Congratulations Andrew & Nikki...

I woke up at 6.30am with a tummy full of butterflies :-)  Peeped out the bedroom curtain and was so relieved to see a beautiful sunny morning!  

We had a fairly leisurely morning.  Ele reported that all was calm from the Bride's lodge.  Andrew was apparently very nervous.  I messaged him and told him to have a double whisky but not to tell his mum I'd said that!  :D I was ready way before D, who has having fun getting his kilt and the rest of the paraphernalia on!  Strict traditions with Highland Dress from where the bottom of the kilt should sit and how far the socks should be from the knees, to name two!  Worth the effort though as the end result is always fabulous. 

At 1pm D and I left our lodge and headed to the Bride's lodge to meet up with Nikki's brother's girlfriend Michelle and walk with her to the venue (the Cruin) which was about 100 yards away.  As we turned the corner at the lodge Esme and her cousin Cooper (flower girl and Page Boy were outside and I had to swallow a very large lump in my throat!  Didn't want my mascara dripping off my chin before the ceremony had even begun!  

Arrived at the venue, delighted to see the chairs all set out on the large patio.  The Bridge and Groom were going to get their outdoor wedding on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond after all :-))

We mingled with the other guests enjoying seeing folks we hadn't seen for a while and admiring all the lovely dresses and kilts (well I was :-)  Andrew had calmed down a little and looked very handsome in his kilt with his Best Man Stevie.  

Once the guests were seated, David disappeared back to the Bridal lodge as he was driving Nikki, her brother Steven (who was giving her away) Jennifer, Esme and Cooper to the venue (the entrance she was arriving at was slightly further away and too far to walk in her dress with it's beautiful train)  His return to his seat beside me signalled the Bride had arrived.

Esme and Cooper were first down aisle looking so cute.  Cooper is only six but took his duty as ring bearer very seriously.  Bridesmaid Jen next, looking beautiful, and we all gasped as Nikki made her way to her groom, a beautiful bride with the most beautiful dress and veil.  

There followed the most joyful ceremony led my Maureen, the Celebrant (who also officiated at our God Daughter's wedding last August)  She put the whole wedding party at ease and delivered a loving, funny, relaxed and utterly joyous ceremony, encouraging laughter, clapping and cheering.  It was amazing.  Funniest part was when they were just about to say their vows and Esme suddenly shouted "a boat!!!" as a rather fast vessel sped along the beautifully still loch, throwing up a white frothy wake.  Easy to see which she found the most exciting! :-)) 

As part of their commitment to one another, they had chosen to include the ancient Celtic tradition of Handfasting  with Esme the one responsible for tying the knot.  As the celebrant called her out, she whispered to her auntie Jen I'm a bit nervous, but she did brilliantly and was so chuffed to have done so.

As the celebrant pronounced them husband and wife, the sun burst through the clouds and we all cheered.  Perfect!

Photos followed with lots of mingling and the enjoyment of champagne and canapés, the Bride and Groom relaxed and happy and looking forward to the rest of the day.

Inside for the cutting of the cake and the lovely meal.  Andrew and Nikki hadn't let Ele see the cake topper till yesterday.  Andrew's choice apparently!  lol (In extras along with a load of other pics) 

Andrew and Nikki changed the tradition order of the day and had the speeches before the meal so Andrew enjoy his food (wish we'd thought of that at our wedding as poor and and his best man hardly ate a thing as they were so nervous about their speeches!). 

Andrew delivered his speech very confidently with no sign of nerves.  I had to keep pinching myself that the handsome groom in front of me was my (not so wee) nephew and many memories of his childhood flooded my mind.  (Jennifer had mentioned earlier that Andrew was wearing a particularly lovely aftershave so I asked his to let me have a sniff and made him laugh by telling him that the last time I sniffed him was probably to check his nappy for poo! hahahahaha) 

And that brings me nicely to the wonderful announcement he made at the end of his speech when he told us all that their lovely family of three will be welcoming a new arrival at the end of January!  Wonderful!  Of course close family have known for a few weeks and it's been a nightmare keeping to to ourselves (although they did tell Esme and she did let the cat out of the bag on a few occasions!  :-)) so it's a relief to have it out in the open.  Nikki has been suffering terribly with morning (well all day) sickness and when I last saw her she couldn't get to the end of a sentence without retching, and we had visions of her struggling to get through her vows, but she did amazingly.  So, those post wedding blues will be banished as we all have a new baby to look forward to :-)

After the meal we all moved outside as the band set up.  Such a beautiful evening, warm and thankfully for the most part, midge free!  (Ali, we all had our Smidge with us :D )  It was so great to be outside in such a wonderful setting on such a lovely evening.

As we sat outside the evening guests started to arrive.  Our best friends Agnes and Adrian arrived looking very lovely.  Then a short time later Alan arrived!  I am so happy he agreed to come!  Crowds are not his thing but he does like a party and he loves his cousin Andrew so didn't want to miss the celebration.  

A number of people hadn't see him since he was very young and were over the moon he'd come and couldn't wait to say hello.  He came inside for a little while but the band were too loud for him, but thankfully, given it was such a lovely evening, lots of guests were mingling outside and with the doors wide open, the band could be easily heard so outside dancing was possible :-)

Alan was particularly happy to see his Uncle Kenny's sister Aileen, so he's not seen for about seven years.  Aileen has had a sad few years (she lost her partner during covid and her mum two years ago)  She was so touched that Alan was so happy to see her.  It gave her a bit of a lift :-))  

He was also really happy to see Laura and Stewart and yes, I was able to recreate the French holiday photo from their childhood (will blip it after this)

Aunty Agnes is always keen to dance so he had a very willing partner in her.  He had an absolute ball and left to head home just after 10pm.

The party continued till midnight when we all gathered on the dance floor to join in the now traditional ending to Scottish weddings, with a circle around the newlyweds, all our  hands joined while we all sing along to Loch Lomond, starting slowly and building to the great crescendo with the circle running in towards the couple and reversing back again till the song ends and everyone cheers.  A perfect end to a perfect day!

As we hugged and said our goodbyes to family and friends, D and I headed back to our lodge, joined by Agnes and Adrian who were staying the night with us.  First thing D did was get his kilt and the rest of his kit off (panic not, he replaced them with shorts and a t-shirt :-)) and we enjoyed a cuppa while going over the lovely day.

It really has been a perfect day.  I am so glad for Andrew and Nikki's sake, but also for Ele and Kenny's sake, as they in particular have put so much time, effort not to mention finances into making to day very special, and it has certainly been that. 

My main blip is the happy couple with Andrew's parents (David's sister and husband) bridesmaid Jennifer (Andrew's sister) and their little girl, our Great niece Esme.