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Carol Knight Humanist Celebrant, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow (2026)

11/07/2026

Meet Joanne & Allan, to tell their story, let me take you all back to November 2018, when Joanne and her son Jack had just moved in to a new build, ground floor flat.

J. I knew it was a fresh start for us…but didn’t realise just how much of one it would turn out to be! The flat directly above, was empty for about a month. I then walked out of my front door one day to see someone had rocked up with their wordly belongings. My new neighbour had arrived. I politely said hello and remember feeling a bit nervous.

A. I’d just got the keys and noticed my neighbour downstairs would smoke out in the garden of her main door flat which just happened to be at the entrance to my close door.

J. Over the next few months we continued to say hello in passing and gradually our chats became slightly longer. I’m a smoker, but I only smoked outside, so I’m sure he felt like I was constantly hanging around.

A. It just started as a few casual “hellos”, and I thought ‘she seems alright.’

J. In May 2019 I was sitting outside reading my book in the sun when he arrived home from work and specifically came over to chat.

A. Then one day we had a proper chat and I thought…hold on, are we proper flirting here?….as I hit her with my cringy line “I am forever the romantic” as I awkwardly tried to stand there looking cool and worldly while Joanne giggled like a teenager.

J. Somehow that conversation felt different…I like to think we came across as very cool…but I suspect we looked like giggling teenagers because that’s definitely how I felt!
Allan was confident, warm and hilarious.

A. I was playing squash that night with my mate and I mentioned to him I think I’ve got a thing for my new neighbour, but I reckon I’m probably too old for her…..he said you’ve got no chance….yeah he was probably right! Never thought much more of it till I got home and had a friend request from Joanne..

J. After passively sitting by and making many mistakes in my life, I decided to actively make a right choice. I found him on Facebook and sent him a message later that week. He didn’t think I would have any interest due to the age difference, but I hadn’t even noticed it. After skirting around and some gentle flirting I eventually just made an obvious joke about the fact that I was trying to chat him up….in a split second he stopped trying to play it cool and replied arranging our first date.

First impressions?

J. Right from the first moment Allan’s warmth was obvious. His eyes also sparkled and he always seemed upbeat with a loud laugh. His love for life instantly came across. And…easy on the eye of course!

A. I thought she was gorgeous, funny, Intelligent…..but maybe a bit too middle class for me?

J. We had a few false starts or ‘rocky patches’ Having both came with a little bit of baggage from past relationships, and it took us some time to trust completely and navigate our different communication styles. I never doubted for a second that he was the one for me though, and after a couple of fall outs at the beginning we learned more about each other and grew stronger as a result. After 5 years I moved into his flat upstairs and we got our fur baby, Lexie the staffy. A year later we bought our own place together. Over the years we gradually merged as a family and got to know and love each other’s grown up kids. Two of our kids actually kept our old flats, and as we only moved about 30 seconds away, it meant we could still keep an eye on them! There were some tough life events too, but Allan kept our lives normal throughout and was my absolute rock.

Having broken her leg a few weeks before, Joanne was determined to walk down the aisle with her dad John, and she shone like a diamond the whole day, what a trouper!

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Dewar! ❤️

04/07/2026

Jade & Ewan’s story began in the offices of a small family run investment management firm in Glasgow…

J. I moved to Glasgow in 2016 after securing a job there and two years later, Ewan joined the company. Before I even met him, I was asked to help buy him a secret Santa gift, so he wasn’t left out of the Christmas party celebrations.

E. Jade worked in the compliance department and so she was one of the first people to call me in my new job to tell me that I had mandatory Compliance training to do

J. Not sure that opening gambit would ever be used for a great love story! Anyway… I had to go up to his desk to chase him to complete his training. In true Ewan fashion, he leaves everything to last minute so really it was no surprise that our first encounter would involve me having to chase him up for something.

First impressions?

J. I have always been talkative, but he is quiet around people he doesn’t know (there’s a reason his groomsmen consist of school friends and family) I will be honest, I can’t really remember a lot about our first conversations as I was just doing my job, but Ewan likes to tell me I was bossy. I guess I didn’t really know what to make of him at first because he was super quiet and would decline any social events, so it was impossible to get much out of him. I like to think I have really brought him out of his shell because he is no longer quiet and is now quite sociable!

