Newtonmore wedding proposal has lots of strings attached
Most marriage proposals come with no strings attached but not with Ross Pattison when he asked his girlfriend to become his wife on Christmas Day.
The driving instructor set Elise Barr on a trail along a very long length of string from her family home Sundridge in Newtonmore to the village’s Christmas tree where he was waiting on bended knee with an engagement ring.
Elise said "yes" and was delighted by the romantic gesture by her 31 year old boyfriend.
She told the "Strathy": "It was all pretty magical. I was totally shocked and surprised – but it was a very pleasant shock and surprise. It was very romantic and imaginative.
"The whole thing really appealed to me and my sense of humour. It was like being on a treasure hunt."
Elise, (26), had to follow the string around 200 yards from the door of the house, over Main Street road and to the Christmas tree in the village’s triangle by the Clan Macpherson Museum.
Ross was a little more abashed about his proposal made at 6pm with the tree’s lights twinkling in the background.
He admitted: "I’m rather embarrassed about the attention to be honest. I just came up with the idea myself. I knew we were going to be in Newtonmore over the Christmas and that’s where I wanted to propose.
"I was extremely relieved when Elise agreed to marry me.
The couple, who live together in Barrhead, were introduced by friends and have been together for two years.
She is the daughter of Donald Barr and his late wife, Maryse, who died from cancer just three weeks after Elise was born by a Caesarean section, weighing only two pounds.
Mr Barr was delighted with the Christmas Day gift for his daughter - although he did have an inkling that marriage could be on this particular card.
He said: "Unbeknown to Elise, Ross had actually come up to Newtonmore a week earlier to ask for my permission. She didn’t know a thing about it. My wife, Morag and I are really delighted for them both."
Mr Barr said that he had been asked by his son-in-law to bring the start of the line of string in the hall to Elise's attention and ask her to follow it.
The happy couple said that no date to tie the knot in the aforementioned strng had yet been made.
