the mainland last week. On Tuesday, I crossed on the ferry to Ullapool and drove to Glasgow. On Wednesday afternoon, I drove back up the A9 to Inverness. On Thursday and Friday, Catherine, Katie, my sister, her daughter, and myself did wedding-y things in Inverness. On Saturday, because the Ullapool ferry was cancelled due to strong winds, I drove down the A82 to head for the Skye ferry, only to be told just beyond Drumnadrochit that the road was closed because of a rock fall, and so I turned back and headed to Skye on an alternative, and rather snowy, route.

Y'all wanted to know all that, right?

Here are some photos of our trip: none of them are clear because they're all phone photos and most of them are taken whilst 'on the move'.

When you have a wedding to plan, you don't have time to stop and take a photo. Oh no ... if you want a photo, you do it whilst on the move. 

This is something I've learned in the past few weeks.

The road was clear on the drive south. Even although the A9 between Inverness and Perth is not my favourite drive, some of the very rugged and absolutely Scottish-winter-scenery was lovely.

This snow cloud arrived and blocked out all the lovely blue sky.

This car was parked outside the flat in which Catherine and I stayed that night. She'd flown to Glasgow - definitely the ideal way to travel, except that it leaves you car-less for the rest of the trip. Just to add to the American-ness of our trip, we had breakfast the following morning in TriBeCa, on Dumbarton Road. 

Their stack of pancakes was simply amazing! So amazing, in fact, that in my rush to devour them, I forgot to take a photo of them. That is not what bloggers do. Except when faced with that level of tastiness.

The drive back up the A9 to Inverness was rather more interesting. We were very aware of God's care over us on our drive north, and His withholding of the worst of the blizzard until we were safely ensconced in our Inverness restaurant.

The first thing Catherine and I had planned the next morning was a visit to a hotel in Inverness. Yes, you guessed it - to make wedding plans! THIS is what the trip away was really about, and we were going to enjoy every minute of it.

The hotel was beautiful, but even more lovely that day was the surrounding grounds, covered by a pure white blanket of newly fallen snow.

So, so pretty.

We were told that there was a wedding happening the following day, and the bride had chosen A Winter Wonderland as her wedding theme. Considering that this was the first real snow of the whole winter, it would seem that her end-of-January date was well chosen. 

Thankfully, Catherine hasn't chosen a 'theme' for The Vodding. Much as Fronk's (y'all know Fronk, don't you? From Father of the Bride?) voice is heard on a regular basis (Catherine mimics him, both well and regularly), we have avoided such extravagances.

So far, at least.

What we haven't avoided is that heady mix of laughter and tears. They arrived - aplenty - when we, along with Katie, Marina (my sister) and her daughter, Iona went wedding dress shopping.

How many of you know the anticipation felt by the mother-of-the-bride-to-be whilst sitting on this side of these closed curtains in a Bridal Wear shop?

Iona couldn't wait to see what was to be revealed.

And just as Catherine appeared, Katie went from anticipation,

to disbelief, 

to tears! 

I'm guessing y'all spotted the reflection at the bottom right corner of the mirror on the wall! :)

And so it would appear that this wedding business is well and truly real. Mr Banks has already begun the loosening-of-the-tie routine.

Meanwhile, us ladies are having a ball. And a bawl. 

Both in equal measure.

A Charismatic, Jewish, Scottish Wedding....

On Saturday, we attended a very unusual wedding. It was unusual for Lewis anyway, but I suspect it would have been unusual anywhere, because we had a:


Charismatic wedding, with 


Jewish traditions, with


Gaelic psalm singing and the men in kilts.


Now, you tell me: Have you ever been to a wedding that combined all of the above?


I'm going to post a selection of photos (I did ask the Bride and Groom's permission) that will, I  hope, give you a flavour of the day. The Bride is American, and the Groom is from Ness.

The couple were married under a canopy, similar to a traditional Jewish Chuppah.

They exchanged rings, and then

...the Groom may kiss the Bride

After the marriage vows had been taken, the couple were covered with a shawl whilst Pastor MacKenzie recited the Seven Blessings in Hebrew and in English.

(By the way, this pastor's name was Aaron MacKenzie. He is American and I reckon he had the perfect name for a Jewish-Scottish wedding. I was going to ask him if he'd changed his name for this day, but thought that might be a bit cheeky! I assume it is his actual name ;)

The groom placed a sash in the Campbell tartan (his tartan) on the bride. 

I wished the Groom every blessing and happiness.

They are leaving tomorrow (Tuesday) for their honeymoon. Wait for it. Four months - visiting:

Israel,

Johannesburg,

Mozambique,

Australia,

California.

Er.... and I got a week in Wales???

On behalf of my Wife and I .... 

(Do you have this tradition? ... the groom's speech begins with the words, 'On behalf of my WIFE and I ....' at which point everyone shouts and applauds!)

The wedding cake had such an appropriate topping: a bicycle. You would have to know the groom for it to make sense, but take it from me: there has never been a more appropriate cake topping. Evah.