Barry Shaw, wedding and events manager at Òran Mór, joins Lesley to discuss his journey into the wedding industry, from an apprenticeship at the BBC to planning events and eventually finding his place at one of Glasgow’s most iconic venues. Barry shares his love for the individuality of every wedding, the importance of a strong behind-the-scenes team, and some memorable moments from couples bringing pets, children and personal touches into their celebrations.
The conversation also explores what couples can expect from a wedding at Òran Mór, Barry’s work as a celebrant, and his advice to trust the suppliers and venue team they have chosen. With warmth and humour, Barry and Lesley reflect on the passion behind wedding planning, the value of taking time together on the day, and the joy of helping couples create celebrations that feel genuinely their own.
In this episode of Let’s Talk Weddings with Your Scottish Wedding, Lesley is joined by Barry Shaw from Òran Mór to explore the people, passion and practical details behind creating unforgettable wedding days. Barry shares how an early career in events led him into weddings, reflecting on the unexpected opportunities that shaped his path and his long-standing love of bringing people together for meaningful celebrations. From the grandeur of Òran Mór’s historic spaces to the small, personal moments that make each day unique, the conversation offers an honest, uplifting look at life behind the scenes at a busy wedding venue. Barry and Lesley discuss everything from couples involving much-loved pets and children in their ceremonies to the value of allowing time to pause, take everything in and enjoy the day as it unfolds. Barry also talks about qualifying as a celebrant, his excitement about conducting ceremonies across Scotland, and the importance of trusting the experienced suppliers and venue teams chosen to support a wedding. Full of warmth, humour and genuine affection for the industry, this episode is a celebration of creative weddings, passionate professionals and the joy of making every couple’s story feel special.
Let’s Talk Weddings EP 5
Welcome to Let’s Talk Wedding with Your Scottish Wedding. I’ll be your host today, Lesley Trainer, and I am so excited. I’ve got the beautiful Gayle and Gary in the studio today. Hi, guys. Hi. Hey. Aw. This is very Oprah, isn’t it? Oh do you like it, this- It’s very posh. Oh it is. It is, very much. If nothing changes- Nothing changes.
It’s lovely. Thank you for having us. Uh-huh. No thank you for, for coming on. I’m so excited. We’re not used to posh places, are we? No no. I’m sure you are. ‘Cause yous have obviously led a very glamorous life, have you not? Oh that’s a lot of rubbish. Is it? What are you talking about? Well your acting careers and, like- Oh.
I paid her to say that. Did you, aye? Thanks. Thanks for that, Taylor. No bother. No bother. Not as glamorous as you would think. So is it just what we see then that, that looks very glamorous, whereas in the background it’s just not glamorous? Like- Les, I’ll have you know, it’s hard work. Oh I know it’s hard work, 100%.
Yeah. Like, 100%, I get that. No it, it’s, it’s lovely. I mean, being an actor is is not for the faint-hearted, put it that way. No. Especially when the world is a-changing, eh, Gary? It’s changing very much. No it’s, it’s, it’s tough. Mm. And you need to be well, you need to be thick-skinned at points- Mm. Yeah.. and be tough, ’cause, you know, you, there’s a lot of, lot of, uh, refusals- Told you’re shite sometimes
and knock-backs. Yeah. but we’ve been lucky enough. Oh listen, really, we’ve been very lucky. Uh-huh. Very lucky. Uh-huh. Maybe, I mean, you’ve been doing it a long.. You, child. Can I tell a story? So really quickly- Oh here we go. Shut up. So- See you. Right. Can I just say before you start the story- Yeah.. so just so that people know, so Gayle, you were in River City for a long time.
Yeah. And Gary, you were in Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Yes. Yes. Yes. So just so that people know that. So- He was also in Take the High Road. << Daew, naew, naew, naew >> Oh. But yes, that, that’s- So my very first-ever boyfriend’s wee brother was in Take the High Road. What’s his name? And I went to go on set. It was so my boyfriend’s name was Barry Brown.
I can’t remember his wee brother’s name. It made that much of an impact on you, Lesley. Ah, that was a- Little wee pest. Little wee pest. But do you know what? Take the High Road just was my school because I lived down in, I’m from Bredalbane. Uh-huh. Uh, and I live in the Vale. Yeah. And they would obviously film round about us- Yeah
and that was the kinda local school, the Vale. Yeah. And they came down to film, and we would do wee bits and bobs as extras. I mean, and I had to say a line. They were like, “Can you just say bye-bye to..” And it was your sister, the girl Shona, who were in the school. Oh and you were up on the season with her.
Yeah. And I was like, “See you later, Sarah.” Like, gave myself lines, right? But Gary was there, and I remember you were like that, “Hi. Hi.” You were dead nice, actually. I mean, and then you turned out to be- Well yeah, nice.. and then I turned out to be this. Yeah. Nice. Aye. But I remember it being, I was probably about 13, 14, Gary, when I first clapped eyes on you.
And then it was years, and years, and years later until we actually finally got together. Destiny brought youse together. Well and the color of her hair. But uh, the two gingers. But uh, no, I, as Gail said, I started when I was 12. Mm-hmm. Were you 12? 12. Right. And The early, uh- Child, child actor.. a child actor.
Uh-huh. Tell
the story about the audition and- I know, the audition. So I remember it was back in 1992, and what was happening was that STV were going around various schools looking for kids to, to go and audition, but it was blonde-headed boys they were looking for. Right. And my drama teacher, Terry, had.. and Mandy had said, “Oh I’ve got a blonde, but I’ve also, I’ve got a ginger.”
Uh-huh. And they said, “Oh well, send him anyway.” And I- You’re more strawberry blonde, to be fair. Yeah. I, no, I was lot, lot, lot ginger then. Right. Just gray now. And I was going, going white now. Tell no porkies. And uh, hanging about with you. And uh, so we, we went.. I remember saying to my mum, because I had never from a background of acting- Yeah
we were a working-class family, and- You’re a Pollok, aren’t you? Yeah fae the Pollok. Oh sorry, the Pollok. And uh, and I said to my mum, “I’ve got this, uh, chance,” and, uh, off we went. I remember it was at Goldbergs at the time. Yes. Do you remember Goldbergs? Off I went to get a new rig out. Aw. A style card, mum.
You had a style card. We had the style card. Well I’ll tell you this, that’ll tie in with what I’m gonna say. And off I went to the Pollok centre, now Silverburn, get a new rig out- Yeah.. and jumped the 48 bus to Cowcaddens, and there I walked into a room of 50 children, all blonde, and me. Right. So the- So so the good thing is you stood out.
Yeah exactly. Oh I certainly- Exactly.. I certainly stood out. Cut a long story short, a couple of auditions, and they offered me the, the job. Amazing. And it changed my life. Yeah. It changed my family’s life. Wow. And uh, great memories. Martin McManus, James, and Blythe. It was a fantastic, uh, opportunity, uh, and a lovely time.
Yeah. From that job, I was able to pay my mum’s style card off. Yes. And that was- And that was the Taggart.. my proudest moment. And that was from Taggart. Absolutely. Yeah that was Taggart. Uh-huh. And I remember you saying- Aye, wee Betty was no longer in any debt. Uh-huh. She’d been.. I was the baby of the family.
Uh-huh. She’d been paying this card off for years. Forever, I know, because the interest on it was so high. It was. It was. Isn’t that so lovely? But no, and that was me, that was sort of me put on the road to, uh, uh, to acting, and that’s when I got the bug. How great is that though? so that’s, that’s the lad up.
And that’s a very proud moment, isn’t it? It was. To, to help your family. Aye, I was proud and, uh- You’re very giving.. the wee boy fae Pollok- Yeah doing a police drama He’s made good. He’s made good. He’s, he’s, he’s still doing the drama. Do you know, the m- the most I’ve kinda done for my parents is I’ve, I’ve, I have got them a couple of holidays to Tenerife.
Lovely. Not, I’ve not paid any cards off or anything like that. You could have bought them a couple of Vesta curries as well. I mean, come on, don’t be hard on yourself. But now I’m out of job, I’ve not got much to offer anymore. Oh no, you’re only having a rest. You’re gonna get snapped up- I’m having a rest, aye
so you’re not gonna be out of work for too long, lady. Oh good. So don’t, don’t. ‘Cause you’ve got lots of.. But so, and we always gonna touch obviously that, you know, River City’s now finished. So what’s next for you? Because are you now, am I right in saying that you’re training to be a celebrant? Is that right or is it wrong?
So- Oh she’s past that point now. She’s past that point. There’s no returning. She’s past that point. She has her wings and she’s flying. So I think- Amazing.. as a, as an actor I do a l- well, myself and Gary host Yes.. a lot. We, as we do for you- Yes yes.. at Your Scottish Wedding Awards- Yes.. which we had a total ball.
Last year was our first year. The best, the best. And it was great, wasn’t it? And uh, yeah, we are obviously, we do this and we’re obviously, yeah, we’re, we’re out there available. And I think as a, as an actor, you need to wear a lot of different hats. Of source. So Gary- It does, uh, celebrate funeral celebrancy Yes And I said, “I quite fancy that.
That’s a really nice thing to do for someone” Oh. So I got lumped with it. So from February I’ve been going out shadowing him, and let me tell you when I tell you he is the best in the business no, it’s- No you are. Shut up. So he’s really good- Uh-huh.. and he’s been such a great mentor. Yeah. And I’ve done maybe about 10 funerals now.
Have you? And I’ve enjoyed it immensely, just being for the families. What a special thing, though, to do for somebody because it’s one of those things, isn’t it, where you’ve lost a loved one and you just don’t really know who to reach out to. Uh-huh. And if you can get somebody- Aye.. who’s going to be incredible at telling that human being’s story.
Such an honor for a celebrant- Yes.. you know, for us to be given that role. Uh-huh. You know, I sort of fell into it. I’d lost my brother six years ago, and then my dad three years ago. Left Mrs. Brown. Yeah. Uh, I’d moved back to Glasgow, and I was just- And we’re glad to have you back.. well, thank you. Uh, but I was just lost.
And of course- Yeah.. when I look back now really, you know, we’re coming out of COVID. I’d just had a, a baby who was premature. I didn’t obviously have the baby, my wife did. Yes. Lost my brother then- Yeah.. you know, everything was just all- A lot.. on your plate. Yeah. Uh, then Dad passed, and it just something, you know, I had many people in my life that passed.
Yeah. And of course loved them and missed them. But something with a parent, it just- Yeah.. something dies with you. Yeah. Yeah. and it was a, a friend of mine, uh, my cousin’s, uh, husband who’s a funeral director, and he said, “You should possibly look into doing this.” Uh-huh. “I think you would be good- Uh-huh
because of Jared and your dad. You can be empathetic, et cetera.” Yeah. Or not find a public speaking. Absolutely. All this carry on. It’s using your skillset as well. Yeah. Like mostly- Absolutely.. and actually I remember saying to Gary a couple of months ago, “Gary, you’ve got such a good why you do this.” Yeah.
