Couple who met at Edinburgh Military Tattoo celebrate first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife

Love was in the air for the couple who first met at Tattoo and later got engaged at Edinburgh Castle.

A couple who first met while performing at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are celebrating their first Valentine’s Day as Husband and Wife. Cathy and Nick Geldard-Brütsch first met en route to the Castle in 2017 after Nick took Cathy’s usual seat on the bus.

Cathy said: “We first met on the bus from the accommodation to the Castle. As there wasn’t enough space on the Fiddler bus, some of us travelled on the French Band’s bus. Nick was sitting in my usual seat, and when I asked him to move, he refused. So, I ended up sitting next to him every night for the rest of the run.”

Friendship blossomed into romance between the intrepid pair who travelled across the world to visit one another. Three years later Nick took Cathy back to Edinburgh Castle for a city break – and popped the question.

Cathy and Nick met while performing at the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo

As the couple celebrate their first Valentine’s as husband and wife, they have been looking back on how they met at the Tattoo, which will always hold a special place in their hearts.

Cathy had been performing at the Tattoo since 2014 as one of the Shetland fiddlers and first met Nick when he was looking after the French Band, Fanfare et Bagad de la 9e Brigade d’infanterie de Marine.

The pair spent the 30-minute journey chatting, laughing and sharing stories every night. After the run of the Tattoo finished, Cathy and Nick kept in touch, messaging and talking every day. They both loved to travel so Cathy eventually visited Nick in Moscow and Switzerland and Nick came to visit Cathy at the next year’s Tattoo. Friendship turned to romance when Cathy visited Nick in November 2018.

Nick was living in Switzerland at the time and was about to go on a peace keeping mission to Bosnia for six months. Cathy was off touring the world with the Fiddlers from the Tattoo. Their first year together was long-distance but the couple met up whenever they could.

“Nick tried to get down on one knee in the middle of the Esplanade, but I had to stop him as it was raining, and I didn’t want him to get a wet knee."

Nick finally moved back to the UK and Newcastle to live with Cathy in November 2019 – COVID hit a few months later. When restrictions relaxed in 2020, Cathy and Nick returned to Edinburgh for a city break and Nick insisted that they visit Edinburgh Castle for old times’ sake.

Cathy said: “Nick tried to get down on one knee in the middle of the Esplanade, but I had to stop him as it was raining, and I didn’t want him to get a wet knee. Also, people were staring. I did say yes immediately though!”

They got married in June 2022 in Cathy’s hometown of Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The four fiddlers who played with Cathy during the 2016 Tattoo played at her wedding and when the pair signed the register, the Tattoo fiddlers played their favourite song “Splashes of Tartan” – the Highland Dance set from the 2017 Tattoo – a song that brings back

many happy memories of their time together at Edinburgh Castle.

Nick Said: “We usually both work in completely different worlds and being able to share an experience like the Tattoo is something we can really be proud of and it’s wonderful to look back on. We have also made some very good friends at the Tattoo who will be in our lives for a long time to come. Music holds a special place in our hearts and always will.”

This year the Military Tattoo show is called Stories and will run from 4-26 August 2023, featuring the military at the heart of the showcase with the Royal Air Force confirmed as the lead service. Audiences can expect the magnificent sounds of the Massed Pipes and Drums filling up the Esplanade alongside performances from the incredibly talented Tattoo Pipes and Drums and Tattoo Dancers. Further details about Stories will be announced in the coming months.

Jason Barrett, chief operating officer of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “Cathy and Nick’s story embodies the true essence of how the Tattoo brings cultures and people together, and in their instance allowed us to unknowingly play cupid in their love story.”

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