A FAIRYTALE wedding in a Dundee castle yesterday fulfilled a childhood pledge to the bride’s sister, who died last year.

The marriage of Gordon Rena and Joanne Kivell at Mains Castle also marked Dundee’s first civil ceremony of the year and the first ever broadcast over the internet from a non-council venue.

Joanne said the couple had been discussing marriage, and the recent death of her sister Sarah brought to mind conversations they had as children.

“When I was a child I always said to my sister that I wanted to get married in a castle. Gordon and I were talking about marriage anyway, and with my sister passing I thought it would be a nice gesture.”

Though the couple now live in Stockport, Gordon’s family is originally from Scotland and his mother Irene moved back to Broughty Ferry on the death of his father a couple of years ago.

Guests making the trip north to witness the ceremony—conducted by Dundee City registrar Grant Law—included Joanne’s parents Michael and Angela, and her brother Michael.

The bridesmaids were the couple’s five-month-old daughter Iseabhail, who was carried in by Joanne’s mother, and the bride’s best friend Sue Moakes.

Best man duties were shared by Gordon’s brothers Colin and Graham.

“We started organising the wedding four or five weeks ago and, because of the short notice, many of our friends and family weren’t able to come up, so it is nice that they will be able to see it on the internet,” said Joanne.

“Some of our family and friends will be able to watch the ceremony live, but others will watch it when they get in from work so they can be a part of it, too,” she added.

The web-cast is part of a Dundee City Council project launched in November which allows couples to broadcast their ceremony live over the internet from any location with broadband and allows delayed transmissions in more remote locations.

Dundee is thought to be the first local authority in Scotland, and possibly the UK, to offer widespread web-casting of civil weddings, civil partnerships, renewals of vows, civil naming ceremonies and citizenship ceremonies.

The number of civil weddings in Dundee has increased in each of the last four years, as has the number involving people from outwith Scotland.