E. I was always slightly concerned that I’d broken the rules and was in trouble when she tried to speak to me at first, but I quickly learned that she was super friendly and approachable and able to keep me on the right side of the rest of the team. She was also very natural, and we just started spending more time together: going for lunch, and lunch time walks by the Clyde during the day.

J. We realised we got the same train home, so I guess this is where we got to know each other. Then we had a spell of nice weather so started sitting on the grass at George Square to eat our lunch together. I am sure the story will differ on who asked who to go on a first date but from my recollection, Ewan asked me in July 2018 to go to Loch Lomond for a barbeque, and I chickened out last minute, so he rearranged the plans to be a mini golf friendship date instead which I happily accepted. Turns out I won the mini golf, but Ewan claims he let me win to be a gentleman, but funnily enough he is still yet to beat me!

E. Our stories will differ here. Jade says she asked me to go to the gym one night. Apparently I said yes and then didn’t bring any stuff so couldn’t go (I have no memory of this) She then asked me to go to the cinema another night although she claims this was not a ‘date’ and it was just as friends.

J. From then on we went on weekly dates. Early on, I decided to progress my career and applied for a job in Edinburgh which I got.
It was our first real challenge because until then we saw each other every day which made the relationship easy, whereas the move meant we would need to adapt..

E. We were 4 months into dating at this point, so it was pretty make or break considering we were seeing each other constantly. I took this pretty hard and realised how much I had fallen for her. Although, this may have been because she always met me off the train with a Starbucks waiting for me.

J. In fact, we went from strength to strength and on Bonfire night 2018 he took me back to where we met to ask me to be his girlfriend.

E. Thankfully we made it work and just spent more evenings with each other. Six months later she moved back to working in Glasgow. We then started going on amazing holidays, bought our flat, survived a global pandemic, got engaged then picked up our little puppy (Lottie) on the way home from the airport and have hardly been on holiday since.

Their day at Crossbasket castle was the stuff of fairytales, the sun shone, Lottie behaved impeccably and the two of them looked picture perfect all the the soundtrack of Ginny & The Tonic
Congratulations Mr & Mrs Dempster ❤️

27/06/2026

Cathy & Jon’s story began back in 2014, on the children’s ward of a hospital...

C. I’d been for 7 or 8 years, working as a staff nurse there and Jon was on rotation there as part of his training

J. I was a junior doctor, and Cathy was a nurse on the ward. We got chatting a lot, she was so easy to get on with, and I felt very comfortable with her. But at work, we all keep things professional, so you don’t really get to know one another personally.

First impressions?

C. I thought he was a lovely guy. He then left and I didn’t realise he’d moved; I remember feeling really sad and sent him a good luck message. But he never checks messenger, so it took a month or so for him to reply. Our first date was at a bar in Ashton Lane and dinner in Brel.

J. I thought she was friendly, down to earth, nice face. I remember on that first date thinking when she went to the bar that things were going really well, especially when she came back with a pint! .

C It was Christmas time and we didn’t stop chatting the whole night. We ordered quite a lot of food, which told me he was a keeper!

J. Our first few months of dating were a brilliant carefree time, getting to know each other. Many nights watching episodes of The Office, dinners out, walking the West Highland Way and Cathy showing me the sights in Scotland.

C. We both love pizza, watching comedy shows and walking and before the kids came along we completed the West Highland way together. Then he had to return to Portsmouth with his paediatric training for a year or so, but I knew there was something there and was delighted when he came back

J. Two years later we bought our first house together. Our eldest daughter was born in 2018, followed by another in 2021 and a couple of years and we now have 3 girls! We’ve always been really family oriented and quality time with the girls is really important to us.

C. Then 11 years, 2 houses, a few chickens and 3 beautiful girls later, Jon proposed took me by surprise and proposed!

Their day was SO different and very much them. They wanted no fuss, no formality just a big party in the garden with loads of children, laughs and tales to tell in years to come. Jon even made the centrepiece of the ceremony himself out of wood to represent his 3 beautiful girls!

