FIVE months on from her ‘wonderful wedding’ in the far north of Scotland, Joanne Gunn talks excitedly about some of the highlights of her special day with husband Jonathan – with family, friends and neighbours travelling from all over Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“It was the best day, just a wonderful gathering,” says Joanne, formerly Smith, who hails from Northern Ireland but lives on the Gunn family’s croft just outside just outside Lybster in Caithness.
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Held at Puldagon Farm Shop & Restaurant near Wick, a unique farm business that has expanded into a country wedding venue – Joanne and Jonathan’s was the first to be held in their big barn – the day turned into a ‘local celebration for family, friends, farmers, crofters, and neighbours’.
The owners of Puldagon, Greg and Terri, are friends of Joanne and Jonathan so they couldn’t have been more helpful. “Nothing was too much trouble, every request was met with enthusiasm and a ‘let’s get it done’ attitude. We had a digger doubling as an ice bar and cattle feed ring Prosecco stand. The staff really made our day.”
“It was such a vibrant, friendly occasion – we all had so much fun. It was lively, it brought everyone together, and what was really special was that my aunt Ruby, who is 91, came over from Northern Ireland and said it was the best wedding she’d ever been too. When you’re 91 and have attended a lot of weddings in your life, that’s quite the accolade.”
Classing the couple’s wedding as ‘being on the larger side’, Joanne reveals that the organisation of such a big event was ‘all quite quick’ with everything coming together in about three weeks ahead of the big day. “We had a great team of helpers who worked late at night to get it all prepared,” explains Joanne.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind towards the end though. We decided about March, April time to get married so I had limited time to sort out things like my dress which involved trips to the shop in Aberdeen and Jonathan’s kilt had to be couriered up from Glasgow.”
For Joanne and Jonathan, it was vital that both their sons – Jack, 19, who is at the University of Stirling and wants to be a teacher and eight-year-old Jenson – had a key part to play on the day. Jack was one of the best men while Jenson was given the role of ringbearer. “He took it very, very seriously,” says Joanne. “It was great to see him showing so much responsibility, no-one got to see the rings before the wedding – he was very proud.”
There was also a big surprise in store for Jenson on the day of the wedding. The youngster loves lorries, so his dad arranged for him to be collected in a vehicle from the fleet of local firm Simpson Oils, run by one of Jonathan’s best friends.
For guests, there was a surprise too in the form of singing waiters who sang five songs during the wedding meal, and they had everyone one up from their seats and guests doing an impromptu congo around the room. “It was a big surprise, we didn’t tell anyone,” laughs Joanne. “It made the day really memorable, and it was great to see everyone having such a good time – that’s what a wedding is all about.”
Throughout the day, a talented caricaturist was on hand to capture drawings of guests which gave them an unusual memento to take home and remember their friends’ wedding.
Other standout moments included a guard of honour made up of vintage tractors and show sticks, and a makeshift photo box designed like the front page of The Scottish Farmer, which was a great hit with guests, says Joanne.
Meanwhile, the official wedding photographer was Mel Irvine, Annside, from Melissa Irvine Photography. She was assisted by Anne McPherson from Blackford. Indeed, so pleased are the couple with their wedding photographs that they struggled to choose images to send to TSF.
Fun and games aside, though, Joanne and Jonathan’s day had a serious aspect to it with their vows overseen by the Most Reverend Mark Strange, who is head of the Scottish Episcopal Church with the official title Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church & Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness.
Bishop Strange also had a special role during the Coronation of King Charles and the Queen Consort when he presented the sovereign’s sceptre to the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey.
“We were very honoured that Bishop Strange officiated at our wedding – he tailored our vows to show our country connections that was really special for us.”
For Joanne and Jonathan, organising their wedding had to fit in around their busy day-to-day lives running the croft which is known for the couple’s Mavsey and Caithness Simmentals.
As well as their herd of pedigree Simmentals, they also run a small flock of Texel X Suffolks.
Jonathan is the current chairman of the Scottish Simmental Club.
Young Jenson, meanwhile, has his own small pedigree of Caithness Simmentals and has blazed quite a trail for himself in competitions and at shows.
Like his parents, the young farmer has won numerous prizes – on occasion even beating them at shows including the Black Isle, Latheron, Caithness and the Royal Highland.
Email a photo of the happy couple to: weddingphotos@thescottishfarmer.co.uk with the couple's name, wedding location, and photographer credit (if applicable)
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