Ian & Beccy: A Beach Wedding at Ganavan
Ian got in touch in December last year with a clear idea of what he wanted: a tiny but beautiful wedding, outdoors if at all possible. He and his partner Beccy had been engaged since 2008 and together for thirty-five years, and along the way they had built a family, with a son and daughter. This was emphatically not a couple in a hurry, and the relaxed, unhurried approach to planning reflected that well.
We had some back and forth about locations, working our way up and down the west coast before settling on Ganavan Sands beach near Oban. It was a practical choice as much as a beautiful one: good infrastructure, easy access, and as it turned out, the possibility of building a family holiday around the wedding itself, with a self-catering base nearby for the days around the ceremony. That felt very much in keeping with the spirit of the whole thing.
Ian is a jeweller - Jurassic Jewellery - with a particular passion for fossils and meteorites, and that showed in the creative way he approached the planning. He wanted the ceremony to feel genuinely personal, and between us we found some lovely ways to achieve that, including one ritual that involved an ingredient rather more unusual than anything you might typically find at a beach wedding. We will leave it at that for now.
From start to finish, Monika made the process of organising a simple small wedding ceremony a relaxed process.
She nudged us at the right moments through all the milestones of the planning process and ensured we had no paperwork headaches.
She was friendly and approachable, and this allowed us to relax and look forward to the day itself.
On the wedding day, Monika met us on the Scottish beach, and despite the weather not playing ball as such, the day was truly wonderful and one we will remember forever.
The service was carefully curated to be personal and unique and having had suggestions for rituals to build in we had all combined forces to make it a special day! I cannot recommend Monika’s wedding service enough.
Ian & Beccy
One of the rituals was a sand ceremony, and with both children there it felt particularly fitting. Each member of the family had brought sand from a place that belongs to their shared story: Devon, Luton, Manchester, Ganavan itself, and, entirely in keeping with Ian's world, a measure of moon dust. Each layer stays visible, just as each person in a family remains themselves. Together they make something none of them could be alone. A simple ritual, and a generous one, folding all four of them into the moment rather than leaving the children as bystanders to their parents' day.
The legal words were spoken, the rings exchanged, and the ceremony closed with the quaich, a Highland Stoneware piece with a rockpool design that suited the surroundings rather well. They shared Drambuie from it, and just as we finished, the sun came out.
Congratulations, Ian and Beccy. Thirty-five years in, and you've still got it.
Photos: Mairi Fleck Photography
Read about other ceremonies where sand blending was one of the rituals: Hannah & Andy or Tina & Patrick
In the days leading up to the ceremony the weather looked uncertain, which is not unusual for August in Scotland and never exactly a surprise. We stayed hopeful, and things did improve: by the time the day arrived, the rain was at least falling vertically, which anyone who spends time on the west coast will tell you is a meaningful distinction.
We met at the car park with Mairi, the photographer, found our spot on the beach, and set off. Mairi had thoughtfully come equipped with umbrellas for everyone, and we got on with it. Despite it being August, Ganavan was quiet and there was a good sense of privacy, which mattered for a ceremony as intimate as this one. The atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed from the start, and it stayed that way throughout.
The ceremony reflected how well these two know each other after thirty-five years, and how comfortably their differences sit alongside one another. They are not the same kind of person, but they are very well matched, and there was something quietly convincing about a couple who can still make each other laugh, who know when to give each other space and when to show up, and who by their own account manage to find the fun in almost anything.
