A day to remember...

I've been just a bit too busy over the last few days to write anything for the blog- with a wedding, Sunday's worship service, an Election Forum last night and a funeral today all taking up my time. In particular, I know I haven't yet said anything about that interesting person I met last week. I haven't forgotten.... (which is really saying something, as I forget lots of things these days.)
On Saturday, though, I discovered another little hidden jewel in central Scotland- Cromlix House - where I conducted the wedding of someone I have known since she was six years old. [This is one of the great privileges of being allowed to minister in the same congregation for almost 20 years!]
Cromlix House itself is an interesting place with its own tiny Episcopalian Chapel (as you can see above.) I don't know the full history of the place, or why the original owners decided they wanted their own chapel, but it was a beautiful setting for a wedding. (Not to mention a place where really good food is served!!)
Mind you, it could just have turned out to be something of a catastrophe.
All the guests were in place. The groom and his best man were waiting at the front of the little chapel. I walked to the front followed by the bridesmaid and turned to watch the bride enter with her father, looking radiant and beautiful [the bride that is- though the father scrubbed up pretty well, I have to say, and looked very smart in his kilt :-)]
I began the service, welcoming everyone, setting the scene with some appropriate introductory words and announcing the first hymn. At the end of the hymn there followed what I usually call the "Preamble" to the wedding ceremony, which then leads into a prayer.
I was in the middle of the prayer when it suddenly occurred to me that I had not checked if the marriage schedule was in place.
[For those of you not familiar with Scots Law I should point out that The Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 states as one of its provisions: "If an approved celebrant solemnises a marriage without a Marriage Schedule in respect of the marriage being available to him/her at the time of the marriage, he/she will be liable to prosecution."]
Not wishing to end up in one of Her Majesty's Prisons, I surreptitiously opened my eyes during the prayer and glanced over to the table where the schedule to be signed and ... sure enough... there was no schedule there. Aaaagh!
After the prayer there was nothing for it but to announce that we couldn't proceed any further unless the missing piece of paper could be produced, whereupon the father of the bride (who, incidentally, is one of my church elders) made a very sharp exit to retrieve it.
Fortunately he did not have far to go - only to a room upstairs - and there was no further delay to proceedings.
But it reminded of one of the very first wedding receptions I ever attended as an extremely young, and inexperienced, Assistant Minister in Ayr. The wedding in the church had gone well, even though it was only the second wedding I had ever conducted. And now all the guests had arrived at the hotel where the reception was to take place. It had been agreed that before the meal was served the wedding cake would be cut and a toast proposed to the bride and groom. (Not a particularly unusual order of proceedings.)
And I was to propose the toast.
I had a short speech of sorts prepared and committed to memory. And then, just before I began I noticed that there was going to be a small complication when it came to proposing the toast.... None of the guests had been served with the drinks for the toast.
When I pointed this out to the Functions Manager his response (after the initial look of horror on his face) was "Could you just speak to them for about twenty minutes and I'll get it organised?"
His look of horror became mine. "What!! Twenty Minutes!!"
And so for the next twenty minutes, or so, I dredged my memory for every joke and humorous story I could think of to keep the crowd amused, and at the same time keep them unware of the fact that someone in the hotel had made a monumental blunder.
I'm probably still using the same jokes today!
Back to Cromlix House - I mentioned already the wonderful food - but how is this for a table setting?
What a cool way to fold a napkin!
(According to the waitress not an easy task either.)