“And I don’t know what my why is. And- Then when I started, ’cause I’m quite an analytical person, right? And I thought about it, and when I go to a funeral, sometimes you don’t know any more about the person when you go in to when you, you leave. Yes. And it’s their last show, it’s their last send-off.
Absolutely, it has. It’s really a special thing. It’s, it’s their celebration of life, isn’t it? Yeah and it’s a big responsibility. Yeah. And actually, that’s where my why came from, ’cause I would, I would always be like, “That was shite.” Like, give the, give that person the best that they should- Yeah.. you know, work hard on the eulogy and writing it- Absolutely
and actually using your skillsets. Yeah. Public speaking- Yeah.. writing, being creative- Yeah.. with the stories that you’re fed from the family. Yeah. And you’re only given a short snippet of that person’s life. I know. Because you can’t fit it in- Of course you can’t.. to just one service. No of course. But it has been, it’s been an eye-opener.
It’s been quite a beautiful experience, actually. Yeah. And it’s lovely when you walk away as, as we do- Yeah.. and the family are so grateful. Yeah. And they’re so.. They can’t thank you enough. Absolutely. You get the wee message the next day. Yeah. That’s nice. “You made it so special.” I always wait on that, you know?
And you walk away, ah, you walk away, and you just think, “Okay that’s why.” I think it takes a special person, though, to do that job, whereas I couldn’t. I would just be a blubbering mess. I’d be reading everything. Well I am sometimes. And I would just be crying. I honestly would be crying. Like, if somebody cries- Yeah
in front of me- Yeah.. I immediately just cry. Actually, you’re emot- you’re emotional. Because I’m like, “Oh my goodness.” Like they’re, they’re hurting, or they’re sore. Yeah so I couldn’t do it, so hats off to you guys for, for going down that. No thank you. And- We, we need more people like you in the world.
No as they say- Yeah.. as I always say to families, you know, they say, “You enjoying it, Gary?” And I say, “If we can use the word enjoy, I enjoy giving back.” Of course. I enjoy making you walk away from your loved one- Yeah.. knowing that you have done your loved one proud- Yeah yeah.. just by the help of, of me.
Absolutely. We’re there to narrate their story. Yeah. and of course, as Gayle’s saying, the experiences and comedy may be pulling into that empa- Yeah.. being empathetic, all those little things. And here we are falling into that. Uh, will I ever act again? Never say never. Absolutely. But for me, and this- Door’s always open.
Uh-huh. For, for me, doing this journey was, it was, that’s what I found I had to do. That’s where you were, the place that you were at. Yeah yeah. and it’s turned into this is a, a new business. A career. Uh-huh, which is very exciting. Yeah. But you’ve also written plays, Gayle. Like, you’ve.. Was it just last year you did that?
Like, share. Last month. So well, last month, and actually I did, uh, an adult panto, so that was a bit more risky. Love it. It was very. So tell us, so where did the inspiration for that come from? Like- Well I think, uh, I mean, it’s just, it’s working class humor, isn’t it? I mean, sometimes it can be a bit smutty, but, uh, I don’t think anybody ever goes, wakes up in the morning and goes, “I’m a writer,” right?
Unless you’ve, you know, you’ve went to university. Yeah yeah. You’ve done a, kind of, writing course. Yeah. I’ve just, kind of, fallen into it. And I think, like, when I’ve spoken to production companies or maybe been in something- Uh-huh.. they’re like, “Gayle, do you have voices in your head?” And I’m like, “Well aye.”
You know, characters. Yeah yeah, yeah. That’s what I mean. And I think that- Beautiful.. yeah, I just I think, uh, yeah, just starting something, having a vision, having characters in your head, like really- Uh-huh.. analyzing people. Uh-huh. I enjoy that. Very creative though. Yeah. And I, I, it was actually the l- the one last month was in Aurum More.
Right. And I’d written it with a lovely guy, Mark Pye, and working class story about bingo, but it was about friendship, love, like, you know- Nice.. stakes are high. Like, you know, all the, the working class themes that we expect, and then the adult panto was an absolute godsend. It was a hoot. Yeah. And that was probably..
I’m really, really proud of that, ’cause it was good, wasn’t it? No it was very funny. It was funny. I, I got to see it. It was very good. Yeah. So will you resurrect that again this year, or- Yes. We’re doing, uh, Jack with a Big Beanstalk. Oh. Uh, that’ll be going out in February actually. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Oh she, she needs to wash her mouth out. That’s what she needs to do. But do you know what? It’s like you can go anywhere with something like that, and actually the beauty of that was that when I f- first put that out and you do a table read, you’re like, “I don’t know how this is gonna go.” Yeah. And actually when the first night we went up, it was like bang, bang, bang, and then you would land a joke.
Yeah. And I thought, “Right okay. All of that’s working. It’s all right. You’ve learned as you’ve went along in your life.” Yeah. Because you don’t know. Yeah. And you did enjoy the audition process, finding Jack and the big beanstalk. The beanstalk and his big beanstalk. That was, kept you busy. But it was, it was actually the wizards were the big boss.
And we had Sanjeev Kohli in, uh, play the big boss. It was hysterical honestly, and it was really good, and everybody was really on board. Yeah. I, it was just a, it was actually just a lovely team to work with. Uh-huh. I think I would talk to Gary when I was writing the panto- And I was like, “Gary, it’s gonna be shit.
It’s gonna be this, it’s gonna be that,” and oh, and I’m walking in this park, walking the dogs, and he’s like, “Will you cop yourself on? I’m burying people every day. Go and see a ward of dying children and then you’ll know what the..” You know? Absolutely. That is nothing. And he does, he puts me in my place- Yeah
for that because you’re in- So that’s perspective, isn’t it? And you’re put, and you’re- Not very much.. you’re creating, you’re making people laugh. You’re- Yeah.. you’re giving back as well. Yeah. Yeah. That’s it. But you’re entertaining. Like, you’re having a laugh. Like, come on. Yeah. It’s not that deep. And- There’s a lot worse things going on
I know. And you also don’t know that what that laugh might do for somebody. Like, that might be the worst day of their life or, you know, maybe something, they’ve just had a crap day. They wish they hadn’t got out of bed. And then you’ve just made.. You’ve turned that around because you’ve made them laugh.
Well I do that for Gary every day. We speak every day. Oh the phone bills are increasing and increasing. Three, four times a day. And see if it goes straight on the answer phone, I just ping it right back. I go, “Oh no, he’s put it on DND so he doesn’t need to stop and talk to me. I’m just calling that again.”
You do. Do you do that? Short dial. No. Yes you are, pal. Boys. I know. Man talk. Love it. Oh. So obviously we’ve, we’ve touched obviously on your careers and stuff like that. Is there anything else? Like, if you could go back to, like, your sort of 16-year-old self.. Well you were 12, so you’d need to go back further than that.
I’ll go back to 16. Like, is there anything in life that yous would change? Is there anything that yous would have done differently? Or would you have gone into acting? Would you not have? Like- I mean, you know, the acting- What would you tell yourself? I would probably tell, you know, that 16-year-old to- Uh-huh
to not worry so much. Yeah. You know? I, I think with my kids now, I say, “Please don’t worry.” No. And especially the job I’m doing now. Uh-huh. That life is so short. It is, and it’s precious. Don’t worry. Yeah. Enjoy. And I wish I’d, you know, been more relaxed back then. It was always, I grew up so, so quickly- Yeah
within the acting world. Yeah. I, I, I.. Yeah I was, I wish I’d went on the boys’ holidays and just relaxed more. Uh-huh. and again, don’t be frightened about making mistakes, because you learn from mistakes. Of course. But at that time you don’t think that. And of course at 16- Yeah.. you, you thought you knew everything.
Yeah. and I, so I, I would say just enjoy and just don’t worry. Yeah. I always say there’s, you don’t fail at anything in life. It’s just a life lesson. Yeah. That’s lovely. Yeah. I don’t believe in like, you know, those losers and winners- No.. and, and all that kind of nonsense. I just think that- We’re on this planet for such a short period of time- No yeah
and you don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring. Yeah. So you’ve just got to- It’s so true.. ride out the storms and ride out the good times and- It’s so true. And even now, you know, the, the, since losing Dad and, and, and life has changed. Yeah. It’s, uh, changed me, uh, that my outlook is now I don’t people please the way I used to.
Yeah. I do things that suit me. Yeah. Uh, I look after my children and, and the timeframe. Yeah. I spend more time with them. I make them more priority. Yeah. I’m not chasing career. Yeah. I’m not chasing money. Because all of that really- It’s irrelevant.. yes. Isn’t it? The big grand scheme of thing. When you look at the big picture.
Yeah. And you just think, “Okay let’s slow down now- Uh-huh.. and enjoy time with friends- Yeah.. time with family- Yeah.. doing things for you.” ‘Cause it’s so precious, isn’t it? So precious. It really is. It really is. It really is. Life is precious. But I do think sometimes you get hung up with- You do.. “Oh I need to get the car.
I need to get the house. I need to do the..” Yeah. That’s it. So ’cause when I obviously started Your Scottish Wedding up- Yeah.. like, I sold my house. I sold my beautiful big house. That was huge though. It was, and we lived in a cara- we lived in a caravan for a year and a half. In a caravan. That’s it, in the caravan.
I know, I love them. is it- That’s right.. those thingy giants? What do they call it anyway? Yes. but yeah, so, so I did that, and I thought, do you know, like, we’ve had all that, but we started with nothing. Like, Ted and I genuinely started with nothing. I was 21, and we built everything up ourselves.
And I thought, do you know, you can always make money. Yeah. Like, I really, like, you really can. That outlook, because I think that, you know- Especially from somewhere like, like you’re asking would you change anything, and the worry is definitely something, or not people pleasing, or even chasing.
Now, I was always gonna act, but, uh, uh, but you chase a lot. And you possibly go into circles that you don’t actually feel you belong. Right. Okay. And that’s another thing about our industry as a whole. Whereas I’ve really stripped that back and I suit myself.. definitely. And there’s, there’s always that kind of, you have to be on on call for anyone or, like, you know, maybe be seen.
I’m not very good at that networking thing because it’s like you have to go to be seen. I, I could not. Thank you. No passed all that. I know. But I’m past it. I know. And I don’t want to be past anything. Like, I feel as if I’m quite a young-spirited person, but- Absolutely.. you know, talent doesn’t just speak for itself- Yeah
and hard work. Yeah. It’s so much more than that in our industry. Absolutely. Yeah. It’s not about that. Yeah. And especially nowadays, it’s about followers, shite like that, you know? Yeah. And that’s not to say that somebody isn’t talented that’s got all that. Yeah. Yeah. But it’s just not as simple. Yeah. And actually, do I think that if I just kinda rocked along and just kinda..
Maybe my life, I would’ve had more kids or you know, I’ve only got, uh, one wee girl. She’s amazing, and maybe that’s the way my life was meant to go. Yeah. But you know, maybe I would’ve lived a wee bit more of a family life, because I remember when I dec- when we were having Stevie, I remember saying to Jack, like, that, this is the only time we are gonna get the opportunity of a normal life- Yeah
if I’m in this career. Yeah. Because this is so, it, it, it’s beyond anything that my, my man could ever, you know, even go into, because he just didn’t understand it, right? Yeah. Yeah. So it was obviously my career would take away from him. Yeah. And actually, I didn’t never want to, I didn’t want to do that to him.
