AS you read this, I’ll be hoofing it up at a wedding near Inverness.
The weather may not have come as too much of a surprise to the groom Fraser, a TV director I used to work with on Hammer, given he’s from the west coast of Scotland.
But poor Kayla, the beautiful American bride who’s flown her family from the States for her fairytale Scottish wedding at Achnagairn Castle, only to be blown away during the pictures, last seen somewhere near Longforgan.
Somewhat like uninvited distant aunts rocking up to your wedding, Storms Isha and Jocelyn came thundering in.
But, while Kayla may not get the blue sky photos, with snow-capped mountains she no doubt dreamed of, when the chips are down, the American contingent will see what we’re really made of.
For starters, they’ll still see the beauty of our country; men dressed with pride in kilts and trews, birling the ladies to the fiddles and accordion. There may be bagpipes, The Selkirk Grace, a bar that goes like the Glasgow Fair.
But more, there’s an attitude belonging to Scots which will make more of a lasting impression on guests than anything else.
Crack on
Upon calling one of the groomsmen, Matthew, to check everything was OK – that people actually would make it to the wedding amidst the storms – he said: “It’s January at a castle in the Highlands, we’ll keep an eye on everyone getting here safely and when that’s done, it’s going to be brilliant.”
He’s right. We crack on and when all else fails, we see humour in the situation.
Glasgow hit by ‘twister’
Like the video that’s gone viral of the tornado Met forecasters warned would hit the UK at the start of the week. I thought it was a joke at first, with guidance even to stay away from windows in case the twister hit.
Cue: the Scottish footage as it happened. You watch the video, waiting, waiting, peering at an expanse of land. And then, slowly it appears – the ‘twister’ in the form of the ice lolly, coming into view on screen.
Maybe it’s a phrase particular to Scottish weddings – I remember it said at my own during an April shower that lasted most of the afternoon – that rain is a sign of luck for a happy marriage.
This American-Scots couple we are celebrating now are very much in love and I’ve no doubt they’ll have the wedding of their dreams, come hail, rain or Aunt Jocelyn.
