The Wedding.....

Finally the big day arrives. Sascha and Julie get up and get breakfast and declare "we  probably should get dressed...." It was pretty laid back. I did Julie's hair, painted her toenails, all responsible jobs of the witness come bridesmaid and thankfully both turned out ok. 

Julie

Sascha

The boy witnesses really outdid themselves and scrubbed up very well. Bev the other bridesmaid and I bought Scottish shawls in Edinburgh to add a touch of uniformity, not to mention warmth.
 

John

Johnny

 

Bev and Me

We all gathered at 1pm for a celebratory 15% Paradox Compass Box whisky cask aged Imperial Stout beer tasting from Brewdog, Julie's favourite brewery. This was Julie's 1000 beer taste since she started tasting beers in 2012. One doesn't have to drink a whole glass or pint, just taste, and she has really applied herself.
 

The bride is the centre of attention on the wedding day. Is she not? Well, no, not on this wedding day. Sascha appeared fully decked in his kilt and looked a million dollars. All eyes and question were directed to him, it was quite funny. Not so funny for Julie....

'Oh really....'
 

Taxi arrived and off we drove to Finnlagan, an ancient site of the seat of The Lord of the Isles who ruled much of the west coast if Scotland. There was no secret dress reveal, no here comes the bride, we all arrived together, walked to the sight and got married, all together! 
 

 

What was the weather going to do? Almost anything and everything. Four seasons in one day in Melbourne, four seasons in one minute on Islay. In a word it was bitterly cold, gusting wind, nearly rain and not at all sunny, until the bride said "I do" and the sun came out. Only for a minute, but it was like a flash light of happiness. The kilt was flying high, luckily, not too high and Julie's hair was doing hand stands. The photographer was turning blue, he was from Glasgow and not used to the cold.
 

Ceremony complete and we're going to the beach for a photo shoot. WHAT,#*?! It's cold and the front is coming. We get there and the taxi driver, Charlie, a true local reckons we have a 5 minute window. How right he was, however, we did get some great shots. The photographer couldn't go wrong with the assistance of the two boy witnesses holding the remote flash sticks in high wind!

Finished and time for the Bridal Whisky Tasting at Kilchoman, which of course, includes all of us. A wee dram to warm the cockles of our hearts and defrost our frost bitten fingers. A private room in this, the only independent distillery on Islay with our own story teller of the origins of Kilchoman Distillery and more than one wee dram. She was an English girl who had come to Islay for a visit and forgot to go home. It's a very common story here.

Next stop, home and a 30 minute pit stop before we go to the local pub for the Wedding Breakfast or Dinner really. For a local island pub the food was exceptional. Julie had picked up the wedding cake on Arran and transported it on the ferry for our dessert and Nick, the photographer joined us.

John Carnegie, the other boy witness read some poetry and the wedding toast, a 15 yr Laphroig was drunk from the Quaich, their wedding gift from us.

Lots of laughs, tears and joy, essential ingredients for a top wedding.......

May you have a long and happy life Sascha and Julie