hannah & andy’s clachtoll beach elopement
Thank you SO much for being our celebrant! It was a very very special day and we felt the ceremony was absolutely perfect! Thank you for your lovely words.
hannah & andy
Most of my wedding stories starts with an email (some with a call) and in the case of Hannah & Andy it was a query about the possibility of eloping to a Highland Beach for a legal wedding. As a religious couple they were not looking for a humanist or civil ceremony but they were uncertain if having a religious ceremony outdoors, honouring their specific wishes and faith traditions, would be an option and legally binding. Fortunately I was able to reassure them that in Scotland this was not only legally possible, but it was also where my training as Interfaith Minister would enable me to perfectly tailor my services to their needs. While we often support couples from mixed faith backgrounds, we are also competent to honour a bride and groom’s joint faith tradition in the ceremonies we create and Hannah & Andy were a perfect example where this allowed for something unique and handcrafted.
We spent the following seven months planning this very special ceremony in the Scottish Highlands – 550 miles from their home in the Midlands, and in a place that none of them had visited before. In Andy’s case he had not ever been to Scotland, but both Hannah and I were pretty sure he would fall in love with it on their journey to their big day.
75 emails and 4 video calls later the much anticipated day had arrived – and it was sunny and warm! Dougie, their photographer and I met Andy to find a good spot on the beach and then it was time for Hannah’s great entrance on the lovely Clachtoll Beach. Having to traverse more or less the whole beach from where their campervan was parked meant Andy could really enjoy this precious moment of seeing Hannah arrive in her lovely wedding jumpsuit and a beautiful long veil billowing in the wind.
‘Arriving’ at a ceremony is about more than just the physical steps, it’s also about truly arriving in the moment, focusing on each other, and also connecting to the surroundings. Hannah and Andy have a deep connection to nature, and it played an important role during their developing relationship from their first date to their engagement and beyond. Standing on a Highland beach on their wedding day, surrounded by uniquely shaped mountains in the distance, the sea stretching out before them, reminded them of the awe-inspiring power and breathtaking beauty of the world that God has created.
After Andy said a prayer and Hannah gave praise we reflected on their story, how their lives leading up to their first meeting had shaped them, how their love had grown and how they had grown together and how they were now embarking on merging not just their own two lives but also those of their children. To honour this journey and also honour those journeying with them we then enjoyed a musical interlude with words of very special meaning, listening to the hymn ‘Brother Sister let me serve you’, especially arranged by friends for them.
A wedding ceremony has a certain flow and rhythm building up to the moment when the words of commitment are spoken and the next step on the path to Hanna’s and Andy’s vows were my words on the meaning of marriage. Crafted like a mosaic from all the words and thoughts and feelings they had generously shared with me, these words are the most sacred gift I create for a couple, honouring the essence of who they are, individually and as a couple. For Hannah and Andy I had built it all around three groups of words and concepts that stood out for me when I thought of them as a couple and their very deep and special relationship… Blessings & Gratitude, Blossoming & Growth and Beauty & Light.
After listening deeply to me it was then time to deeply listen to each other when saying their heartfelt vows to each other, under God’s gaze and surrounded by his creation, where their promises were picked up by the wind, the clouds, the sound of the sea.
The legal words to take each other in marriage were then said during a ritual of handfasting, using three cords: the first representing Andy’s love and commitment to Hannah, the second representing Hannah’s love and commitment to Andy, and the third representing their love and commitment together for God.
After a moving exchange of rings whilst both simultaneously spoke the words from 1 Cor 13 v 4 – 8, which had special meaning for them, a Unity Sand ceremony followed. This was the sand that had witnessed their vows, witnessed their love and which now represented the essence of all that they are and would be in future. By pouring it into one vessel it created an inseparable union, symbolising their marriage. It also meant they would be able to take a little part of their beach wedding ceremony home with them!
John O’Donohue’s blessing ‘For Marriage’ were the perfect words for me to say when sending them into their future life!
Hannah & Andy – I loved making your dream come true and I feel privileged to be able to follow your future from a distance!