No of course. So so having Stevie really did give us a normal life- Uh-huh.. in this kinda crazy business- Uh-huh.. that you’re part of. Yeah. So would I change? I would probably just- I would probably just experience a wee bit more actually, and not pin all my stuff on- Yeah.. that career. Yeah yeah. Because you talk to people, Lesley, and they’ve had, like, five jobs.
I know. And like, I’ve had one job my whole life. No. And I go, like- Yeah.. I’ve maybe missed out on something else. So true. Yeah. Because you’ve been so like, “But I, I want the part, and I, and I forget this opportunity.” Yeah. And it’s like, but what have you left? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right? No it’s, uh, it’s so true. It’s funny, isn’t it, reflect, to reflect back and y- y- ’cause, yeah, ’cause I’d never, ever thought that I would own my own business.
I was just always brought up to, you buy a house. That’s, uh- If you buy a h- you’ve got to have a mortgage, you’ve got to be with the one company, ’cause my dad was with the same company for, like, 40 odd years. Yeah. Maybe even 50 years. And and I was just like, God, that sounds so boring. Yeah. I’ve always wanted more for myself.
Yeah yeah. Like, so so yeah, it’s funny looking back and you kinda go, gosh, I.. But here we are today, and, you know, we’re all doing the things that we want to do, and like- That’s it.. where, where we are. Happy. Uh-huh. Happy. Contented. I think it’s like we’re pivoting. Uh-huh. P- like, we’re, like, I suppose I, I’m really at a crossroads where I’ve, I’ve spoke to you about it.
Like, you’re, you’re pivoting all the time. Uh-huh. But does it really matter if you’ve got the big motor and the, the cad and- It’s only stuff. It’s only stuff. I know. Whether you drive a Micra or whether you drive a Maserati- Yeah.. it’s four wheels and it gets you from A to B. I think just not- No
catastrophizing life is a
really good thing. Uh-huh. So true. Just to go like- Uh.. you know what, it’ll come and it’ll go. Absolutely. In this job now, when you’re dealing with families, and when you meet families- Oh.. and it’s not a big, about the, the big house- No.. or the fancy cars. No. Do you know, the most touching thing is when you’re reading a eulogy or you’re meeting a family and you’re discussing the, the memories, it’s the caravan holidays.
Yeah. Absolutely. The camping trips. Yeah. The day to Largs. Yeah. Yes. The fish supper- Yeah.. and the pissing rain. Yeah yeah. And you think, wow. Yeah. That’s what everybody remembers. It’s things that cost no money. Not the Maldives. No it’s not the Maldives. It’s not, you know, look at my lovely, you know, marble kitchen.
Yeah. People don’t remember that. No they don’t. And and so by doing this, it’s, it’s just, it’s changed everything, my whole outlook on everything. Yeah. and, and I feel, and, uh, certainly my family, we’re much better for it. Uh-huh. And and we’ve, we’ve been so privileged to w- you know, I’ve worked for 36 years.
Yeah. You know, not unemployed, battered through it. Yeah. Chased a career. Yeah. Uh, finances, all this with it But when you took a step back, I thought, ah, I’ve missed out on that pissing rain with a fish supper with my boys on the beach. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s what we’re doing now. Doing now. Very true. Yeah. I love that.
I’ve I’ve got a friend who is a multimillionaire. And they say in order to keep ourselves grounded, we go back to when we just started dating and we’re going to the beach- Oh right.. with, you know, the wee disposable barbecues. Barbecues. And they have sausages and a can of beans- Mm-hmm
and that’s our dinner. I love that. Aye. It is. I love that because we’ve all started from somewhere. Yes, you, you grow into whoever it is you’re gonna be, but I do. I’m like, you’re a multimillionaire. You could literally have a chef in your kitchen, but you choose to go into the the beach- That’s quite humbling
and have- That’s special I, I think that is because they’ve never lost- No.. touch with where they started. Well as my mother and father say, “Don’t lose your old arse.” Aha. Aye. Don’t forget your old arse. Don’t forget your old arse. 100%. I’m not a multimillionaire by any means, but I mean, I remember in the days of, we called it poverty pasta.
Right. And jack- What was that?. tuna pasta. And I was like to Jack- Oh yeah, I’ve never heard of that.. “Do you, do you want tuna pasta?” Oh tuna pasta. And he’s, “Ah, nah, that reminds me.. That’s poverty pasta. That reminds me of the poverty days.” And I’m like, “All right. Okay. That’s what he calls it.” So we never have tuna pasta in our house.
I’m laughing. Do you not? But I’m like, I quite fancy- Oh God.. tuna pasta now. Are you? I mean, I quite fancy it. Wow, Ollie loves that. Aye. Me saying that, here’s Ollie- Poverty pasta.. and his poverty pasta. So aye, we’ve not quite went back to the poverty pasta, but yeah. So we call water council juice. Council juice.
Aha. Aye. Council juice wa- Yeah.. waters at the tap is council juice ’cause we buy bottled water now. But you know what? I was talking about, like, phones, and I’m really interested in that kinda like, you know, everyone’s, like, absolutely stuck in their phone. And even with, like, Stevie growing up, she’s 14 now, and- Yeah
and she went on a guide camp last year, and I said to her, “Right what’s your, uh, rose and what’s your thorns? What’s your peak and your whatever? Like, what’s your good thing and your bad thing?” Uh-huh. And uh, she said the good thing was that nobody was allowed their phones. That is good. And that we were outdoors because- Or were they all full of anxiety because they didn’t have their phones?
Well, ’cause they had enough to get on with- That’s good.. ’cause they were doing a lot of activities. That’s good. But she said, “You know, when you’re in a group of people, Mom, and they’re all on their phones- Yeah.. the only thing for you to do is go on your phone.” Yeah. True. Whereas everybody was in the same boat- Uh-huh
and they come off their phones. Yeah. So true. And I thought that, I don’t even know. Is that even relevant to what I was saying? Anyways, it doesn’t matter. Have you seen the ban, though, kids can on- Oh I can’t wait. I know. What’s this? Liv- The ban.. so they’ve banned, so, so kids under the age of 16- Yes.. are now not allowed to be on, like, TikTok, Facebook- Ooh
Instagram. They’re not allowed to have accounts. So you’re gonna be fine. No social media. I will be fine Yeah they are, you know But going back to the basics- I do.. that’s what I meant by that about obviously the, your friend on the beach with the beans and the- Yeah.. the sausages. Yeah. I mean, I’m not too keen on the sausages, the lips and lugs and that.
L- But I can, I can identify with the fact that there’s basic stuff- Yeah.. that makes you actually, that really you enjoy. Yeah. Yeah. And actually can’t wait for the ban. Yeah. Don’t know what they’re gonna do. There was a wee girl interviewed the other day, and the, she had her face on her like- Oh.. like smacked her.
No happy.. like she was raging. And the interviewer’s like, “So what was your screen time last year?” And she was like, uh, la, uh, yesterday, and she was like, uh, 12 hours. Oh. Something like that. 12 hours in a day, by the way. Hours. Mine’s about seven in a, in a week, right? So anyways, this wee girl was interviewed and she was like, “Oh my screen time was 12 hours in the one day.”
And the, the interviewer said- That’s a lot.. “And what are you gonna do then in place of that time?” And she went, “Stare at the four walls.” Like, she was raging. And I thought, “I get it.” But that worries me because- I know.. the youth, as we did in our days, not so much phones, but we always find a way around of- Uh-huh
that, so it worries me that, that things aren’t getting monitored. Yeah. That our kids are.. I mean, I try and say no. Well it’s like an ele- electronic babysitter, isn’t it? Yeah. Well it can be. I mean, we’re all, we’re all guilty of it. And we’re all guilty of it, of course we are. Yeah. Yeah. You want peace and quiet for your own kinda like- Well maybe so much that, but you know, like when we’d be traveling a lot when we lived abroad, we’d be s- the first thing we’d do is there’s an iPad- Yeah
for him to watch a movie- Yeah.. so that nobody else in the plane-.. was disturbed and that we could- Yeah yeah, yeah.. relax. Yeah yeah. Or in a restaurant. Yeah. I get all that. Yeah. But social media’s different because your, their attention spans are like that. ‘Cause they’re just flicking. I know. And I sound like an old- But you are Okay.
Yeah she’d be bottled up, honestly So that’s okay. I cannot work with him. Let me tell you, Lesley, that these, these awards are gonna be absolutely brilliant this year. I was just about to say, so we’re not doing the awards together then. Oh we’ll do it together. The two gingers have split. We’ll do it together.
Yeah they’ve split. Well sorry, what were you gonna say? No I’ve got nothing to say. Right. So that naturally just brings us onto the awards actually- Oh.. because Can’t wait.. you joined us last year, which- Yes.. I was, I was absolutely ecstatic when you guys said yes. I was like, “Oh my God, we’ve got them.”
’cause we needed a wee change. We always had Elaine C. Smith and then we just needed a wee change because you can’t, I think, keep using the same people- No.. time and time and time again. Yeah. ’cause people want to see a change. Aquavitae shelf life. Yeah. No of course. so yeah, so you joined us last year.
You’re here again this year. Yes. So the date is the 22nd of November. It’s at DoubleTree- DoubleTree.. by Hilton. Yes. in Cambridge Street again. so yeah, so do you want to tell us just a wee bit about who the opening act’s gonna be this year? ‘Cause I’m very, very- On you go. On you go.. excited. Oh it’s the super sexy, the super talented Callum Beattie.
Drum- Oh I was gonna say drum roll. Ah-ha. I mean, what, what a thrill. Callum Beattie’s, he’s- Yep. Callum Beattie. He’s a fallen sweetheart. He’s so- Yes.. brilliant. He is. And do you know what? He’s a cracking guy into the mix, isn’t he, Gary? What I love about.. I met him years ago, uh,
and his manager Dave. We became great friends. Yeah. What I love about him- Lovely.. is that in this industry you can be affected and you, you know, things can change. Yeah. He’s, he’s growing- Yeah.. and his popularity, his fame’s growing. Yeah. Yet he has not changed one bit. He doesn’t change. He’s gonna be out doing himself in schools.
Oh loves that. He’s just amazing. Isn’t he? They do so much for charity. I love that. He’s just a genuine guy. Yeah. Uh, and that’s what, uh, just makes him extra special and, uh- Yeah.. they’ve agreed to s- I know.. well, we’ve managed to tie the date down. Yeah. I’m so, so happy. I know. Thrilled. And just what an entertainer, though.
I know. And that’s such- Imagine that having your a- your, your opening act. But that’s the thing- Yeah.. because l- I mean, last year the entertainment was brilliant as well. It’s always, it’s always incredible. Such a great night. Yeah. I mean, before the dinner we had those light up things. We had everything.
