Very muted wedding bells

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum - well, the Royal Mile, last week. My ma and I were toiling up a rather chichi road in Edinburgh when a young man in a suit leapt out at us and asked if we had ten minutes to spare. We were about to say no, thinking it was for a survey, when he said "To witness a wedding".

So in we went. The couple seemed nice: the bride was wearing a slightly sparklier version of office clothes and shaking like a leaf: the registrar did her bit. It was a bit longer than ten minutes, but it was a very odd experience and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. For that short period of time, their lives were on hold until someone came along who was prepared to play this crucial, marginal role in their lives. We had to sign their marriage certificate with our addresses, but I have no idea where they were from (not Scottish, that's all I can say with certainty).

But I keep thinking: I wonder why they decided to do it that way? With no friends or family there at all? Was there some huge conflict in the background? It's not a question that has arisen for me, but I don't think if it did that I would ever want the people I like not to be there. Whatever the reason, they were obviously very happy. Tony and Julia, wherever, whoever you are, I wish you well.