Iain and Abigail's Wedding at the Mansion House, Edinburgh Zoo

The zoo may not be first place that springs to mind when you think about weddings and indeed it may seem a bit ‘wild’!

In fact, the Mansion House provides an elegant and unique setting to rival any venue in the capital.  

Abigail and Iain chose this venue because they felt that it was a very unique and beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. Iain was born in Edinburgh and his family live here, and this was one of the first places that he took Abigail to when they started dating – so it’s somewhere she has always loved as well.

These words by Mark Twain perfectly capture Abigail and Iain’s feelings about marriage:

A marriage makes two fractional lives a whole; it gives two purposeless lives a work and doubles the strength of each to perform it. It gives two questioning natures a reason for living and something to live for. It will give new gladness to the sunshine, a new fragrance to the flowers, a new beauty to the earth and a new mystery to life.

Iain and Abigail each lit a candle to symbolise their separate lives before their formal union as a married couple. After they exchanged their vows, they lit a third candle together, symbolising the joining together of their lives in marriage.

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May your days be good and long upon the earth.

May you live to see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings,

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

(Traditional Irish Blessing)

Iain and Abigail, thank you for sharing your lovely photos by photographer Nicola Garman. Congratulations to you both and may the light of your marriage burn brightly for the rest of your lives.

“Fiona, just a quick email to thank you again. The tone of the ceremony was exactly what we hoped for and we could not have asked for it to go any better. We are very grateful for all of your help and advice. We received so many lovely comments from our guests on how much they enjoyed the ceremony and we just wanted to let you know how grateful we are that you were a part of our day.”