Remember all of that? We were having a rave- As we was having the meal.. before we even had the chicken. It was brilliant. And actually the food was amazing. You had you’d chosen it all. What was it? It was a something Wellington. I think it was like chicken Wellington. The chicken Wellington. Yeah. It was a chicken Wellington.
Beautiful. Because usually you get your function chicken or your shin of beef, you know? Yeah. So- Whereas it was really different.. yeah, so we usually do a beef dish just because I always think beef is a wee bit more Like high-end than- Upmarket.. than chucking. But but yeah, so, and I thought we’ve done, we’ve done beef again, like for all these years- Yeah
so we’ll change it up. And chef said, “Look, don’t think that chicken’s a, a, a different or a bad option.” So he- he’s always.. Stuart, I’ve got to give Stuart a shout-out because h- he is the head chef at the DoubleTree. And he’s such an incredible human being. Like, I always go in every year and go, “I want something that nobody else has ever had.”
Yeah. And he goes, “Well here she comes.” And he’s like, “Oh no.” Absolutely. and he just always takes that brief and he just runs with it, so he’s incredible. So so yeah, I’m really excited for this year ’cause we’re, we’re five. Yes. This is- That is five years.. big year. Uh-huh And it’s been a, it’s been a big journey, but like what you’ve done- Oh it’s been a slope
in the last, like year as well. But I mean- It’s not been easy.. no, but I do think it’s all coming good.. and nothing is, but- And it’s actually such a great night. Like we had, we had a ball. No it was a genuinely a brilliant night. Uh-huh. Yeah. Everybody in the room- Yeah.. everybody knew why they were there. Yeah.
Uh-huh. They were there to enjoy. Yeah. Yeah. It was a big party. Yeah. It’s a posting awards ceremony. It went so quickly. Celebration. Yeah. When we, when we got all the papers through and looked at the scripts, it’s, “Oh my goodness, we’re gonna be here all, all, all night.” And it was like, yeah. It flew by. Yeah.
And then it just partied. And we took the cars last year. We’re not taking the cars this year. I was gonna say, you’re not bringing the cars this year. No. No. We’ll- No.. we’ll- We’ll all stay over.. maybe sh- I’m not allowed out. She gets two Proseccos and that’s her. No listen, I’m the same. I go and I say my speech, and then I come off.
The shoes are kicked off- Yeah.. and I had my flip, had my flip-flops on last year. But there’s, there’s a, there’s a, a reel of me in my flip-flops, and I was like, “I need to get nice wee sandals for this year.” Nice wee sandals this year. I’m not, I’m not doing flip-flops. Use the style card. Nice wee sand- I’ll get you a nice pair of sandals.
Oh do you know what though? It is such a great night, and it’s lovely for the whole industry to celebrate, isn’t it? ‘Cause it’s like where they let their hair down. Yeah. I think that having somebody like Calum Beaton, and we’ll obviously have a DJ and- Yeah.. that kind of thing. Yeah. And we, but that guy, that sax guy was brilliant as well.
I know, I know. He was- He was something.. Conrad. He was, he was- Conrad was great.. Conrad was amazing, yeah. he is.
The whole package was brilliant, and, and we’re so looking forward to it. Oh yeah. Yeah. So looking forward to it. Yeah so I think, like this year we are five, so we’re just pulling out all the stops for it. Yes. I’m thrilled that you guys are gonna be there again. We’ll have a couple of games as well flung in there.
We cannot wait-.. to absolutely mortify these guests. Yeah. How’s your donkey? Yes absolutely. Honest, we’re doing well. Sorry. yeah, and, and we might do a few wee competitions and stuff like
that. Yes. So so nice wee prizes- So much looking forward to it.. will be in there as well. So so yeah I’m so excited for this year. I, I genuinely am. Like, and also Like I started the awards because I’m so passionate about this industry. I genuinely am. Like, like You can see that. No you are. And I, you know, when we first met you, I couldn’t believe how passionate you are.
I could actually cry just now, you just talking about them, honestly. Like I came into this industry years and years ago started in venues and then went to Scottish Wedding Directory for 17 years. And I, that was my dream job, dream job. And then when it closed, devastated, which is obviously why we’re here now.
so for me it was important to To really have a voice for the industry because they work so hard. I mean, honestly, these people are up at, like, sometimes 4:00 in the morning, sometimes 2:00 in the morning to get to a venue or to set up or- For someone’s special day.. and then they’ve got to go back the next day- Yeah
and then collect all that stuff, and they maybe already got another wedding on that day. So I just think that’s all the things that people don’t see- Yeah.. the, the graft. They don’t. Ah. The amount of work that goes into it. Uh-huh. They just see the pound signs because obviously th- these things cost money.
Uh-huh. But it’s like the graft that goes into that- Uh-huh.. is phenomenal. Uh-huh. Yeah. And it really upsets me, like, when m- potentially wedding couples will say, “Oh why is a cake £600?” or, “Why is that £1,000 and why is that?” And I’m just like, “Because you don’t see what actually goes into it.” Yeah. No like- They’re not..
It’s just not just standing at a, you know, your kitchen sink whisking up a few- It’s not a Victoria sponge we’re talking about here, you know It’s not a Victoria sponge. These are- Lego cake. No. Ah, like, they’re making the flowers, they’re making the petals- Yeah.. they’re making- Yeah.. absolutely everything. so yeah, so I’m so passionate.
If I can give them a voice and show them, you know, like, they are genuinely.. You know, I want to look after them. It’s not my job to look after them, but I just want them to have- You’re appreciated. I want- Give them a pedestal to be seen. Uh-huh. I want them to have a night just for them. You know, get glammed up.
Yeah. It’s just for you. Let’s go, all go out, have fun. and win an award. But if you’re in that room, I genuinely.. Like, we do so many checks, like, so many checks, so if they are in that room, it’s because they’ve, they’ve ticked a lot of boxes. Yeah. You know, they deserve to be there. Yeah. So for me, this night is an incredible night just for, just for us to give back.
It’s a great honor. It really is. So important. And you can really see that, and they do really use it as their- Yeah.. their night out. It’s, it’s like a big Christmas night out, isn’t it? They go wild, and why not? And everybody’s lovely. You know- They’re like the like the-.. genuinely lovely people. Uh-huh. Oh they are.
They are. Like, this industry is incredible. Yeah. Incredible. Like, if someday, if something happens they will just swoop in to help. Yeah. Yeah. That’s kind. Like, you know, it’s everybody’s got everybody’s back, and I love that. That’s, that’s one of the things that I absolutely love. Yeah. And it’ll be here before we know it.
I know. November. And then after that’s Christmas, of course, you know. I know. Yeah. Oh I know. What you wearing that night, Gail? Oh I don’t know. Maybe something, you know, a wee skimpy number. Just- Oh.. couple of nipple tassels. Oh no. A wee, a wee thong. No again. No again.
Aw. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for being here. No thank you. And thank you so much for hosting again this year at Your Scottish Wedding Awards. No thank you. I really can’t wait for it. It’s like we cannot wait. We’ll have a fantastic night. We’re gonna have a great time. We certainly will.
Thank you. Yeah. And we cannot wait to see Calum and do all the The hosting and- I know.. and all, it’s all the carry on that we love, the carry on We do, and I can’t even see your new pair of sandals. They’re lovely. I know. They’re lovely. I’ll have my big heels on at the start, and then they’re getting chucked to the side.
They’re getting tossed. Ah, they’re getting chucked to the side- Good on you, Lesley.. as usual. Good on you. And then it’s just Prosecco all the way for me. I’m just like, “Right my job is done.” Whoop, whoop. My job is done. Yeah. I can’t do anything else. I’ve organized it. I’ve planned it to the, the Nth degree, so yeah.
That good on you. Yeah. And that’s not forgetting Ted either. Oh wee Ted. Wee Teddy. Poor Ted. I know. He’s the one, he’s sorting out the awards at the side. He’s my rock. Oh I know. He is your rock. Yeah. He’s amazing. Whenever I have a meltdown, he’s like, “Listen, you got this. You got this.” Aw. And I go, “Right okay.
Yeah I’ve got this. Right. Okay. That’s fine.” Jesus. He said it, so I’ve got it. Yeah. No you have got it. Amazing. Yeah yeah. Absolutely, Lesley. Yeah. You’ve done so well. Yeah. So you should be very proud, and we are so excited to see you at the five years as well. I know. Five years. Honestly, it has- Unbelievable
zipped by, zipped by. Yeah. It’s been an incredible journey. And it’s a huge achievement, so well done. Oh thank you so much. Big round of applause. Aw, thank you. Here’s to the next five years. I know. Yay. Here’s to the next five years. I’m so excited, yeah- On that note.. ’cause we got, we got big plans. So yeah thank you so much for coming on the journey with us.
No not at all. Thank you. Thank you. Really appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you. No problem. Thank you. Take care.
Let’s Talk Weddings EP 12
Hi, and welcome to Let’s Talk Weddings with Your Scottish Wedding. And today I have the most incredible person. he’s bubbly, he’s funny, he’s very hardworking. He is the one and only Barry Shaw from Òran Mór. Hello. Hello. How are you? This is great, innit? I feel like I’m on This Morning. Oh, do you?
Is Alison Hammond- She’s gonna pop up soon. This is great. She’ll, she’ll pop up in a wee second. Congratulations on this, Liz. This is incredible. Thank you. This is so great. Thank you. I’m so glad that you’ve- come on today, like. Thank you for asking me. You’re welcome. You’re welcome. So obviously, you work at Òran Mór
You’re events manager, or wedding manager and, so how did that all come about? How did you fall into the wedding industry? Because I think people You don’t just naturally come into it. I think it’s just one of these things that it starts somewhere, and then it just grows arms and legs
I’m still trying to figure that one out. How did this, how did this all happen? Do I actually, I moved through from Dundee, so that’s where I’m from. That’s where my folks are, and I moved through in 2012 to do an apprenticeship at the BBC. Oh, really? So that’s where I met our mutual friends- Yay
Gail and Gary. Yay. so I met, I came through in 2012, did a year’s apprenticeship at the BBC, which was brilliant. I loved that. And ended up doing events, so we did Comic Relief, we did Children in Need. We did the first Commonwealth Games. So I had quite a bit to do with, with all of them
So the ev- that’s where the event side of it happened for me. And then finished my apprenticeship. About a year or so later, I was planning my own birthday. I won’t tell you which number it was,? ‘Cause it’s- it’s one of them. 21. It’s a big thank you, Lesley. 21. It’s 21. Yes. I think it was that one
so I was planning my party- and I wanted to obviously have a, a, it was gonna be a bit of a spectacle. So I went to the, a local hotel just near me, the Glasgow City Hotel. And I met with the manager to s- to see about, putting my party together. checking dates and all that stuff
And I’d went with a portfolio of what I wanted, about staging, lighting, all that stuff. And she must have got quite impressed with it because she actually asked me, she said, “are you interested in working in events and weddings-” and that industry?”
And I says, my experience of doing things back at the BBC, I thought, “I, I actually do feel as if I would like to go down that route.” I mean, I was never gonna be a plumber or an electrician. No. Certainly not with this shirt. so, she said, “Do you ever fancy doing events and weddings?”
