PICTURES: Guests at reception held during Wedding Reflections event at Crown Church of Scotland in Inverness include couple celebrating 61 years of marriage
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A couple celebrating 61 years of marriage were guests of honour at a reception during a wedding-themed weekend at an Inverness church.
The newly-refurbished Crown Church of Scotland held the party as part of a Wedding Reflections event which included an exhibition of more than 40 wedding outfits and memorabilia.
The 76 guests at the reception included David and Lucy Livingston who were married in 1961 at the Mackintosh Memorial Church in Fort William.
Mr Livingston (87) was born in Bermuda where his father was a civil engineer and he grew up in Ayton before moving to Edinburgh.
Mrs Livingston (86) was brought up in Fort William where her father, Duncan Grant, was Provost.
The couple met in the late 1950s in Edinburgh where Mrs Livingston was studying to be a school teacher at Moray House College.
Their first six years of married life were spent in Thurso where Mr Livingston worked for the Crofters Commission and Mrs Livingston taught at Miller Academy.
They then moved to Cambridge where Mr Livingston worked for the Agriculture Development and Advisory Service.
After 34 years, they retired to Inverness in 2002 and joined Crown Church.
The couple, of Towerhill Avenue, have a son, Andrew, who lives in Paris, and a daughter Catriona, who lives in Inverness, plus two grandchildren in France.
The couple cut a cake to mark their anniversary.
Lesley McRoberts, one of the organisers, said the wedding exhibition attracted more than 200 people in the first few days.
“It seemed a good idea to use the recently-created space in our sanctuary to host an exhibition as a way to enjoy company and invite the wider community into the building,” she said.
Mrs McRoberts continued: “We’re very grateful to everyone who shared their precious mementos and memories.
“We were entrusted 40 dresses, some spanning two and three generations of individual families. The stories unfolded in the telegrams, letters and photographs were quite moving. Our visitors’ book reflects the appreciation of many of the 200-plus who passed through.”
She said the reception in the sanctuary among the dresses, flowers and photographs had been one highlight, adding: “On Sunday morning, both services of worship were held, again in the same space – and it all worked.
“Best of all we have had a couple of expressions of interest from couples wanting to marry. What a privilege to serve the community in this way!”
