The paperwork was already done. This was the one with everybody in it.

The two of them

Brycen and Ammara both live in Glasgow, round the Broomhill end of things. Ammara was born and brought up in the West End, and she will tell you herself she is a West End girl through and through. A diva, she says. She can't help it. Brycen was born in Oregon, which is a long way from Byres Road, but he has been fully absorbed. Whether he had any say in that, I couldn't possibly tell you.

You will mostly find them at the gym. Together, most evenings. When Ammara is going for something heavy and starting to struggle, Brycen is right there to motivate her, and not with a serious coaching speech. With silly voices and wee dance moves, so she is attempting a personal best while trying with everything she has not to laugh. She calls it the ultimate test of her core strength.

They are also, by their own admission, very clumsy. They take turns. Ammara breaks things: plates, glasses, anything. Brycen stands on her toes, bumps into her and, worst of all, once stood on her beige limited edition Adidas. She has not forgotten. She will never forget. I did a risk assessment for the ceremony and concluded that if one of the three of us was going down at the front, it was probably going to be me.

Married in Glasgow, celebrated in Ayrshire

For anyone planning something similar: you can do the legal part at a registry office, quick and quiet, and then have a humanist celebration on another day, wherever and whenever you like, with all the people you actually want there. Everybody hears the story, sees the vows and gets to cheer. If you are weighing up the options, I have written about humanist and civil ceremonies in Scotland, including how the two can sit side by side.

The ceremony

Some guests had come a very long way. Brycen's mum came over from Florida, by way of an eleven-day cruise taking in Rome, Croatia and Greece, then a delayed flight and straight into a Scottish wedding week. That, folks, is commitment. Brycen and Ammara asked everyone to put their phones away for the ceremony and leave the pictures to ZA Photography and Film, so people could simply be there.

They chose two old Scottish traditions. First a handfasting: arms clasped, three loops of fabric (one for Brycen's love, one for Ammara's, and one for the good wishes of everybody in the room), then pull back and tie the knot. Then the quaich, the two-handled lover's cup, with a drink from each side of the family poured in together. Ammara drank first, then passed it to Brycen, both of them keeping hold of the handles.

A moment of silence, the vows, and a loud "We do!" from the guests when I asked if they would stand by these two through the highs and the lows. Then the rings, and my favourite line of the evening: you are married, and you may absolutely kiss.

Marrying at Enterkine yourself?

Enterkine is a country house set in its own grounds just outside Annbank and an easy run from Ayr. The room the party was set up in is a lovely space: big oak roof beams, a tall glazed gable at the far end, and plenty of floor for dancing. A six o'clock ceremony suits it: straight from the vows into dinner and dancing, with no long afternoon gap to fill.

If you are marrying anywhere in the county, my Ayrshire wedding celebrant page has the details. And if your date is close and you think you have left it too late, ask anyway. Brycen and Ammara booked with three weeks to go.