And I said, “Do I? I’d actually love to do it.” And it just so happened she had a vacancy- for an event manager, and I don, I don’t know why, but I ended up leaving with a job- as the new events manager and my birthday as well. And your party. And so just- That’s crazy it, it just snowballs, happens like that
So that’s how you That’s what I mean. You’ve got to always just fall into these things. it’s never just like you deliberately go, “I want to be in hospitality.” I don’t know anybody that goes, “Oh, I just want to be in hospitality.” They always just go “Well, I started off, I was at uni,” or it was at whatever, “and then I just really enjoyed it
And then I went into events-” “and then I went in- up to -“
whatever manager, and I’m just it’s, it’s, it’s just I love hearing people’s stories as to- how they got into this industry. I just, just fell into it. And, and I mean, unfortunately, COVID happened and- Yes, unfortunately the hotel actually ended up closing. Oh, that’s a shame
fast-forward a couple of years- the job at Òran Mór came up- and obviously, it’s iconic and- I feel as if you’ve been at Òran Mór, though, forever. It does feel like that, It honestly does. I know Pauline was obviously there beforehand, but I just feel as if you have been there for, a gazillion years
I, I had big shoes to fill, actually, in Pauline, and, and she’s, she’s so lovely and I still keep- She’s incredible oh, she’s incredible. I keep in touch with her now. but you’re it does feel as if I’ve been there forever. I think probably the team at Òran Mór would probably say that as well
but y- I mean, it’s iconic. It’s such an iconic building. – the heart of the West End- straight across from Botanic Gardens and- I know, it’s incredible fast forward. It’s incredible. so I’m really lucky. And I know I’m, I know I’m really lucky. And what a fantastic team as well
They’re really great. No, ’cause it takes a village, doesn’t it? It does. It takes a village. It’s a juggernaut to put on a wedding. It really is. It really is, and I think, having done it myself for a number of years before I went into publishing, it, it takes a village
it’s not a one-man job, is it? not. There’s an army of people behind the scenes that- create. So although you’re front-facing- it’s everybody else that obviously puts all of the things that you’ve put in place for the couple- they’ve then got to, – pull it off, I suppose, on the day
So. And they’re great. it’s brilliant. It’s brilliant. so what is the wackiest thing that you’ve ever been asked to do for a wedding couple? My goodness. How- Are there any, or is there loads? How long is this podcast that we realized that- you see it all, don’t you?
you see it all. The Actually, do what? It’s funny. Something jumps to mind. There was a wedding quite recently that I did. Where the bride and groom wanted their pug dog- Aw to be involved in- the ceremony. Of course, of course. And I, I love that, – I do as well I’m such a dog person
I do love that. I mean, like I said, this dog was 106
it was the oldest dog. It was the oldest dog- And he’d carried up the stairs on his- well, it, it al- it did actually in the end. It was the cutest dog. But, I, y- and, the auditorium in- in Òran Mór. the, the, the runner that goes down the middle of the ceremony
I mean, it’s as long as the runway at Glasgow Airport. It’s massive. It’s such a long runner. And obviously when we got an idea this dog was gonna walk down, I thought, “This is gonna take ages.” And there’s a song obviously playing in the background, and I’m really conscious that I’m gonna run out the song
So we got the dog down and got them into position and whatever, and then released the dog, and it was the slowest walk. Released the dog. And do what? I was- oh, “This dog is taking forever to walk down
this aisle.” So I had to signal to our sound tech- we need to put the song on again- if we run out the song. I think the groom ended up just like he’s, Joe, pick, came up to the halfway, picked the dog up and just walked the rest of the way, the way with it. But I love that
I love- the things that are s- like even getting the kids- I know getting the, getting the youngsters involved. They do say never work with animals or kids. Do both. Do both. at weddings it’s totally different. No, anything goes. I mean, you can have what?
Llamas, you can have, what’s the other- other animals the wee miniature, I think the SEC had Is it the, the, the do- The wee miniature the cow? The highland cow? Well, the, the highland cow- but they also had the, the two wee, horses, the wee miniature horses. Do you remember them?
I think, I think they were way at the back. And then they had a unicorn on. that’s We’re going about. Brides and goats and- Brides and goats it’s the weirdest show, by the way, isn’t it? But it’s great though. I think I love how unique a wedding day is because n- y- you’ll never have the same wedding twice
will you? And although, the s- the goal is the same, to get married, but every single wedding is different- and I think that’s why I loved it so much. Do I al- And still love it I always say that, actually. the skeleton of a wedding day can often feel as if it’s the same
there’s a ceremony. Yes. There’s a reception. Yes. There’s a cake. There’s a first dance. Yes. There’s a buffet, but it’s everything in between all of that- that’s different. That makes it different. It’s just ev- And there’s no two And actually one couple did actually say to me, “You can’t
Do you not get bored of doing all the ” I said- No, because it’s different every time not because it doesn’t matter what size the wedding is. It’s every single wedding is different. It’s all the in-between bits along that- 100% that make it different and unique. I know. I know
Which is great, and it keeps it, it keeps you going as well. you go, “Oh, great,” “they’re doing such and such” and- it’s always, it’s always different. It’s always, It’s great. Well, I love when the kids get involved, – and you do get the requests like that
It’s great. Get the w- the wee boys with the bow ties and the wee suitcase with the rings and- So cute the, the Mission Impossible theme tune. Love all of that. And I think people are doing a lot more creative things now as well, which is good
Which is good. Be brave, and that’s the one thing I say. be brave. Step outside a little bit. go for it. You’re, you were only ever going to do this once. Ideally. For the majority of people. Ideally. ideally for everyone. so just go for it,. No
And, ’cause obviously you’re, you’re at Auchentorish, but you’ve actually just qualified as a celebrant. Are you allowed to do them at Auchentorish? I, I- That’s great I can. And do couples ask you? Y- I think I, I, well, I’ve got two booked- Oh one for twent- 27 and one for 28
That’s so nice. I, it’s, again, it’s, I, I j- I just must be in the place at the time- or I must just, – Where was- where did that inspiration come from? What made you want to do that? Do it was, it’s always, again, people say that, but it’s always been on the cards for me
Has it? I’ve always been fascinated by it. And I knew, Lesley, that I was fascinated by it because when I’m standing at the back as- the ceremony’s unfolding- I, there’s been a few times where I’ve, I’ve caught myself going, “Is that something I should be doing now?” I should be doing something else
for after the
ceremony- but I’m too fixated on watching what’s – going on in front of me and- And do you ever go, “I could have done that better”? No. I’m catching on. I’m catching on. I’m catching on No, just but just I’m fasci- ’cause I, I don’t get to learn that bit of the couple’s story- No, of course
when you, you d- you don’t go too deep with that. So sometimes you go, “Oh my God, I didn’t know that he, that they used to go, they met here.” And, – you don’t get to know everything about them until the ceremony. And I remember, chatting to Susan Miller, who’s just one of the nicest celebrants
she’s just wonderful. and I think I must have bombarded her with, a million questions- forgetting that in 20 minutes’ time she’s got to go and do a wedding ceremony for me. I was like question after question. And she said, “Do you fancy doing this?
is this, is that what ” And I said, “Susan, actually, I’m so fascinated by it.” “I would love to learn more about it.” I think you’d just be natural at it. Oh. I think you would just be, it just makes sense to me that you would be a celebrant. It’s just the most exciting- journey that I’m now on, and again, it’s thanks to Susan and Andy- Aww
at Celebrant Scotland. It really is. And that’s the organization that, that I’m with, and they’ve got- such a great, tight team. They just, they’re just lovely. And is that legal ceremonies? legal. Good. legal. Good. so I could, I could perform them a- anywhere in Scotland
and- How great and j- listen, where are you gonna get opportunities? And again, Susan approached, and said to me, “Look, I really think- like you, please have a think about it-” ” ’cause we’d love to have you.” And I thought to myself, and I said that when I went home to my, my other half, Jamie
I says, “You don’t get opportunities like that- in life a lot- so you’ve got to grab them.” And it’s honestly one of the best- decisions. My thing, in New Year, I said 2026, if anything, if any opportunities come my way, I’m gonna say yes, as long as it aligns with my values. And then, and honestly, and I
See, rather than being scared and going, “Oh, no, no, no, I’m not gonna do that.” A bit like this podcast, I was just “let’s do it.” “Let’s do it.” And I bet you look back and say, “I’m so glad I did that.” Oh, 100%. That And, and people are really enjoying it, and I think they’re getting a lot of information, with having, say, people like you on and being able to explain, lots of different things
So talk us through a wee bit about, Òran Mór, what people get there. what does a day or a wedding day look like at Òran Mór? what does that look So obviously you’re there from, crack of dawn. Pretty much, Making sure all the suppliers are The- there are people there a lot later than me, I must, I must be honest
But, when you get couples to come for, for a show around- they’ve, they’ve got an idea roughly of how many guests they’re kinda thinking. So that kinda then tells you which of the spaces, ’cause, and you’ve been in, Liz. there’s so many rooms- It’s beautiful at Òran Mór
There’s the auditorium. There’s the Dunmore Room- that we’re just about to reopen actually on, this weekend. Oh, nice. There’s a new revamp of the room. You must come and have a look. Oh, nice. It’s really lovely. you’ve got the Beatty Room, the, Fownmore. There’s a lot of spaces in Òran Mór
So I think finding out, first of all, which space is gonna work best for the couple. and of course, the iconic auditorium room with the- the Alice in Wonderland upstairs. Oh, it’s stunning. Yes. It’s, that’s usually- Stained glass windows are just- incredible, aren’t they?
