June 5th, 2011

It is Ashley's birthday today (second to youngest granddaughter).

She is now twenty-two and a few days ago we received a most wonderful and welcome invitation to a wedding celebration, when she and Chris will be married in the fall.   It is to be a Scottish wedding!

Last October our own Katie and Will were married at the Grist Mill, with piper and kilts and tartan and heather. Beautiful wedding, and these two lovely Scottish celebrations remind me of my sister's wedding day, sixty years ago.

I have written about this wedding before in my recollection blog, but I have a number of reasons for wanting to re-post.  Mainly because it is such a pleasure to remember that particular day, and also because for medical reasons I am trying to keep life flowing along simply and my stress levels low. And  because I want it to be part of Daybyday so that when Blog2Print and I make a deal it will be included in the book that results.

So please bear with me if you think vaguely that you might have seen it before.


A Romantic Wedding

The date and the gladioli blooming in the garden, brought to mind my sister's wedding in August, 1951, - a fond recollection and a reminder of what weddings were in that time and space.

The invitation arrived and plans were made to travel.  A neighbour drove us to Vancouver, - me and three small children. One a crawler and the other two to be part of the wedding party.  We board the train and started our journey in a spacious compartment.  (Fares were not then what they are now!!!)  An exciting trip for the children, and somewhat exciting for me, too....

We arrived!

The Wedding Day arrived!

The tartan ribbon and the heather from Scotland that marked the guest pews arrived!

On the day of the wedding, courtesy of a kind postman who made a special delivery when they missed the regular post.  The bride tucked a bit of heather into her bouquet, and the groom into his cap.

The apartment is electric with last minute excitement and preparations.  My sister seems calm on the outside, but on the way to the wedding she sings in the car  "And the horse told me" from the Bing Crosby film, Riding High.

The owner told Clarence the clocker
The Clocker told jockey McGee
The jockey,of course
Passed it on to the horse
And the horse told me.

Did the Groom observe tradition and not see the bride on their wedding day before she came up the aisle?  I can't remember...  The Groom is a Piper, and he heads the young Pipe Band, all of whom will be in attendance at this romantic Scottish wedding.  He rustles up a small kilt for my son (5) to wear as he bears the ring!



The Bride, with her gorgeous bouquet of Gladioli.

We all set off for the church, except for the dear little 'crawler' who slept peacefully through all the festivities at home with a sitter, dreaming the dreams of the innocent.

Our father is at the Lynch Gate to escort the Bride into the church.




The other bridesmaids were good sports about helping with the smaller members of the wedding party and somehow we all got up the aisle, although the flower girl (2 1/4) abandoned her place at the steps to the altar to go and sit on Grandma's knee!

The Rector, the Rev. Nainby, officiated.  The organist played beautifully.

It came time to sign the register



And then the grand Recessional, and the Bride and Groom left the church under a pathway of crossed Pipes, and to the lilt of a Scottish wedding tune in their honour.



A lovely reception, - pictures of the wedding party and the parents, who probably sighed in relief that all had gone well and that our parents in particular would soon have peace and quiet!  Our mother was operating from a wheel chair, and she did it with grace and her usual serene fortitude.





And the beautiful Bride and the handsome Groom



The years go by.  Times change.  But the memory of a lovely traditional wedding stays with you always.  All the excitement, all the love - it lives forever.

As I hope it will for these two beloved granddaughters.