Party goes to great heights for mountainside marriage
A COUPLE marrying at the top of hill almost had to give up hope of tying the knot when poor visibility, storms, flurries of snow and cancelled ferries conspired against them.
But a council registrar went to extraordinary heights to marry the couple at their dream mountain top location on Monday this week ... with a little bit of altitude compromise.
Rob Everitt, 36, and Rebecca Holdstock, 29, from Dartmoor, got in touch with Andrew Penny, a registrar on Mull, to request their ceremony be held at the summit of Ben More – the island’s highest mountain and only Munro.
Mr Penny said: ‘I had recently joked in the office that it had always been an ambition of mine to carry out a wedding ceremony at the summit of the 966-metre peak when the call from Rob and Rebecca came right out of the blue.
‘As registrars in Argyll and Bute, our motto is “It’s your day so we do it your way” – and we pride ourselves on making each ceremony personal and unique.
‘As well as having some of the most stunning locations where wedding and civil ceremonies can take place, we are more than happy to accommodate couples to have their ceremony wherever they want.
‘However, in Scotland, the weather can be a significant factor. We looked at the forecast and Monday’s weather looked like the most favourable for the climb up Ben More.
‘After a couple of hours we reached around 650 metres, but we couldn’t see much of the summit and made the decision to have the ceremony on the plateau about two-thirds of the way up the mountain.
‘I’m really pleased that, despite the wind, snow and a typical four-seasons-in- oneday, we were able to help Rob and Rebecca get married in the unusual and stunning location they chose.’
Rob, Rebecca and Andrew were joined by the couple’s dogs, Benny and Lindy, as well as two Mull residents for the hike, and a photographer who recorded the event.
Rebecca, who is a member of Dartmoor Search and Rescue and a keen mountaineer, said she and her groom wanted something out of the ordinary, adding: ‘We didn’t want something like a beach wedding and when we found out that you can get married anywhere in Scotland, our thoughts turned to having the ceremony on one of the Munros.
‘We phoned a few other places but when we got in touch with Andrew on Mull he couldn’t have been more flexible and accommodating.
‘We got a really warm and friendly reception and nothing was too much bother for him with the final arrangements being confirmed on the Sunday evening. He gave us options and was happy to shuffle things about, depending on the weather, which turned out to be the case. We’re really grateful to him for all his help in making our day really memorable and touched by the kindness of Sarah and John from Mull who gave up their day to join us.’
Having almost bagged one of Scotland’s Munros, the happy couple now plan to spend the rest of the week on honeymoon enjoying the sights and hospitality of the island.