That’s the big space that, – so if you’ve got the over 80, 90, 100 guests- that’s the room that- that you’re kinda looking for. But, and even, three years down the line of being at Òran Mór, I still walk into that auditorium and go, “My God, this is, this is really lovely.”
and it does, it’s, it’s a, a real- It’s a special building. It is, It’s a special building. Again, I f- I think it’s, God, was it 1892? I mean, I think I’ve done my homework I think that’s when it was the Kelvinside Parish Church. So a lot of people- Really? don’t know that it was the old church
And then I think it became Hillhead Parish Church after that
and I think in, was it 1980, it got left for 20 years. It was completely derelict. Derelict. Was it really? Just it wasn’t touched. It was abandoned, really. until Scotsman came in, in- 2000, 2004, took over it and opened it up- as the – arts and entertainment venue
But, I mean, look at it. It’s, it’s such an iconic building now, isn’t it? For, like- every time you pass it, it’s just always busy. we passed it last night and, there was people sitting outside ’cause it was dry. It was nice. and you could just hear music coming from, from inside, and I was just like They’re always busy
there’s always sections to it They’re always busy. Of course, the Play the Pint in a Pint, – that’s where that’s- that, that is. And recently as well, we, we were actually the home of the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team during the Commonwealth Games. Really? So New Zealand were actually based, they based thems
so we were the house for New Zealand, and it’s so, and that buzz- And is that something you had to tender for? Is that, is that how that process works? I don’t know. I w- I wasn’t in the loop- as much with getting that, Lesley- to be honest. But, I think it was our events t- the events team downstairs, the gig team
Thea, and, and Dave, and, and Lauren all got together and arranged that to happen. But y- How great they took over. I mean, they did, they did- take over the building. But it was great. There was a great big screens outside. There was a bar outside. They re- formatted the garden to
accommodate everybody You went all out it was great. And I think actually, they, they brought a tree with them over- A tree? from New Zealand. Like a, an actual physical tree? An actual proper tree. They- Really? they brought it over from New Zealand on, on a plane. I don’t think it was EasyJet or something, but it, it wasn’t one of the big fancy planes
A tree. they brought it over- Oh, my goodness and actually planted it across the road at Botanic Gardens- Oh as a, a, a- Thank you for- lasting memory thing Oh, that’s so lovely as a keepsake. How nice is that? So it’s in Botanic Gardens. it was lovely. That, that would’ve been a bit of a trial though, getting that through customs, innit?
you wouldn’t get that in your backpack, I don’t think. No. Over 100 ml, I don’t think you would
No, not. So obviously when you’re doing a wedding, like it’s a very stressful time. It’s an incredible exciting time, but it’s also, it’s a very stressful time for couples, isn’t it? and I- It can be. And do you feel that sometimes you’ve got to be like their voice of reason, calm them down, give them words of wisdom?
you can- Or is that throughout the whole process? I mean, it is, it’s an overwhelming process. It, it can be c- And again, the first thing that, that couples say to me is, “so, what do I do now?” And the- you, the, you’re so excited to get and get everything booked in
The first thing I say to, to couples is, “You don’t have to do everything straight away.” No. there are a couple of things that, yes, you might want to get- booked in. – once you’ve got your venue- and once you’ve got your date secured- it’s your celebrant
they’re very important, Lesley. Very important people. once you get your celebrant, your photographer- ’cause they do tend to snap up quite quickly. Oh, And your band or your DJ- I was just about to say band is the next thing again, live music
Everything else can wait just a little bit. But if you really want to get, if you’ve seen a band- – if you’ve been to the SEC or one of the big shows- and you’ve saw one- get in quick to book them. ‘Cause they tend to book up quite quickly
Nice. everything else you can stagger out a little bit as you get closer,? And again, I like to think that I can help couples with things like that- ’cause, – You’ve done it for so long. – you’ve seen so many different- A lot of good suppliers
things that we could recommend. And I think as well, And that’s really important, isn’t it? Just having good- recommendations good humans. good humans to- And I’m so lucky. And again, we’ve got our, our big wedding show this weekend. but we’ve got a lot of really good pals that I’ve met
that come along to the shows. And they offer discounts to couples, which is great. That’s lovely. Bit of an incentive for them- as well. but, again, the big question I get, ’cause, ’cause they’re so excited is, “so what does everybody else do?” And I have to stop and say, “Doesn’t matter what everybody else does.”
No, sure it doesn’t. It’s got nothing to do with what you’ve thought a wedding before- or what you think you have to do. It’s all that you’ve It’s exactly what do you want to do? And y- what, what time does everyone start the ceremony? What time do you want to start?
and, and it do- that, you do can a little bit see the relief in them because they go, “Actually, I do have-” And they’ll also respect you for that as well- because they’re just “Finally, somebody’s given us, like-” great advice.” Because it is, it’s overwhelming. I think I always say like when you get engaged, like that’s the easy thing to say yes, and then the planning happens
and then you’ve got the big day. that’s a lot to pro- And you’ve never done it before- so you don’t really know where to start. thankfully, obviously, we’ve got Your Scottish Wedding, and they can hopefully- maybe start there. but – it is just overwhelming, so to have good people
like giving them, like yourself, giving them great advice and- And you don’t know everything straight away, listen. No. You don’t know your guest numbers. Of course not. You’ve got a rough idea. “I think we’re gonna have 80.” That’s fine. That’s enough to work on just now. It usually ends up then ab- if they’re looking at 80- Oh
it usually ends up about 110 or And it’s, it’s the parents’ fault. It’s mums and dads. Want to invite our neighbors- That’s it and our pals. Dave and Sheila. and they come They say, “But m- I haven’t seen Dave and Sheila since I was seven.”? But we see them all the time, darling. We see them all the time
You have to come. well, you can invite Dave and Sheila, but you’re paying for Dave and Sheila. But that does happen. And are parents still paying for weddings, or is it more- Are they? we do, we do see that, and it’s lovely. we do see that, that
‘Cause, y- they, they can be expensive. they’re not, doesn’t have to be, but- Well, I know I’ve paid for two. Well, exactly. Did you get a refund on anything? No. No, we, we, we paid a good chunk of, Kathleen, Anne’s and, and Paul’s because you just, you just do-? That’s what you do
and it’s lovely c- and that’s why I think it’s important to bring the family in as well. And that’s why I l- I love meeting the mums and dads and the grans and things- because again, o- once the couple book the venue, and once they’ve booked auditorium or Dunmore
wherever it is, whatever space they’ve booked, it’s nice to then say, “Look, come back next time.” “Or come to one of our wedding shows- and bring your gran, your sister, your brother, bring them with you because- they need to be part of it as well.” and enjoy the process. especially if they are helping, financially with it as well
Of course. I love meeting the families. The families are great. I love the m- mums of the brides. they’re the most important person in the world, by the way. The mother of the bride is the most important person. So happy people in here, Barry, and they would go, “No.”
mums just need to stay at home. No, you need to treat them like they’re the most important person- in the world. And I also think because mums have maybe not had the same day as maybe their son or their daughter- they’re just totally invested in it, aren’t they? And equally because there’s so many different things now
We’ve always already talked about the Highland cows. We’ve already talked about – llamas and all the other things- that you can have. it’s just a totally different era for weddings now- isn’t it? it’s even e- It’s like anything goes a- abso- And I- Brilliant do very rarely say no to anything, which is
and that’s how it should be,? And I get a l- Just all these risk assessments. Oh, my boy, Now, can we legally do that? Is that all? Can I have that Highland cow coming down Orramore? The other thing- Is he allowed to swing in from the chandeliers? And get down to the bottom of the aisle
Oh, dunno But you do, you see the new trends coming, don’t you? you see the, the grooms having their moments, which- I know I love that. I think that’s brilliant. ’cause they just were always very shy and- The boys- standing at the front not doing anyth- – No waiting for the bride or
or the groom to, to arrive-. But no, get everyone involved. – have two welcoming in songs. the groom’s side and the bride’s side. 100%. I love, I’ve seen a few things on TikTok where the groomsmen actually come down the aisle and they’re like they’re flying petals
and stuff like that. I love that. They’ve got like the glasses and stuff on. It’s just so cool. Do what, ultimately, it’s like you want your guests to, to, in a few years’ time, you want them to look back and you want them to say, “Do that mem- remember that wedding we were at Orre Moore?”
it was fun. Or, “Do you remember that wedding we were at here?” “That was just brilliant.” And it was for these little reasons- that people remember them. ‘Cause-? they’re all personal. And you’re also bringing out people’s personalities as well. And again, I think, again, going back to when, like when I get married, it was which was 29 years ago
a long time ago. But we just had to like walk down the aisle, get married, get out, and then that was you straight into photographs and stuff. Whereas now people are doing so many in- incredible things. And I- I genuinely love it. Like I’ve said to Ted, “Will we do it again?” And he’s “I’ve married you twice.”
‘Cause we renewed our vows after 15 years. Let’s do it again in 30. So that’s what- So it’s one year to go so that’s what I said to him. I was like- “Will we do it again in 30?” And he went, “No, babes, we’ve done it twice. We don’t need to do it a third time.” Oh, the word of them. Get him on the phone. I was “Can we just have a big party then?”
I know a cracking venue that’ll do it for you. I’ll sort you out. 100%. Venue ticked. That’s it. Ted, we’re sorted. That’s it. We’re sorted. Ted, we’re coming for you. 100%, 100%. and how many weddings have you got booked in this year? ‘Cause you guys are always crazy busy. Crazy busy
We, I think we’re almost I think last year we did 101 last year. So, 101. And we’re just fast hurtling towards getting that- now as well. And again, made up of, of small weddings- larger weddings. We’re seeing a new trend as well where a lot of couples like to do the small, 20, 30
then the big party at night. in Orramore we’ve got a great package for that as well. we combine two packages to create one for you. That’s nice. And just take out bits that you don’t need-? but there is a trend of that just now. A lot of people maybe
And, my mum and dad many, many, many years ago- they, they went off to Paphos in Cyprus and got married and then- Oh, did
they? just had a party at night. Nice. So we are seeing that quite a lot- that people do tend to- There is a lot of people- have a small- actually going abroad now. They’re going abroad now. Whether it’s cheaper or maybe they’re just encompassing, the wedding and the honeymoon all together, and then as you say, coming back and having a big party
for everybody. Those, those are great. I want to get invited to a, a wedding that’s abroad, like So if anybody out there wants to invite me But I know my license is only in Scotland- folks, but, I’m sure Celebrant Scotland wouldn’t mind me, coming out to Las Vegas. If you’re wanting to get a Las Vegas wedding
I’ll do it. and are you enjoying the, the, the celebrant side of things? Oh, my goodness. It’s great, Lesley. It’s such a personal thing, though, eh? And I, I like it. My, my, I’m filling up Well, not filling up, but, ’cause it’s relatively new for me. But the- Was it April?
