A Scottish Wedding

The singsong lilting of Scottish accents, the haunting notes of the bagpipes, and the soft sounds of the surf lapping the pristine white beaches of Stocking Island, Exumas provided a perfect backdrop for a wedding both unique and special.   Blue skies with a few cottony white clouds moved slowly over the shimmering aqua blue waters of Elizabeth Harbor.  A light breeze helped cool the intense rays of sun shining down on the bride, the groom, and the wedding party.  It was a perfect day to get married on a beach in the Bahamas.

The previous day was a different song. Twenty-four hours earlier a steady 28-knot wind out of the southeast with gusts up to 35 knots kicked up the waters of the protected harbor.   Imagine and boats anchored nearby hobby horsed up and down, up and down on the swells coming in from the cut.   At times the sheeting rain reduced visibility to less than 200 feet.  

Our Scottish friends on the catamaran, Sam the Skull, worried about the weather.  John and Barbara Anderson, who hail from Glasgow, Scotland, have been sailing since 1998.  The couple had worked feverishly preparing a special beach wedding that their son, John Anderson and fiancé, Laura Gallacher who live in the coastal village of Helensburgh, Scotland would remember forever.    With some protection from rain slickers, the Anderson men and Patrick Thomlin from Raleigh North Carolina lashed together a frame of bamboo poles for a canopy on the beach under which the bride and groom would be married the following afternoon.  That was, if the rains stopped.

Laura and future sister-in-law Carrie Anderson kept busy ironing out the details for the minister, flowers, music, and photographs.  A backup plan took shape as the Andersons and the bride kept their eyes to the skies. They prayed that the heavy rains would move out and on.

In the midst of the weather, a fellow Scotsman who happed to be passing through heard about the wedding and offered to play the bagpipes.  The irony is that he was sailing to the United States the day following the wedding.  “Timing is everything”, as my husband, Ed is fond of saying.

Cruisers from Freebird, First Look, and Moonlight Serenade arrived by dinghy for the ceremony on the beach.   Earlier in the day, the canopy was finished.  The bamboo poles were hidden, wrapped in white fabric. The top of the canopy wore another length of fabric, creating an awning to protect the bride and groom.  Palm fans decorated the covered poles. Conch shells had been placed on either side of the canopy to make a path for the bride and groom.  The pearly pink shells contrasted beautifully against the white sand.

The groom and his father, wearing eight yards of plaid wool that makes up the traditional Scottish kilt, walked barefoot in the sand waiting for the bride.  The crew of First Look tuned his guitar as the bagpiper assembled his instrument.  Eyes turned towards Georgetown, looking for the water taxi that would soon arrive with the bride, the ministers, and the maid of honor. 

The water taxi slid right up onto the beach to help the wedding party disembark and stay dry.  The bride wore a knee length white sleeveless dress.  A panel of appliqué with seed pearls and sequins decorated the front.  While the groom remained shoeless, the bride did sport strappy white sandals.  It was time to get the ball rolling. 

On cue, the bagpiper piped.  The barefooted, kilted father of the groom escorted his soon to be daughter in law across the sand, down the conch path and to the covered canopy.   After exchanging vows and rings, the new Mr. and Mrs. Anderson greeted the small crowd of friends and cruisers.  The crew of First Look sang a wedding song.

The wedding party hiked a half-mile up Flip Flop Beach, also known as a clothing optional beach, to a small hideaway created by cruisers past.  Behind the tall bending beach grasses and under some casuarinas pine trees stood a small open pavilion constructed of local trees.  There are no sides, only awnings that hang down to protect one from the sun.   Great fans of palm leaves are layered across the top and the awnings.  A make shift bar, some benches and a small table had been built to accent the bohemian hideaway.

This day it doubled as a wedding hall.  Decorated with garland and white balloons waving in the wind, it provided a beautiful setting for the wedding celebration.   Champagne flowed.  John, the father, cooked Bahamian lobster he had caught and froze earlier in the season.   Coated with garlic and wrapped in bacon, it disappeared as fast as he could grill it.  Barbara made a chocolate wedding cake with whipped cream topping and strawberries.

Soon guitars were strumming as cruisers sang to old ballads and songs from the sixties and seventies.  Yes, most of us know the words from that era.  John, the elder, strummed his guitar while singing the words to Sam the Skull a childhood song about a rowdy and rumbling cat that one wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. The bride and groom chatted with friends, frolicked on the beach and couldn’t seem to erase the smiles on their faces.   From the pavilion one could watch the sun setting lower on the horizon.

The water taxi returned to claim the bride and groom.  After a dance on the beach to the tune of bagpipes the Anderson family gathered to say goodbye.  Tears of emotion brimmed as the lone bagpiper serenaded the young couple farewell.  Standing alone with a stand of beach grass waving around him, the haunting notes of the pipes heralded adieu to the bride and groom as the water taxi whisked them away.   Shadows fell upon the musician as he finished his salute.  The sun was setting on what turned out to be a beautiful perfect day.