Scotland is an amazing place to be married! The legal system in Scotland offers so much freedom and choice, both in where you can be married, and also in how you can be married.
Earlier this year, Julie and Chris travelled from London to be married on Holy Isle, a tiny island off the coast of Arran.
It was early in the year, but bright and clear, and as Julie and Chris had hoped, we were able to hold the wedding outside in the bright (and breezy) spring sunshine. Getting married on a remote Scottish island adds some interesting logistics to the wedding planning. At the moment (until a new jetty is built) landing on Holy Isle is limited by the state of the tide, so for Chris and Julie's wedding we had to arrive on the island at 11.30 am, and leave by 4pm. And of course we were totally at the mercy of the weather. High winds or rough seas could have seen us unable to reach the island, or unable to return to Arran. There are not many occasions when the marriage schedule has an alternative location in case of bad weather! Fortunately the weather Gods were kind, and the crossing was calm.
It was a beautiful, intimate ceremony, with only a few guests, very personal, and good fun. Julie and Chris incorporated a hand fasting into their ceremony. It is a lovely ritual and they choose to include the following beautiful words:
"These ribbons, and the words we have spoken, symbolise the eternal bond between us. The ties of this handfasting are not in the ribbons, nor the knots which join them together. The ties are in our vows, our pledge, our promise, made in the depth and the lightness of our hearts. So even when the ribbons are loosed, the ties remain, and remain for eternity."
Holy Isle is an incredibly peaceful place, and a wonderful place for a wedding cerenmony. The island is owned by the Rokpa Trust and was founded by Lama Reshe Rinpoche. Although Lama Yeshe is a Buddhist Abbot, the island is open to Buddhist and non-Buddhists alike. It is their vision that the Centre will become a focal point for interfaith work and retreat and be a peaceful refuge in this hectic modern world. They are open to day visitors or residential guests, and they run a range of meditation and yoga courses and spiritual retreats.
http://www.holyisland.org