You qualified in April. April, just, Amazing. Just, just April past, So, I’m, I’m in the first four, five months of it. That’s amazing. But, You’re just gonna be a natural though. Like- Oh, thanks, Lesley you just, you just will be. Well, I’ll be having my own little section in the Your Scottish Wedding
but, it, I’ve got, I’ve got a few bookings booked in for 2027. Amazing. A couple for 2028. Oh. I’m doing a garden wedding as well, like at, in, in- Are you? At somebody’s house a bride’s granny’s garden. How nice is that? but do what I’m excited about the most is going to see all the venues I hear about
’cause obviously you get chat to couples when they come- Of course to Orramore. Of course. Where else are you looking? what Trying, trying to suss out the competition. Nobody better poach you though. Nobody better poach you. No. Well, These things happen, don’t they? but I’m getting to go and see
these places, the Collectors Hall. I mean, it’s just – I think it’s just had its first birthday. Beautiful venue. I was there last night. It was great. Oh, there’s- It was great I saw the pi- it looks stunning- It was so good so I’d love to come in for a wee too. Next time you’re going in, take me with you
beau- I’d like to just go and be able to see all these beautiful venues. But equally, I’m really excited to do my first Òran Mór auditorium wedding- and it’s booked in for next year. So it’ll be weird- That’s amazing I think, won’t it? Being at that side- rather than the other side of the- So it’s almost as if you’re switching hats though
Like- so, so, we’ve, we’ve done this bit, everything’s organized, all the suppliers are in place. I’ve ticked that box. now need to put my other hat on and get down get down there- I know and weigh in. Have a costume change. I don’t know if I could do that. Of course I could do that
They’ll go- Brides can do that now- I can do that. 100%. And why not? Why not? but so that’s really exciting for you. Can’t wait to get deep into it. no, So do you have any booked in for this year or? Nothing for this year. No. So it’s all next year. I think I’m – my, my first one is March next year
And then they’re s- spread out March, April, May, June. A wee September one, then nothing again till the year after. So diary’s still open. but- Dates available, people. Dates available, book now. but, I, and again, it’s thanks to Susan and Andy. – really, I must give full credit to them
They’ve really got us on board and when I think- But they’ve obviously seen something in you though. Oh, that’s – and, and when you, when you told me that you were doing that, I thought that’s just a natural thing for you to do. Because you’re just such a personable person. You’re kind, you’re lovely
you go out your way to make people feel very special and, appreciated, and you’re, you’re just a good human. Oh, thank you so much. You just are. I really love that. That’s so sweet of you. No, but you are, though. That’s so sweet of you. But you are. So- You’re sweet of it I don’t say that to everybody
I’m gonna watch back all these podcasts to see if you do say that. No, honestly, I don’t. I don’t. but so it just, it just seems like a natural thing for- for you to have done. Oh, thank you, Lesley. I’m, I’m really excited about it. I’m really, really buzzing. Oh, 100%. I hope that doesn’t overtake, though, your Òran Mór stuff
I know, that’s it. Hopefully, at, at the moment it’s wor- it’s working well ’cause there’s 20- just over 26 and a half thousand weddings in Scotland. Is that? so- I mean, god, – That’s- you’re gonna, you’re gonna know that more than anybody, I think,? So, s- so that’s a lot of weddings to get through
Can you handle that? And there’s a, but that, but that was the worry as well, wasn’t it, when you first kinda sign up to, to want to train and, and invest- and you go, “Is there enough weddings for me?” in, in that. Well, that’s it. And, ’cause there’s a lot of fantas- I mean, I meet them, every single week
There’s so many wonderful celebrants out there. There really is. They’re really great. lots of organizations. And I think that’s what’s quite good about Celebrant Scotland, that, it’s not a massive pool. It’s- it’s quite specifically- there’s 15 of us. And clearly they’ve handpicked, they’ve c- they’ve handpicked who they want
Oh, And, d- and they’re all, they’re all really lovely. And Norman, Fiona, who started with me on the same day. the three of us have bonded together- That’s nice ’cause, we, we did a, a training- A little trio. that’s it. The three amigos. we go out for coffees and stuff and say- Oh, that’s nice
“How are you finding things?” And how, sharing experiences and things and, so I’m, I’m, I’m really looking forward to it. Who knows, who knows what’s gonna happen,? Future proofing maybe for 20- ’29 or 2030. Who knows? I know. That’s it, and that’s it. ‘Cause you’ve been in a, you’re in a relationship yourself, aren’t you?
Jamie, Nine- How many years? Nine, nine, nine and a half years. Nine and a half years. Not married. No. Well, no. T- time’s ticking. Jamie. Boyo. Jamie, I’m looking at you. our, our mums would definitely- have had it booked, hats bought- rings bought, honeymoon booked, They’re just desperate for it now
Come on, Jamie. and it, it’s- It’ll happen it’s weird, isn’t it? It’ll happen ‘Cause obviously I’m, I’m saturated in the industry. I, I know- I know work so closely with it. And I, and- I know. I was gonna say, does that make, make you, not want to do it, or? It makes me want to do it more, actually- Oh, does it?
if I’m being ‘Cause I, I, and I listen to the speeches. You want your day. You want your day. And the, the speeches are lovely. And, – I do stand in the corner. I do get well up,? and y- one, one of the loveliest moments for me is, is in the, the auditorium, of the, the, the bell tower
where we have the stairwell that the bride or the groom walks up. and we often do the dad reveal- at the top of the stairs. Oh- So if the bride’s coming from home that must be so emotional that is honestly, I, I, I- I wouldn’t be able to hold myself together it is one of the nicest moments when the bride comes out
I get them ready, and then w- we bring dad out to the top of the stairs- and the bride does the walk up s- the spiraly stairs- and to meet dad at the top. Yes. And I just think that, obviously I’m, I’m I don’t think I’ll be wearing a white dress, Liz. I don’t think that’s what I’m gonna have on
But, Well, never say never you never know. Stranger things have happened. Never say never. But it’s such a lovely moment. and I’d love Jamie to have that with his dad, coming up in his suit or his kilt- Oh or whatever it, – he decides to wear. I, my, my dad passed away, so my, unfortunately I lost my dad
So he- Oh he obviously won’t be in spirit- He’ll still- he’ll be there he’ll still be there. but it’s that moment that the, that gets me. you’ve got, you’ve got to try and fix, ’cause you think it’s such an emotional moment- It is for the family- to, dad to see the bride. And the walking down and the speeches
my goodness me. We’ve seen it all with the speeches,? So, so I was out at a venue yesterday, and, and they were saying, the speeches tend to run over now. And I’m “Really?” I said, “Can you not put it in the contract that they all get, like- five minutes- and then you’re cut off?”
That’s it. That’s what you’ve got. So, so- we let down. But they were saying, some speeches run over, way f- after an hour. They, they do tend- I’m “What?” to drag on. And- do the people that don’t want that the most is the couple. It’s the couple that say, “We just don’t want the speeches to drag on forever.”
No. No. I, I, I think, because your dinner’s- Is it the dads? about to be served. Is it the dads? It, it’s, it’s- Or is it the best men? It’s usually the best men, to be- Is it? to be honest
Like a crazy person. You- you’re cut off You see the guests going, “What is going on with ” I, I think it’s probably, I think that’s probably my, my television production when I was at the- BBC- background coming back-? ‘Cause, ’cause it’s like a production, isn’t it? 100% Putting the wedding together
It is. 100%. It’s a massive production. So standing in the corner and you’re clock-watching, you’re going, “Oh, my g- this, this guy’s got five minutes,” and then having to tell the kitchen, “We’ll be 10 minutes late.” There’s a lot of that going on in the background. Do your chefs get upset? They don’t, no. It- Do they not?
Beata and Artur, they are the nicest couple. They’re a married couple. Are they? They look after all our- Oh, nice catering. They are just the, the nicest. so nothing stresses them out at all. ‘Cause when I worked in a few, venues, like you’d go in and say to Chef, “Chef, we’re running, 20 minutes late,” and he’d be “Oh, nah, nah, nah.”
“I know, but-” and- ” it’s, it’s run over.” I think these things happen, don’t they? Of course they do. In fact, I think actually part of my planning process is that- To factor that into the day Yes. You’ve got to. You’ve got to. 45 minutes for speeches. And when you sit down and you do your final catch-up with the couples, they go, “Well, we don’t need 45 minutes.”
No, we don’t. Well, first of all, you, you won’t think you will. You think you don’t- But- but actually I’ve done this for a long time. Ab- and you’re building in a safety pee before dinner. You’ve, you’re fixing, you’re building in time t- for guests to come and see you
You might want to go and wander and go and see them- or go to the toilet. Reapply the lipstick. Exactly. Re- have a, have a, – reapply and all that. So you’re building a little bit of time- after speeches- before dinner actually gets served. Do?
‘Cause especially, grannies and grandpas and stuff, they just want time- with them, don’t they? Just to congratulate them and- And I say that to couples. I say- “See, when your speeches are finished- you don’t have to s- s- sit down and stay there.” No. “Go for a wander.”
“Go and see people. Go and mingle for a bit.” Go say hello. And, and that’s ultimately the one thing I always leave my couples with- and I say to them, is that, “It’s your day.” “You might find it’s gonna go on quite fast.” Just let go of it. And that’s the biggest bit of advice I say
to my couples all the time. The minute you arrive on the day- just let go. ‘Cause there’s so many people behind the scenes putting this together for you. We’ve got you. We’ve got you. We’ve got you. If- Just you enjoy every minute if you need to be told something, we’ll come and tell you
If you need to be given something, we’ll come and- give it to you. If you need to be taken somewhere, we’ll take- So just get up and w- use that time. – the dinner will come to you- when you’re ready. And that’s what’s- I think that’s the thing
So couples go, “Oh, actually, that’s, that’s good to know that- they don’t just have to be- No wondering what’s going on.” Clock-watching. Be- ’cause, ’cause that’s not their job on the day. No, No. Their job’s not to, to worry about the time or, “Well, actually, we’re meant to be sitting down just now,” or, “We’re meant to be getting our pictures
taken just now,” or, “We’re meant to be saying speeches just now.” Or, “Five minutes over. Oh, my goodness. Oh, w- we’re five minute ” Don’t you worry about that. No. That’s not for you to worry about. That’s, that’s not your job. No. Your job is to look amazing, feel amazing, and just have the best day of your life
that’s it. That’s what it’s all about. There is something so special about weddings, honestly. And even just talking about it I’m just like- Ted and I are definitely doing this again. honestly. We just are. We just are. Last year I was married 101 times, Lesley, because that’s what I- I know
I like to think that- I would put into- a couple’s wedding- what I want- when it eventually comes around. no, 100%. So that’s, that’s the best way, that’s the way I think about it. No, 100%, totally. so we’ve started doing this wee thing on the podcast. It’s like
quick-fire questions. Oh, goodness. let me get a, bit of tea for this. hit me. Oh, God. This can go disastrously wrong. no, no. We’ll, we’ll, we’ll be kind. We’ll be kind. what’s your favorite curse word? My favorite? Curse word. What time is this going out? I do say shit balls quite a lot. I quite like that, shit balls
That’s- I do say shit balls quite a lot. Sorry, Mum. I do say that quite a lot. I love that. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Kenko
So not the fact that you’ve got all these incredible brides and grooms- No and weddings None of that. It’s the Kenko that’s getting me out of bed. No, genuinely, The fact that you’re about to do someone’s wedding, I think that’s it. You’re like- “here we go.” “Let’s get the tie on.”
“Let’s get the sparkly tie on. Let’s get down there and let’s- Oh, love that let’s get it, let’s get it done.” And Kenko. Thanks, Kenko. Sponsored by Kenko. What’s your favorite thing in, that you, that you love most in the world? Jamie Aw. Jamie. That’s cute. And what’s the thing that you hate most in, in life?
Things I hate the mo- oh- salad cream. Salad cream. Are you looking for a professional answer or any answer? I just, it’s whatever comes into your head. Is it? So salad cream and Kenko. Even the thought of salad cream actually makes me feel quite sick. Oh, really? Bad experience? I think I’ve it’s not even a hate
I think it’s a phobia I’ve got. I d- I can’t even and it’s, Jamie will wind me up. We’ll go to, we’ll go to Tesco or wherever and we’ll be getting our big shop. And I, he loves it. And I actually can’t physically walk past it on the shelf. It just makes me Oh, really? I don’t, I don’t know what it is
I don’t know what it is. So you’re fine with mayonnaise, it’s just salad cream? Oh, I love mayonnaise. I just- All So, all stop saying it. We’re not, we’re not I think it’s the color of it and- So we hate, we hate salad cream. Agree. And, if you could go back to your 18-year-old self, what would you say?
