Blimey! She's getting Married!

A Big Part of this Current Trip was to Attend the Wedding of the Century

     We've been on the road for a couple weeks, traveling to Holland and Scotland, and a big focus of our journey was to attend the wedding between Anne-Marie and Sean in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis.

     Along with being a union of two, the wedding is also a bit of a family reunion with relatives coming in from all corners of the globe, or at least it seems like it.

     We made the trip from the West Coast of America, and there were others there from Norway, England, Ireland, and of course, all over Scotland.  It was a real international bunch.  With all the accents, you had to work hard pretty hard on occasion to understand what people were saying. 

A Scottish wedding is a special thing!

     There were lots of big hats, and kilts!   Everybody looked great!

     The actual wedding was in a church and was rather formal (except for me, more on that later) and it was lovely ... and tastefully brief.  Of course there was a bagpiper there to start things off!

     There were a couple of laughs during the ceremony, which always helps to break up the tension.  I was surprised to see the minister pull out a fancy camera and take pictures as the lovely newly married couple were still facing him on the platform.

     And I was also surprised to see a bunch of the locals outside who had come to watch and observe the proceedings - not something we're used to in the States, but the townsfolk showed up and stood close to check out who was there and what they were wearing!  

     And the day was spectacular and sunny, which was unexpected with the rainy cold summer so far here.  It could not have been a better day for a wedding!

Then on to the Dinner and Reception

     After the official ceremony, we all made our way to a nearby hotel for a fancy dinner with dancing and lots of food and drink and pictures and a little mayhem.

     There were the formalities of the wedding, and a very nice dinner, with things like Yorkshire pudding, Scottish Salmon, Lamb, and fresh strawberries. 

     And there was a lot of dancing, in which everyone participated, both young and old.  The band contained among other things, a rockin' bagpipe player and an accordion. There were some dances that all the Scots seem to know (but I found a bit baffling) and were really fun!

     There were a lot of pictures taken, and one of my favorites is the "cousin picture" below with six of the cousins of the bride.  This is a rare photo, as these guys are pretty spread out and may get together like this maybe once every ten years. 

     There were also several large meal gatherings, a fancy tea for the ladies, a couple visits to pubs, and lots of visiting.  It was a full week of wedding activities. 

     In regards to my attire, I was mortified to find myself at this proud function in a severe condition of being under dressed.  
     Hey, nothing can compete with a big hat or a fancy kilt.  

     But I did a poor job of clothing selection before we left home, resulting in a lack of choice.  

     I had a nice black sweater that I thought would be suitable with a tie and black pants.  My wife took one look at me once I was dressed and said "you're not wearing that to the wedding."

     And I said, "what's wrong with this?"

     And she said "take that off right now!"

     And I said, "I don't have any other options!"

     She said, "too bad, you can't wear that."

     So I went, looking like a county bumpkin. I felt bad ... but not bad enough to keep from having a really good and memorable time.