A couple who had to postpone their dream wedding at Dornoch Cathedral due to the lockdown decided they didn’t want to miss their big day altogether.
Instead, Amy Dickenson and Lloyd Dias held an online ceremony, conducted by cathedral minister the Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, and watched virtually by 100 guests around the world.
Amy, 32, and Lloyd, 36, dressed in their wedding outfits in the conservatory of their south London home for the “betrothal through handfasting” ceremony in front of the only witness actually present, their cat Rothko, suitably dressed in a bow tie for the occasion.
The couple, who have been together for eight years, exchanged rings, which they placed on their right hands.
They hope to legally marry soon and will swap their rings onto their left hands.
Miss Dickenson, a primary school teacher who grew up in Dornoch, said: “It was a memorable day and the perfect way to bring everyone we love together into our tiny home to watch us commit ourselves to each other.
“We thought this would be a good way to celebrate on the day that we were supposed to get married.
“The ceremony meant a lot to us and to have everyone there to see it happen.”
Londoner Mr Dias, who works for an electrical distribution company, said: “It was the best way of making good a horrible situation.
“People who weren’t able to get to Dornoch originally were experiencing something that they had not experienced before, like our grandmothers who are in their 90s.
“They got the chance to see us together and there is an intimacy when you see someone on a screen that you would not see from the back of a church.”
To help the atmosphere on the day, the couple filled their conservatory with flowers, a friend made a cake and they had a first dance in front of their virtual guests.
Mr Dias and two “best people” delivered speeches and their wedding meal, a home delivery from a local vegan restaurant, was followed by a Zoom after-party.
Dr Brown, a former Moderator of the General Assembly, said her first online ceremony had been “absolutely fantastic”.
“A wedding is such a big day in a couple’s lives – a door opening onto a different future.
“For Amy and Lloyd, it wasn’t about a lot of people coming but marking their love for each other.”