Thank You!

This is to say thanks to all of you for making Saturday such a wonderful day. We're both incredibly touched by the generosity of you all and the trouble you took to be there with us.

We're off to Spain now and will be updating the blog with photos and so on later in the month. Promise there'll be no photos of cats in marriage gear.

Let's air those insecurities

Here we are, 5 days from the wedding, and I am, for the first time in my life, in the middle of a girly meltdown. Instead of fretting about the drop in British Geological Survey commercial income, Government fiscal policy and Ordnance Survey contractual obligations, I am instead in a tizz over nail polish (smudged), fingernails (which keep breaking), fake tan (which is giving me spots) and teeth whitening (which did work beautifully).

I am not so much a wannabe WAG as someone who realises that no matter how hard she tries, her hair will still be messy on her wedding day.

Google eye view of Discovery

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Meet the Usher

Colin, aka "CJ" aka "Mr CJ to you," Elaine's brother will be doing the ushering duties for you. If you're not too sure where you're going, what you're doing or what the world is coming to, CJ is yer man. Sit in the wrong chair or miss a photo session and he will give you a thorough scowling and I pity the fool who gets scowled at by CJ.

Seriously, Colin should be around a bit earlier than everyone else. Please introduce yourself to him when you get there as he'll be rounding up everyone for transport after the event. If you're still not sure what he looks like then, as the photo below shows, he looks nothing like Mr T.

5 Weeks

Actually, a little less than 5 weeks to go now. We'll be sending email reminders to those who haven't RSVP'd shortly so this is your chance to get in contact if you haven't already to ask questions about arrangements and so on. I think we have heard informally from everyone but we will need to arrange transport between Discovery and the Ship for those who don't have their own.

Preparations seem to be complete otherwise. Right now, it's the end of my project on May 29th and Elaine's got to get a month ahead at work so it's all work and rather little play. Seems like a sacrifice worth making.

Finally though, if you all wish very, very hard and email Elaine, maybe she'll write the blog entry about what Discovery means to her that she has promised...

Ship to Ship transport

As you know, the reception after the wedding is being held at the Ship Inn in Broughty Ferry. There is likely to be convoy leaving Discovery around 6:30 & C.J. the usher will help round everyone up. If you check out the wedding venues map then that should help keep you straight.

Do be warned that parking near the Ship Inn can be challenging due to lack of space. If you have your own car and have not yet settled on a place to stay, possibly the Fisherman's Tavern is the easiest option. Can't guarantee it's availability because they only do bookings over the phone but it's less than a 5 minute walk from The Ship Inn and you can park up round there.

If you want to go green then let us know and we'll arrange transport for you. On that front, we've just joined the Edinburgh City Car Club. It's a great idea. Nothing to do with the wedding, we just think more people should know about it.

Humanism

As I'm sure you all know, neither of us are religious. In fact it's probably fair to say we have a distinct aversion to churches, divine texts and, Elaine in particular, organs. This makes getting married a touch difficult. On the one hand, we've both come to realise how much the opportunity to pledge our love of and commitment towards each other in front of family, friends and the world in general means. On the other hand, we have no desire to surrender our principles.

Fortunately Scotland is one of the few countries in the world where Humanist weddings are legal and we both regard ourselves as Humanists. There is no one definition of Humanism but I take it to be a moral code that comes from within and is shared among all. A quote on Wikipedia (which may be long gone by the time you follow this link) reads:

Humanism features an optimistic attitude about the capacity of people, but it does not involve believing that human nature is purely good or that all people can live up to the Humanist ideals without help. If anything, there is the recognition that living up to one's potential is hard work and requires the assistance of others. The ultimate goal is human flourishing; making life better for all humans, and as the most conscious species, also promoting concern for the welfare of other sentient beings and the planet as a whole. The focus is on doing good and living well in the here and now, and leaving the world a better place for those who come after.

We are fortunate to have Gary Smith from the Humanist Society of Scotland as our celebrant. Gary is working with us to write the text of the ceremony so the vows will be the ones that we feel are significant and meaningful for us. There is nothing more profoundly optimistic than marriage, than believing there is someone with whom a life can be shared in complete trust and honour. There is nothing more profoundly human than the choice to spend it with another. Side by side, like penguins huddled together, honking dolefully in the cold. To quote Kurt Vonnegut,

Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.