What would I say? I know basically you’re only in, you’re only 21 now- Thankfully but if you go back to your, your 18th birthday, what would you say to yourself for today? I would probably say, “Don’t worry, you will pass your driving test eventually.” And that’s actually only a recent thing as well
Just a year ago I passed my driving test. But- Was that first time? I passed first time. but I think, and I said, “You’ll eventually do it”- because when I was living back at Dundee- I did a block of lessons, then I stopped. Then I moved to Edinburgh for a little while. Then I stopped
Then I moved to Glasgow and- started the BBC and- and then I picked it up again only recently. so I never thought I’d actually do it. And I’ve always wanted to have my own car. I don’t mind being a princess passenger just now. That’s f- I love that. It’s great
It’s just- Does Jamie drive? Oh, he’s a brilliant driver. He’s really good. so but he was “come on. It’s about time you passed your driving test.” especially now, and I’m grateful for it now, Lesley- Oh, just being a celebrant, you need it if I’m finding myself- You’ll need it
walks side or I’m- Can you imagine, five buses- up- two trains No, I can’t. Taxi. No, no. No, that’d be horrendous. No, I can’t do, I can’t do. So I think now- Great I’ve, I’ve passed my driving test at the time- I think for me. ’cause I’m gonna go to all these beautiful venues
I know. Exciting. So to get to them all. And so what advice would you give That was really good, actually. That was, that was, They weren’t very quick, but, No, it was quick fire, wasn’t it, you said? So you can’t the next one will be one word, I promise you. No, no. So, so we’ve done our quick fires
so for you, where are you going now? what, what’s next for you? I get you’ve got your, your celebrant. You’ve, you’re at Òran Mór, which is owned by The Scotsman Group. so But what’s, what’s next for you? What do you want for you? I think there’s a lot to do at Òran Mór
And there’s a lot of exciting things happening at Òran Mór quite soon. we’re- Ooh like I said earlier, we’re going through a bit of a revamp of- of some of our smaller rooms. our attention is slowly gonna turn- to the, the big iconic room. So there’s a lot of exciting things gonna happen
and I need to be part of it,? I, I have to, I have to be part of it. And, they are a fantastic team. But also I think just running alongside that as well, just being able to- actually not just at Òran Mór, coordinate or do the whole day- but to be able to go and visit couples outside of Òran Mór and
like I said ear- go to other venues- and conduct weddings myself- and then leave. do that section. put together their stories and things. And they’re ob- they’ve obviously got to be supportive of that, – and- at Òran Mór, that’s really great
Òran Mór, they, they have been great. That’s good. and again, I think I know myself- in terms of the calendar. you have to be a bit clever, especially- Of course if you’re trying to juggle the two roles. You need to make sure that you’re giving your time to Òran Mór
but also, being able to pick up a- a- like I say, there’s so many midweek weddings now as well. I know. I know. It’s great. it’s not all- No Saturdays. No, it’s not Fri- And I’m finding that- Saturday, Sunday. I’m finding that just now, actually. I do have a lot of midweeks- That’s great
which is great- because they land on days off- and or you could plan your rotas and schedules around it. so being able to, I think, juggle both of them- and just take it to the next level. I’m really excited about it. And what would be your final, words of advice to wedding couples out there?
Getting married today Getting married today. Final bit of advice. just I think, again, we touched on it, just hand over, trust- the people that you’ve booked. Trust your suppliers. Trust your wedding coordinator. trust the venue team- to put, to, to do it for you. Yes, we do a lot of weddings and, my goodness me, I’ve done hundreds of weddings over the
the last, few years. But again, they’re all different. we like to think that we know what we’re doing. just trust us to do it. And especially for me personally, like again, I said I treat them as if they’re my own wedding. So I do like to think that
this is my wedding today. I’m gonna do- for this couple that I’ve met what I respond- But that’s passion. That comes from passion, doesn’t it? ’cause you really want the best for your couples. So, and that’s really important because you can’t do that role if that’s not
if that’s not your vibe I don’t think so, no. Just, And do what I love as well, Lesley? The, and this is the, the la- the la- for me, I think it’s such a unique position to be in ’cause- when I’ve got the couple in front of me- when I meet them for the first time in the morning of the big day, I’m the only one in the room
that knows how this is gonna end for them. And I love that. and what I mean by that is how- Well, you’ve been on their journey amazing it’s going to be. You’ve been on that journey. So it’s like you’ve met them, they’ve confirmed, you’ve met them again. You’ve, you’ve been emailing back and forth
Teams and- You’ve been chatting the power teams. They’ve been coming along to the, your open days, your wedding fairs, et cetera. so you’ve been on that journey with them. So that’s why it’s so personal for you. I know- Isn’t it? I know what it’s gonna look like. Whereas the team, this will be the first time that they’re meeting the couple
in theory. In theory. so it is a really personal thing. I used to love it. I used to get really emotional. I do. Seeing them when I- they’d come up the, the aisle and I’d be standing there with their champagne and stuff and- give them big kisses and cuddles and it was, it was special
I think that’s when – you’re in the job. no, 100%. Sometimes I do miss it- When you feel emotional but then I think about the, the Not so great side of things and I just go, “Nope, publishing’s a bit the- the side for me,” ’cause I’m
on the other side of the fence now. You, you, you ha- you have to find the line be- be- not kinda switching off, but you could find that, and I’m, I am guilty of it and, Les, I know you’re definitely guilty of it. But, when you get home at night you go, “Oh, just quickly just check that message.”
Go, “Oh because I have- Oh because I’ve emailed you at like what? 11:00 o’clock at night. And I’ve replied, so exactly, And then you reply and I’m “What are you doing? It’s just me that’s crazy.” We’re holding, we’re holding a glass of wine at the same time though, aren’t we? But you do
You, you want to say to yourself- “but w- but did I, did I get that music? Oh, did I get that download that song that they’re walking into?”? But you could do it tomorrow ’cause it, the wedding’s not till the weekend. I know. I know. But, and again, that’s just when it solidifies, I think
that you’re in the job. Because it’s not a job for me. So, so the, certainly what I do- and I’m sure it’s the same for you, what is it they say? You’ll never work a day in your life, if you’re, if you’re doing what you love doing. and that’s exactly for me, and I know it is for you as well
Because, you- y- you’re perfect for both of those roles. It is a, it, being a wedding manager is a sales role- but I’m not a salesperson. No. And I really hope that Scotland- And exactly will know what I mean by that. Is, it’s not a sales job for me, do if what I mean?
No. It’s an experience of someone’s big day. Because it’s driven by passion again. like you want the couples to come. You want the – because there’s no point in you selling something, you go, “Do they’re just not gonna like it here.” Or, it’s just not gonna be fitting into their criteria of what they’re telling me
So- you’ve also got to, you’ve got to juggle lots of different things as well. You want the couples to come- so that they enjoy the venue, they enjoy your staff, they enjoy the experience. it’s got to be And also I would always say to, to wedding couples, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
because it doesn’t really matter, does it? There’s one goal, and that’s to get married. And the rest is just stuff. Celebrate it with your friends and family. They love you. If your soup’s- They don’t care if you trip. They don’t care five minute, ex- if your dress is, if your soup five minutes late
it’s five minutes late. If the speeches do drag on 10 minutes- it doesn’t really matter. They don’t care if your lipstick’s on or off. They don’t care whether your hair’s perfect. They don’t care. They just want to celebrate your special day- as being husband and wife or husband and husband or wife and wife
whatever the permutation. And do the best bit of it, the, the, the day for me- except the ceremony and all, the official parts of it. The best day of a wedding for me at Òran Mór is when the room’s been turned around from ceremony to dinner- and I then go and get the couple from our private cocktail bar downstairs, which is where they’re having canape and drinks
Getting them from that room- to bring them up to show them the room- and then not sending them back downstairs- but to send them up to our gallery upstairs- in the auditorium. and look down. My favorite moment is them just watching them looking down- and watching all their guests coming in
That is, for me, probably one of the highlights of the day. Because that’s 20 minutes on their own. They can just look at each other and say, “We’ve done it.” And enjoy watching everybody come in and have a- Because it’s actually important, isn’t it? Because it just goes by in a heartbeat
And then before it, like you’re up at 5:00 in the morning or whatever getting hair and makeup done, and the boys are getting their, their stuff all sorted- or whatever. Again, the permutation of, But and then before it, you’re married. And then you’re, you’re just, you’re seeing people
You’re getting photographs taken. You’re- You’re pulled from here to there and everywhere and everybody wants a piece of you. Everybody wants a bit. That’s it. That’s it. And then before it you’re “Oh, we are married now” and like- “Oof, that was a whirlwind.”
That’s why that 20 minutes is important. So it is. So it is. And I’m not sure a lot of people do that though. Make time for it. It’s very important. That’s, again, that’s, that’s a really important part of the day. and schedule that into- the day. Definitely
That’s very, very good. That’s very good. Anything else you want to share with us? Well, before we go- Oh. it is a very important year for you. Yes. Isn’t it? Well, we’re five. You’re five. I’m not five, but the magazine’s five. That is, and- like we’re five you- Lesley and the team at Your Scottish Wedding have always been very, very, kind to us at Òran Mór, so I’ve got something for you
All? I’ve got a little something. You’re gonna make me cry. No, I want you to, I want you to have this Oh my God So first of all, I want to give you this little bottle of champs. So that’s just for you, so you’ve got to take that. Thank you. All? That is so- That’s just for you so kind. And this is something that we’d like to present to you as well
This is, just a little token, in recognition of your five years. What have you done? This is, this is signed by everybody at Òran Mór who plays a part in someone’s wedding day. So everyone that plays a really important part on the day has signed something for you. So I’m gonna give you that
That’s for you. Oh, Barry, thank you so much. Because- This is the first time I’ve cried- on our podcast. Thank you so much. Honestly, that means the world to me because- Oh, you’re welcome so doing what we do, just very quickly, ’cause it’s, this isn’t about me, this is about you. Everything that we do is for the greater good of this wedding industry
It genuinely is, and it’s, it’s been, we’ve had not an easy ride of it- but we’re, we’re here, we’re doing it, we’re five. We’re, we do our awards, Cracking night, by the way. It’s a cracking night. It’s a very good night. It’s a very good night. so but I’m gonna treasure it
This is, this is precious for me. Thank you so much. You’re welcome. The, the, the wedding industry is a much brighter place because of you and your team. Oh. It genuinely is, honestly. We- I’ll pay you later we Wait till you get your invoice. no, you, you have always been very kind to us at Òran Mór
That’s so, so kind. So we really, really appreciate everything that you do. Thank you so much. And keep doing it, and- Oh you’ve got 55 more years- of success. I just know it- ’cause there’s nobody else out there like you. Oh, thank you so, so much, Barry. You’re welcome. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you here
It’s been great. Thank you so much- Oh for asking me. Thank you, darling. get that bottle open. Where’s the glasses? Two big straws, please. I know. Thank you so much for coming in today. Thanks, honey. I will treasure this forever. Thank you. Love you. See you later
Host: Lesley Traynor
Guest: Òran Mór with Barry Shaw
Length: 44 minutes
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