Two years ago, Gill and Jamie McIntosh’s special western-themed wedding sparked joy across a Moray community.
But now, Mr McIntosh has spoken about the “massive hole” which has been left by the nursery teacher’s tragic death at only 49 last week.
The loving couple, who made their home at Edinvillie, painstakingly planned every detail of the marriage ceremony at Aberlour Parish Church to ensure it was the perfect day.
Their neighbours joined in the festivities and the occasion cemented the bond which the pair had forged with those around them.
All of which explains why the community has been left in shock after Mrs McIntosh suffered a brain haemmorhage at home last Tuesday.
She was placed on a life support machine, but it was switched off on Thursday.
And those who knew her said she would be missed by generations of children whom she taught at Lossiemouth’s Hythehill Primary School during the last 24 years.
Mr McIntosh, 39, explained that the pair’s wedding – on July 12, 2014 – had been meticulously organised to reflect Mrs McIntosh’s love of country music and was a testament to her vibrant personality.
A message on the order of service read: “True love lassoed our hearts and the trail led us here”.
The duo transformed Edinvillie Hall into a wild west saloon for the reception – with pony rides for children, a “cowboy wagon” outside the facility, and a bucking bronco machine.
Mr McIntosh added: “We managed to pack 122 people into Edinvillie Hall that day.
“She just loved life, and wanted the wedding to be a big celebration.
“Everybody around Edinvillie contributed by making or providing something.”
Neighbour Harold Edwards is a church organist, and was drafted in to play for the big day.
He recalled: “Gill was a bubbly person and that was infectious, it was a joy to be involved in the wedding.”
Mr and Mrs McIntosh first met at a party in Lossiemouth in 2000, and he subsequently proposed to her on Hogmanay as the bells rung in the start of 2013.
They moved from Lossiemouth to Edinvillie in 2007, after purchasing an “empty shell” which they converted into their perfect home.
The joiner added: “It’s amazing how we got on. When we did up the house, she planned out the inside and I did the outside.
“Gill was such a people person that, even last weekend, when we were at a motorcycle rally, she was making new friends and looking forward to seeing them again.
“Everything was looking up for us, we were so happy, and then this terrible shock happened.”
Neighbours Archie and Anne Jamieson said the close-knit countryside community had been rocked by Mrs McIntosh’s death.
Mrs Jamieson added: “She always had a big wide smile and a twinkle in her eye – she was a sunshine person.”
Mrs McIntosh was born in Edinburgh, but moved to Lossiemouth when she was eight, and attended Hythehill Primary School.
She returned there to work in her mid-20s, and became so popular that her Speyside home was “flooded with flowers” every Christmas and summer when school broke up.
