North-east lovebirds seeking a simpler wedding ceremony will soon be able to tie the knot in a new council marriage suite.
Aberdeenshire Council has been hard at work refurbishing its Banff registry office at Mercat Cross.
When the local authority reopens the doors early next month, couples will have the option of using a new marriage room.
According to a north-east wedding expert, more and more people are now choosing to get married away from traditional church settings.
Margaret Alexander, who has been fitting wedding dresses at her Elmar Bridal Collections shop in Peterhead for more than a decade, said: “There has definitely been a change. When we started 12 years ago it was all churches but now people get married in all sorts of places.
“We get people from all over Scotland in our shop and people are now mostly getting married in hotels where everything is offered to them. We even get beach brides.”
The works, which also involved the creation of new office accommodation, are part of a three-phase revamp of the local authority’s Banff offices.
The registration office currently based at Seafield house in Castle Street will close on Monday, September 1 and reopen at Mercat Cross on Wednesday, September 3.