Love and marriage, this phrase has been very familiar in the English language and maybe other tongues as well. It immediately makes you think of wedding veils and white lace. The most romantic kind of wedding seems to be to elope.

The idea of runaway couples fleeing from a family, who will not allow their union, seems so romantic. Young people, determined to be together despite family interference, the idea of love conquers all. These are the situations that filled the pages of cheap romance novels of the past.

Today’s brides are more modern, quite often setting up house and even changing partners several times before settling down. Marriage is often an afterthought with several of the couple’s children as attendants.

Fifty plus years ago, when I found myself pregnant, I was rushed down the aisle at breakneck speed by my mother in law. My husband wasn’t given a choice, it was just assumed we would get married, we were already engaged, but nobody asked either of us if we wanted to tie the knot, the matter was taken out of our hands.

My own mother was so upset at the situation that she didn’t attend the ceremony or even speak to me, until after the child was born, such was the disgrace she thought I had brought upon the family. Dave’s parents were lovely people and accepted me into the family immediately however, I had to wear a blue dress to show that I wasn’t pure. Such was the way things were in 1964.

Today’s young couples, well most of them, have none of the pressure of anyone really worrying about purity. Young women with several children wear white and nobody bats an eyelid.

However, up to a few years ago, things like this were very important, to both the rich and the poor families. However, to the rich, a good partner came from a good family and it was important to marry well. If the young man was not suitable, no marriage would be allowed. The only way for some couples to marry was to elope.

In the USA, the answer was to go to the next county and find a judge, in England, you had to flee to Scotland. Marriageable age in England was 21, if you wanted to marry without parental permission. In Scotland, the age was 16, so obviously, this was the place to go.

The first town over the Scottish border was called Gretna Green and here the local blacksmith had the power to marry a young couple. He performed the ceremony over an anvil, instead of an altar. This became very popular and was legal for many years.

The little hamlet became famous and turned into a tourist spot, married people often renew their vows over the anvil, it is not legal, but a renewal is not a legal ceremony.

Many couples still go to Gretna Green for their weddings but it has now got to be done with all papers in order and by an ordained official. One of my own daughters got married there several years ago and the whole thing was arranged over the internet.

If you want a nice wedding with minimum fuss, low cost and the uniqueness of the old fashioned setting, then it is a perfect place to go. There are pipers on hand to be hired, the setting of the tudor style buildings is an interesting background for photographs and there are several county inns where a sumptuous meal can be had and, also offer comfortable accommodation.
Our recent trip to Scotland was to my cousin’s home which is about six miles from Gretna, so we drove by it several times, every day. On almost every occasion there was a wedding party being photographed, grooms quite often in kilts and usually a piper amongst the group. Romantic?……….certainly but not likely that an irate father was racing up from England, to save his daughter’s honour. More likely that he was sporting a kilt, feeling the wind whistled round his nether regions, and wishing the photographer would hurry up so he could sample the local whiskey.