Debbie helps the happy couple tie the knot with a traditional Scottish Handfasting Symbolic Gesture
By Debbie Daly, Fuze Celebrant
Kirsty and Luke were a great couple to work with throughout the planning of their wedding ceremony. Although it has to be said it wasn’t until the actual day of the wedding that I physically met them. Their wedding was one planned during lockdown so all our meetings were done virtually. On the big day itself, Janet and Des who own and manage Eden Leisure Village were fabulous. They’re warm and welcoming personalities truly made you feel like nothing was too much trouble. Something I know Luke and Kirsty felt also.
The bride kept us all waiting for 45 mins so the sides of the marquee were opened to allow lots of fresh air in for the guests. Thankfully it was a warm day and the views of the countryside were stunning. I loved how Eden Village have different areas for the wedding ceremony then the break out area, with the meal and evening reception indoors. I was bowled over by the place, how pretty it was but at the same time rustic and very elegant. It’s a real indoors outdoors venue set in a beautiful rural area but minutes from Cumbernauld.
Right from the start Luke and Kirsty wanted their families involved as much as possible during the ceremony. The grooms Aunt read a poem and his mum and the bride’s brother helped with handfasting by tying the material to represent each side of the family. It was lovely and so special. The groom had his tartan & the bride chose to have some of her wedding dress material to tie the knot with, making it unique to them. Their love story had some very humorous parts which we included keeping their guests amused. This part really captured Kirsty and Luke’s personalities & their sense of fun and adventure. It was very relaxed and amusing which reflected their personalities perfectly.
Janet from Eden Leisure Village told us; “Kirsty and Luke were a fantastic couple, along with their guests, to serve. It was lovely to see Kirsty and Luke caring for each other on the run up to the day and on the day itself. Seeing a couple so much in love is so special and we know these two will work at their marriage and support each other in the good and bad times. We are thankful that they choose and entrusted Eden Leisure Village for their special day and what a day it was.
Debbie, from Fuze Ceremonies, really captured Kirsty and Luke’s love story and delivered it perfectly. It was a pleasure to welcome her and all the other suppliers on Luke and Kirsty special day .”
The Love Story
“This tale of romance began, as many relationships do nowadays, as a tick box exercise. We are of course talking about online dating! With selfies selected, profiles were completed & uploaded; matches were shown & the task of syphoning out the good or “possibles” began.
Luke saw Kirsty & thought ‘hhhmmmmm she looks nice’! He made the first move although back then she had used a fake name and was known simply as “Kacie”!
E-Harmony certainly had high hopes and pegged them as 95 – 100% compatible! They shared interests like films, tv & video games, they had similar values & most importantly the same sense of humour!!
So they started to chat online for 3 or 4 weeks before plucking up the courage to actually meet in the flesh!! It was only at this point they swapped phone numbers and the big meet was on.
First Date
The day arrived and Kirsty wondered what to wear. It was a cool blustery day with odd spots of rain when they met on Sunday 26th February 2017 at Metropolitan in Merchant City. Luke was dropped off by Nickie and his partner Elizabeth who offered plenty of last minute advice. They arrived, ordered drinks, finally learned each other’s proper names and got on great as they knew they would!
Kirsty and Luke have come a long way since that first date night in Glasgow – caught to perfection here by Top Table Photo & Film
After a couple of dates Kirsty still wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for any relationship and they went their separate ways.
A few months later, Kirsty admitted to Geraldine: she thought she may have been too hasty holding back with Luke, when low and behold Luke messaged her to see how she had got on at a volunteer project she had been part of in India a few weeks prior. Kirsty thought this was lovely and it confirmed both of them were clearly still interested! Thus Kirsty and Luke, take two began in earnest.
On 18th June 2017 they enjoyed Mac n Cheese washed down with French Martini’s and were officially a couple from this point onwards.
However, I have to share something: Kirsty’s Aunty Geraldine had no clue as to how they actually met!! Kirsty was concerned she would be really worried about online dating so fibbed that a mutual friend and introduced them! It was only about a year ago that Kirsty realised Aunty Geraldine would want to meet this Cupid so had to come clean. I hope Aunty Geraldine, you have forgiven Kirsty and approve of your soon to be ‘nephew in law!!’?
Holidays and Adventures
Kirsty was living alone in Motherwell. Luke was staying with his parents in Cumbernauld. Evenings were spent wining and dining, then talking for 2 to 3 hours on the phone or as Luke says Kirsty talked!!! (Hahahahaha). They also loved going to the cinema, bowling and escape rooms.
Holidays have been aplenty, but they have not always been plain sailing……
Their first holiday was with Luke’s family on an Easter trip to Nairn. On the first night they were set to meet the rest of the family at a beachfront restaurant. They were staying in beachfront apartments. What should have been a nice 10 minute walk to dinner turned out to be an hour-long hike through a graveyard, hopping over a riverbank and walking single file behind a queue of ducks. Luke doesn’t have a great sense of direction and Kirsty didn’t want to rain on his parade with google maps! They eventually made dinner and devised a plan to enjoy a scenic woodland hike to a castle the very next morning. Wise to his mistake on day 1, Luke opted for google maps on day 2. He swears he entered the “on foot” route planner…. After 3 hours of walking along the A96, dodging lorries, being deafened by car horns and jumping over road-kill they made it. Too bad the castle was closed.
