Wedding dream come true
Muileachs pull out all the stops to help happy couple
A COUPLE who had set their hearts on getting married on a remote beach on Mull had their dreams fulfilled after islanders pulled out all the stops to help them.
Edinburgh couple Marion Dodd and James Morris wanted to get married on ‘ the most beautiful beach’ on the island. But as it is cut off from the road it took quite a bit of help and support from locals to make sure the day went off without a hitch.
As Marion explains: ‘ We recently eloped to marry on Balfour’s Bay on June 17.
‘Mull means a lot to us because I have been visiting the island with my parents and siblings since I was a child.
‘James fell in love with the island almost eight years ago when I first brought him here.
‘Balfour’s Bay has always been the most beautiful beach I have ever stepped foot on. We always used to venture round by boat on the rare calm summer days.
‘Mull has so many happy memories for us, in particular with my dad.
‘My dad now suffers from dementia which is worsening. Dad can no longer travel long distances so would not have been able to be with us on Mull, if we’d decided on a big wedding.
‘He would never have wanted me to give up on our dream wedding day so rather than give up on our dream day, we decided to do it our way, no fuss just love.
‘Our minister, the Reverend Liz Gibson, witnesses Arran Gibson and Becca Howard, photographer Margaret Soraya and two skippers David and Lynne Sutherland embraced our crazy idea and went above and beyond to make our day happen.
‘ We all climbed into a rib at Fionnphort and battled the rough seas and rain to get to Balfour’s Bay.
‘Our day was all about love, laughter, fun and adventure. After the ceremony we enjoyed a bottle of Moet Champagne and cake on the beach before heading back to the cottage to thaw out next to the log burner.
‘We have been overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us by many people, including staff at the Barriemore B&B, CalMac ferries – particularly Morag who raced to deliver my flowers when I accidentally left them – and many locals in Fionnphort, particularly Veronica MacDougall and Linda Cameron.
‘Our biggest thanks go to Lynne and David, who we hired Burnside Cottage from.
‘We had never met them before our day but they drove all the way from Glasgow and back so they could lend us their rib and skipper the boat, helium wedding balloons included.
‘Last Saturday, June 24, we had our wedding reception with our family and friends in Cheshire just five minutes away from my parents house so my dad could be there too.
‘ We got the best of both worlds. It was the full works, dinner, some bad speeches, cake, ceilidh etc. And, we got to wear our wedding dress and suit all over again!’