This is my account of David and Marie's wedding day. Not how it happened to them but how it happened to me. The wedding was held on the 29th of March 1997, at Knightswood Baptist Church.
Claire, Nicola, Irene and Kim arrive at my
flat at about midday. They've been into town to get their hair done, all at the
one time (my sympathy to the hairdressers).
Colin and Iain arrive seperately
and sit about while the girls disappear into
the bedroom armed with iron and makeup. After about 55 minutes they emerge
with their outfits on, leaving me about 5 minutes to get changed into my kilt.
I'm wearing a kilt as a trial, to see if I'd like it for my own wedding. There's
a bit of panic as one of my cuff buttons explodes, but Nicola comes to the
rescue with needle and thread.
We head off at
1 o'clock and I choose the Great Western Road route. This turns out to be a
disastrous choice. The road is jampacked, so Iain leads us up a side road to
get there quickly. We get there in good time, with about half an hour until the
service starts.
The service started at 2 o'clock, at Knightswood Baptist Church, and was
conducted by Reverend Mickey Schrimshire. There was a last minute scare when
Mickey found out the fountain pen he had bought was blue instead of black, but
Iain rushed off to get a replacement.
The church gradually filled up, from the front on the groom's side and from the
back on the bride's side; and the service commenced. The cast list was as
follows:
After the wedding service we all headed to the reception at the Redhurst Hotel on the south side of Glasgow. The wedding party first went to the Botanic Gardens for photographs; all except Kevin, that is, who hopped on the bus for the hotel.
Once the wedding party arrived at the hotel, we were ushered into the dining
room, shaking hands as we went through. I shared a table with Claire, Kim,
Irene, Colin, Stephan, Angus and Sean. After a while the bride and groom were
piped in to cut the cake.
After David and Marie sat down, we got stuck into the dinner: melon, chicken,
then profiteroles.
Stephan provided the entertainment at our table. After the meal, the bride's
father, the groom and the best man made the speeches.
After the meal, the tables were cleared and the evening reception started.
The bride and groom danced their first waltz to "Have I told you lately that I
love you". Most of the music was modern stuff, some fast, some slow, with the
occasional Scottish country dance thrown in. The Dashing White Sergeant was
particularly energetic, and lasted for about two and a half hours.
We had a brief break in the middle of the dancing so the new arrivals could have
a bite to eat, and those who had been at the dinner could stuff themselves even
more. Stephen demonstrated his strength by lifting his sister...
...and Susan just went about enjoying herself in her bridesmaid dress.
We left at about 11.30, with the dancing still going. Notable events from the rest of the weekend included: