Cath & Mike's Isle of Skye Vow Renewal
Starting at their cottage, we filled hot water bottles and prepped the hand warmers before we bundled into their bright orange mini, 'Julie' to take a drive across the Isle to our ceremony location with a couple of stops along the way for photos. The weather on the island had been kind to us. Laregly overcast but bright with the occasional glimpse of sun but of course, being February and so far North, it can change at a moments notice.
A short morning hike up the Quiraing, the five of us braved the cold and found a beautiful, secluded spot that had a light dusting of snow but was largely sheltered from the freezing wind that swirled around the island on this frosty morning. Led by Rona the Humanist Celebrant and accompanied by their Son, Harry, Cath and Mike exchanged vows and heart shaped stones as symbols of their marriage and renewed commitments to each other whilst I captured the moments on a mixture of 35mm and medium format film. Harry completed the Handfasting, an ancient Celtic ritual in which the hands are tied together to symbolise the binding of two lives. A beautiful short ceremony later and we were back down to the warmth of Julie where we drove to what Cath said was her favourite spot on the island, the Wee White House. A backdrop of snow capped mountains and enveloped by beautiful, rustic fields, we made some portraits before heading back to their cottage.
Cath, a photographer and teacher herself asked if I would capture the whole thing on film and of course how could I resist such a request seeing I shoot analogue the majority of my work anyway, this was such a wonderful way to remember their vow renewal on the Isle of Skye.
