This wedding on the Bonnie Banks had starring roles for the couple’s four children and a cruise for the newlyweds, but there was a sad story behind the day’s smiles
Vikki Dawson and George Law
5th June 2022
Venue | Lodge on Loch Lomond, West Dunbartonshire
Photography | That Scottish Photographer
“George and I had been together for five years when he proposed. He suggested we go for a picnic at Queen’s View in Loch Tummell where we’d been on one of our earlier dates. The proposal wasn’t entirely unexpected; he put on a smart shirt that morning, so I had an inkling that something might happen! He used his mum’s ring to propose with, so we could pick an engagement ring together afterwards.
We wanted to extend our house first, so didn’t actually envisage getting married until 2023. However, early in 2022, George’s mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and wasn’t given long to live. We sprang into action to plan a wedding in the hope that she might be able to attend.
Lodge on Loch Lomond thankfully had one last-minute date that worked for us. It was a Sunday, but the platinum jubilee celebrations meant most of our guests would have the bank holiday Monday off. That left us just 11 weeks to pull everything else together…
It was quite stressful at times planning a wedding in such a short space of time, but we made a list and worked through it. Family chipped in where they could. We found our fab photographer Kirsty Keenan of That Scottish Photographer thanks to my sister and my other sister, Danni, made our amazing wedding cake.
Sadly George’s mum didn’t make it and passed away just five weeks before the wedding. We were devastated, but we incorporated her memory into our plans in as many ways as we possibly could. Her name was Rose, so we had lots of her namesake blooms in our wedding flowers, and I wore a rose gold bracelet that she’d given me previously.
Our amazing celebrant David Smith talked about her as part of our wedding ceremony too. As we each have two children from earlier marriages, we included a sand ceremony to represent our two families coming together. Our two mums were meant to be involved in this part of the ceremony, but George’s Auntie Catherine (also his mum’s twin) fulfilled the role her sister would have. George and I wrote our vows in secret, so they were a nice surprise.
As it was second time around for both George and I, we didn’t want any fuss and really wanted the day to be about the six of us as a family. George’s son Jacob was best man; my son Ewan was the ring bearer; my daughter Imogen and George’s daughter Daisy were flower girls, along with my niece Amelie.
I helped Jacob write his best man’s speech. Even though he was only 11, he presented so confidently taking the mickey out of his dad. He had everyone in stitches! George’s speech was emotional and moving as he talked about his mum and each of our four wonderful children.
All six of us danced to ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ for our first dance. The four children paired off and we encouraged them to dance with the promise of £10 for every spin they did! Imogen and Daisy performed a special dance routine for us too.
One of the day’s highlights was the boat trip we took in the sunshine after the ceremony on yacht Beau Jangles. Our neighbour’s son Rhys piped us onboard, and we went out on the loch with a glass of champers in hand. Our guests all got a shot on the boat too.
Things had been so emotional in the run-up to the wedding, that we weren’t sure how we would feel on the day. We were ultimately so glad that we could be together with our guests and create some happy memories."
Venue Lodge on Loch Lomond
Photography That Scottish Photographer
Celebrant David Smith, Humanist Society Scotland
Bride’s dress Alison Kirk Bridal
Bridesmaid and flower girl dresses Coast
Hair Lorna at Get it Glam
Makeup Emma at Glitterbox Makeup
Bride’s nails Nail Diamond
Groomswear Slater Menswear
Cake Made by the bride’s sister Danni
Flowers and decor Loch Lomond Weddings and Events
Stationery Zazzle
Favours Rhubarb gin and whisky miniatures
Transport Beau Jangles Loch Lomond Yacht
Reception DJ from Fresh Entertainments
Piper Neighbours’ son Rhys
(Photo: That Scottish Photographer)
