Traditions upheld with wedding on Holy Island

Around 100 guests, some travelling from as far afield as California and Czech Republic, came to witness the wedding in the parish church on Saturday.

The ceremony was presided over by Rev Canon Dr Sarah Hills, Vicar of Holy Island.

It was followed by the traditional jump over the Petting Stone, paying for passage through the church gates and then the archway of gunners, with photos of the wedding party taken in Lindisfarne Priory.

With the black and white theme, the guests were resplendent in black tie and gowns, while the groom and groomsmen cut the finest of figures in their kilts of Northumberland Tartan.

All the traditions being observed and brought to light for an event rooted in family history, with the groom’s grandfather Ralph Wilson having been a harbourmaster of the island and second coxswain of the lifeboat in decades past.

The wedding party danced long into the night in tepees and tents erected in the Close with views of the castle and priory.