It's only natural then, that Scotland should be high on the list of destinations for couples from abroad who are looking to plan what we now call a "destination wedding".
Now one of the big things you need to have in mind when organising a destination wedding is that firstly, you are organising a wedding. The next thing you need to take into consideration is you are organising this wedding in a foreign country.
It's therefore not a choice for the faint-hearted, even taking into account our close links with the US, that include a shared language.
Enter stage right Lauren and Patrick!
I consider myself very much a "21st Century" Celebrant, so I find working with couples who are based abroad to be very simple; email, SKYPE (other video call software is available), even, dare I say it, a voice call. This works equally well for couples based in otherwise inaccessible wilderness regions of the UK, such as Fife 😂
Once I'd had a chat with the couple about how we go about putting the ceremony together, they were very keen to get started.
Fast forwarding to the big day itself, I turned up at Carlowrie Castle to find the largest collection of US Nationals on a mission in Scotland since Eisenhower was based at Culzean Castle!
Carlowrie proudly flying the Saltire during the invasion.
The place was buzzing, and although everyone claimed to have seen Patrick, it took me a while to track him down.
Even though they hadn't been to a Humanist ceremony before, Lauren and Patrick just "got it". The personal information that they included in the script was brilliant and made a lasting impression on their guests. Tears, laughter, romance, everything a Humanist ceremony should be about. One of the Bridesmaids in particular got quite emotional and declared it to be "the best ceremony I've ever been to!"
The couple wanted to include a Scottish tradition so drinking whisky from the quaich fitted the bill perfectly. Once Lauren and Patrick had taken a drink, the Best Man Jay (Patrick's bro) was introduced to another Scottish tradition - finishing off what was left, which he did in one go! Nice one Jay!
If there's no confetti, is it really a wedding? Discuss.
The Boys.
The Girls.
The Gang!
So thank you Lauren and Patrick for asking me to be your Celebrant!
I enjoyed meeting you, your friends and your families, and I wish you both nothing but the best for the future. And if you ever need a Celebrant again, well I've never been to the US. Just saying .... 😀