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Pinkser the last piece of the jigsaw that gives you all the same name! ❤️

25/06/2026

Thanks for the open and honest chat about being a celebrant with in your Aug edition. Special thanks also to & for the gorgeous photos of your day!

15/06/2026

Amie & Si ❤️

06/06/2026

Nicola & Jack ❤️

06/06/2026

Let’s go back nine years, when both Rachel & Mark were sweet and innocent, with very little dating experience..

M. I was 20 and Rachel was 18. We first starting speaking on social media, Rachel’s convinced I messaged her first, but I recall it slightly differently, she absolutely messaged me first.

R. Back in 2016, when Instagram released its 'story' feature, Mark put his Snapchat username on his story. Very out of character of me, I added him and sent a Snapchat of a smoothie I had made. He responded, and the rest is history! I have no idea what was spoken about but after a couple of weeks messaging we went on our first date to the cinema. Perfect first date I thought, for introverted me.

M. I remember going to pick her up from her house absolutely bricking it cause it was the first serious date I’d ever been on. She walked out the door, and I was sitting in my car looking at her trying to make eye contact whilst she was staring at the ground the whole time making it even more awkward.

R. I messaged my friend some pictures of outfits, asking her advice on what I should wear. She asked if I was excited, to which I responded "kinda, but I wish we were only going to Elgin rather than Inverness, so I don't need to speak to him for as long in the car". Mark sped up the cul-de-sac to pick me up in his Corsa, and I was greeted with an overwhelming smell of aftershave (some things never change)

M. She got in the car, so I was asking her how she was, how her day had been etc and I was literally getting one word answers. I was thinking to myself this is going to be a long date. As cliche as it sounds I knew back at the very start that we were going to be in for it the long haul. I still remember what she was wearing on that first date; a yellow top, black jeans, black leather jacket and a pair of black sandals that Roxy (her family’s cockapoo) ended up demolishing. I feel that deserves some brownie points!

R. After a bit of small talk and a cinema date later, we agreed to seeing each other again. A couple of months later, Mark asked "so, what do you think about us then?" to which I replied, "aye everything's fine". This was his way of asking if I wanted to be his girlfriend and without actually saying the words, we had become 'official'. Neither of us had ever been in a serious relationship before so our family and friends were chuffed to bits.

First impressions?

M. I was very nervous, she was the first person that I had any serious intentions with at that time of my life, so I felt that during those first few dates she seemed quiet and innocent which I later realised was 100% correct. I was asking her questions and getting one word answers, it was like talking to a wall, and as we were in my car and the cinema was over an hour away, so it was awkward.

R. I remember thinking he had nice big muscly arms and that he was very polite and well mannered. He was able to keep good conversation going, which would have been a challenge with me at that stage in my life where I was very awkward and reserved. I was attracted to him but more importantly I thought he was kind, respectful and our morals aligned.

M. Things were going really well, Rachel was studying at university in Aberdeen, and I was working in Buckie. After about a year together, a week before our first holiday she started really panicking about our future because she had intentions on working in Glasgow or Edinburgh once she finished uni, meanwhile I was happy working and living in Buckie.

R. As I was romanticising this future life of ours, I was knocked back to reality when Mark said he was going to be putting an offer in for a house in Buckie. Life was over. How could we last if I moved 4 hours away with crazy shift patterns? My parents must have thought I was ridiculous being so emotional about such big decisions when we were only young and in a relatively new relationship.

M. After about a month or two of going back and forth about what we were going to do, I reluctantly decided to apply for a job in Glasgow. Turns out I got the job, moved down and Rachel followed a year or so later and it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to us.

Their day was perfect, they looked like a couple from a Hollywood movie with all their friends and family surrounding them and even the weather behaved. Congratulations Mr & Mrs Campbell ❤️

Carol Knight Humanist Celebrant

11/07/2026

04/07/2026

27/06/2026

25/06/2026

15/06/2026

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

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