Since Nairn they have thankfully gone on to have many more wonderful holidays together, each with plenty of unique mishaps but lots of love and laughter along the way.
Luke had lived in various flats but always eventually returned back home to his parents. However, their relationship was progressing well, so Luke made his final move from home, with tears from his mum, to move into Kirsty’s house on 23rd Dec 2018.
However, Kirsty & Luke then promptly returned back with their bags to Luke’s parent’s home to spend Christmas with his family.
If you’re going to do a first dance then you may as well do it in style, Kirsty and Luke style of course
A Christmas To Remember
As we all know, Kirsty loves Christmas, so the following year had organised a Christmas market trip to London for just the two of them. She has also started a tradition where no matter what time of year it is, she manages to buy a Christmas decoration from every holiday destination they enjoy together.
And this got Luke thinking!!!
On the journey to London he went into a frenzy which for Luke was rather “on-brand” when his bag toppled over and the contents spilled over. Kirsty told him to stop overreacting but thankfully all she saw was a banana fly across the floor and not the engagement ring he had been carrying!
She was unsuspecting and unaware that everyone back home was waiting on some news from London!! While on holiday they visited Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park and explored the film sets at ‘Friends’ Fest.
The Proposal
For the main event Luke had a plan that he was going to propose under the best Christmas tree he could find and going to Christmas markets, this should not be a problem!! However no big trees were to be found.
At ‘Friends’ Fest in a moment of desperation he even contemplated proposing on the infamous Orange couch at Central Perk but he held firm!!
The next day they found a “Christmas by the Riverside” market which was on the banks of the Thames overlooked by London Bridge & The Shard and all the other lovely London City scenery.
Finally Luke found his Christmas tree! Kirsty was standing taking it all in when Luke started to say he had brought a Christmas decoration himself. Given Kirsty has Christmas tree OCD this sent her into a spiral and she kept thinking over and over “he’s trying to be sweet, it doesn’t matter if you don’t like the Christmas bauble. Just smile and enjoy it!” It was only when he went down on one knee she then realised he was proposing to her with a family heirloom ring!!
Kirsty was totally shocked, didn’t expect this proposal, they had spoken about getting married, children and life together but was just not expecting it!! Thankfully Kirsty said the all-important “Yes”.
Without knowing of the planned proposal, Kirsty had pre-arranged tickets for them to enjoy ice skating outside The Natural History Museum, surrounded by fairy lights. It should have been so beautifully romantic skating hand in hand. Alas, this was not to be:
The engagement ring was far too small and Bambi on ice would have had more grace than Kirsty who was no longer the natural skater she once was! She spent the entire time clinging to the sides trying not to fall, whereas Luke skated round enjoying himself and looking forward to finding out the football score later on!
They then had a lovely Christmas back home as a newly engaged couple & as soon as the festive season was over the wedding planning started.
This way to happiness – Eden Leisure Village has provides so many amazing photo opportunities
Lockdown Office Love
Over the past year during lockdown they’ve still managed to have plenty of fun and have enjoyed many quizzes and game nights. As a pair they are very competitive but they always prefer being on the same team.
With lockdown they both ended up working from home. It has to be said it’s not for everyone especially with your other half; but to this day they still share a home-office together and have thoroughly enjoyed it and have even said they will miss each other if or when they return to their separate Glasgow offices.
Who knows where and what future paths life will take them & where else they will get lost, but for now, that pretty much brings us up to date so, let’s get on and get married!”
The smiles say it all as the newlyweds take their first steps together as husband and wife
What Kirsty and Luke said
“Janet and Des from Eden Leisure Village were fantastic from our first viewing and we knew right away this was the venue for us. We loved the rustic look, relaxed feel and the very secluded the views were gorgeous. They both went above and beyond for us and Janet even helped with a bridal shoe change on the day when very sore feet creeped in! They are both very warm and welcoming people and truly make you feel like nothing is too much trouble.
And a personal thank you to Debbie our amazing Celebrant. We were nervous at first as we weren’t sure what to expect but Debbie made us feel so at ease making the whole planning experience with her a wonderful memory for us both. We honestly couldn’t have imagined a better ceremony as she captured our journey together perfectly and had the right blend of humour that we were looking for in our service.”
The who’s who of Kirsty and Luke’s Eden Leisure Village Wedding:
Celebrant – Debbie Daly, Fuze Ceremonies
Venue – Eden Leisure Village, Cumbernauld
Photographer – Top Table Photography
Dress – Bijoux Bridal
Bridal Shoes – Paradox London
Bridesmaids Dresses – David’s Bridal
Flower Girl Dresses – Perfect Bridal Aberdeen
Cake – Rosewood Cakes
Catering – Regis Banqueting
Kilts – Macgregor & Macduff
Hair & Make Up – The Aisle, Glasgow
Rings – Chisholm Hunter
Flowers – Flowers by Thyme
Music – SaXingh Panesar
Music – 5 Star Discos
Cars – Coopers Wedding Cars
Add our smiles to yours
No two couples are the same so no two ceremonies should be the same. At Fuze we work alongside our couples to make their ceremony script is unique, personal and bespoke. It’s your day your way with us, so let us add our smiles to yours. To check Debbie and all of our amazing celebrant’s live availability for your special date click here!
Debbie Daly
Celebrant at Fuze Ceremonies
