The Wedding

It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you...

On a cold, grey day Sharon's smile lit up Rosslyn Chapel as she glided down the aisle to meet her be-kilted groom. From start to finish we had a great Wedding Day!

The groom slept well in his town residence in Abbotsford Crescent, drifting off to sleep to the supremely calming strains of Miserere. He had a marvellously calm morning, taking his time pottering about his flat until his able best man, Mr. Alan Edgar, arrived to assist him assemble his outfit with little ado. The usher, Mr. Peter Kavanagh, duly arrived to escort the groom's party to Rosslyn Chapel where heaters were switched on (honest!), before the party retired briefly up the road to Ye Olde Rosslyn Inn for some warmth and a light glass of pop.

The bride had a rather more frantic preparation over at the country residence in Duddingston Mills, as the hairdresser descended on her, the Mother of the Bride and Dressmaker, Mrs. Marie Coen, and the two bridesmaids, Ms. Olivia Coen and Ms. Edel Coen. The sight of the two male members of the Coen entourage, Father of the Bride, Mr. Michael Coen, and brother Mr. Adrian Coen, supplying the bridal party with tea, coffee, rashers and eggs was apparently one to behold. Due to illness amongst the drivers, the cars and photographers (who had to drive the cars!) were a tad tardy, leading to consternation that the bride would be more than acceptably late. But she made it to the church (just about) on time.

On writing our accounts of the wedding whilst on honeymoon, we filled about 80 pages of the journal, which I believe is now ensconced in a box in the attic (maybe the hat-box with teddy bears on the lid?), so I'll be less detailed here!

The Episcopalian service was wonderful, the ancient church (1462) light by 96 candles was packed and the bride looked magnificent in ivory and cream, backed by the bridesmaids in claret. And the kilted groom and groomsmen looked nae bad too! Sharon's smile won the day though, beaming like a beacon as she sailed down the aisle. No nerves, just two people very lucky and very pleased to be marrying each other in front of family and friends. The jolly Rev. Michael Fass presided over proceedings with bonhomie, except for the glares at opportunist photographers!

Mr. and Mrs. Wallace emerged to the sound of Rosslyn Chapel bells (thanks to Gordon Campanologist Barnes) as man and wife. Before everyone turned blue with the cold, the guests were packed back on to the bus and the photos completed.

Back at the Braid Hills Hotel we were greeted by Comedy Piper, a man to whom high notes and low notes were as one - unplayable! We had more photos then the meal, with the top table on show on the stage and able to see and be seen. Michael's speech left nary a dry eye in the house (and even subsequent video viewers have been seen to shed a tear) as he welcomed Ian into the family and thanked Marie for their 32 years of marriage. Ian's speech came and went and Eggie, with little material to work with (the man Wallace is, after all, beyond compare!) still managed to spin out long enough for those with bets placed in the fifty-minute slot for the duration of the speeches to sweep up. Especially once Sharon had added her thanks to those who had gone before and toasted absent friends.

From then on the evening flew by as first the Dreamliners, led by Standard Life pal Callum Gourlay, with their mixture of 40s and 50s swing and jive, including an unusual interpretation of AC/DC's Back in Black, and then the Jack Daniels Experience, a raucous rhythm'n'blues three-piece we discovered in the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, got us up on the dance floor. It Had To Be You was chosen for the first dance and whilst the subsequent rocky selection may not have been to everyone's tastes, it was our wedding and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

At half-past midnight the party moved to the residents' bar for a Scotland v Ireland singing match, accompanied by Tom Coen and Alan Edgar. Not so much Duelling Banjoes as "gie me the guitar - wherz ma plectrum? Ah stuff it, ah'll use a fifty pee!" from the tired and emotional best man. Despite the best efforts of Richie The Scottish Soldier Brown, the Irish ran out easy winners with, as Richie pointed out, a diet of doom, gloom, famine and death. But at least they knew the words.

The bride and groom escaped at two in the morning but it was two hours or more before the rest of the party dissipated, with a few (fool)hardy guests not quitting till 5am.

We had a great day and if you were there, thanks for coming along. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!