Some Scottish wedding traditions you may not have heard of – Susan Morrison

A wonderful wedding is a glorious thing and a glorious wedding it was. We had to wait two years, but it was worth it. The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and the venue was great.

Susan Morrison knows all about Scotland's wedding traditions (Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA)

It was a cross-border affair and Scotland was on her best behaviour for our southern visitors. The Scottish weather played nice enough for the ceremony to be held outdoors, with only a tiny rain shower appearing. That only added to the fun.

The very best weddings are intergenerational. I remember my granny and a gaggle of ladies sitting nursing sherries half a century ago at a cousin's wedding.

Things have changed. I’m the same age as those old dames now, but the white wine never got the chance to get warm in my hands and when Abba came on, you bet I hit that dance floor, shouting, “Hold my chardonnay. Me and the mother of the bride are gonna show these kids how to dance!”

The veritable swarm of lovely kids were very well behaved during the ceremony. Only the baby cried. As I explained to the mum, having the youngest bawling at a wedding is considered good luck in Scotland. It’s awkward if the youngest happens to be 27, I said, but these traditions must be maintained.

Yes, I am that person at weddings who tells our English visitors utter nonsense. Having a mad old nonsense-spouting bat at weddings is also Scottish tradition, and I take it upon myself to proudly carry that banner forward.

The proud parents watched the kids racing about and said with utter confidence, they’ll be spark out by 8pm. That was before they unveiled the sweetie table and the inflatable guitars. At 11, the kids were still whizzing about in the grip of massive sugar rushes. Every now and then you’d see a youngster crash, burn and fall asleep under a table, to be scooped up by a merry dad and carried off to bed.

After two long years of standing distant and mumbling into masks, it was a joy to be meeting new people and hugging old friends.