Is this the coolest wedding ever? Glasgow man Ross makes Antarctica couple's dream come true

It’s an unusual opener for a wedding ceremony, but – as you might expect when the venue was Antarctica - this was an unusual wedding.

The bride produced her dress out of a backpack; the guests arrived by inflatable boat; and it was all put together by a humanist celebrant from Pollokshields.

Luckily, no-one got cold feet……

ROSS Wright (above) expected the trip of a lifetime when he boarded the Sea Adventurer, on his way to the South Pole.

He was looking forward to scenes of jaw-dropping glacial beauty.

He knew it would be exciting, and inspirational.

And he was pretty sure he’d see some penguins.

But as he boarded the Quark Expeditions boat, Ross had no idea that by the end of the journey he would have become the first person ever to conduct a humanist wedding on Antarctica.

“I maxed out the credit card to go on the expedition – it was an impulse decision,” grins the 56-year-old, who has been a registered Humanist Society Scotland celebrant since 2008.

“I was in the bar on the first evening, when I overheard a couple from China talking to one of the expedition leaders about the possibility of having a wedding ceremony on Antarctica.

“The couple - Su Yue and Li RuoMiao - had already done the legal paperwork in China but wanted to properly celebrate their marriage by having a wedding, where they could declare their love and make pledges to each other, but they didn't know how to go about it.

“I asked if I could help, and explained my role as a humanist celebrant.

"They were delighted and said it fitted with what they believed.

"They asked if I would write a ceremony for them – so I did.”

Over the next two days, Ross worked on the wording, and Yue and RuoMiao, who met at Beijing University of Technology’s Mountaineering Club eight years ago, prepared their vows.

Yue had carried her dress ashore in a backpack, and everyone travelled to the ceremony on inflatable boats.

Determined not to let the icy temperatures - it was around two degrees Celsius when they exchanged vows – stop them, the couple got changed into their wedding outfits behind a fleecy blanket held up by friends.

Ross explains: “Ali Kirk-Lauritsen, one of the crew members, had gone ashore earlier that day and found the perfect spot in beautiful Neko Harbour, just above a penguin beach in front of a huge glacier.

“The whole ship was buzzing with the story, so the couple invited everyone who wanted to join them to share their happiness.

“The captain even came ashore to say a few words during the ceremony.”

The bride made her entrance to a Chinese love song called The Moon Represents Our Heart.

“Luckily, Ali had the song on her phone so they could hook it up to the speaker system,” says Ross.

“Her name, Yue, means moon so it was perfect."

He adds: “As Yue made her way towards her groom, the watching crowd fell silent and the only sounds were water lapping beside the glacier and the penguins.

"Then both bride and groom walked up the snow slope to stand in front of me.

"They exchanged rings and said their vows, which they had kept secret from each other until that moment, as the sun set slowly over the peninsula.”

Ross had explained the traditional Scottish celebration of sharing their first drink of whisky from a quaich at the end of the ceremony.

“They loved the idea - but I'd not thought to pack my quaich, sadly,” laughs Ross. “They wanted to share Sprite, but no drink other than water is allowed on the pristine continent, so that's what they did, in a Sea Adventurer glass.”

After the moving ceremony, the couple shared a kiss as husband and wife – then quickly changed into warm clothes and, as the temperature plummeted, hurried back aboard the Sea Adventurer to celebrate.

Ross adds: “It was lovely - people from six continents joined in the celebration, and back on board the ship, the crew had decorated the table in red and white and the chef had made an impromptu wedding cake decorated with marzipan flowers.”

Ross's colleagues back home in Scotland were delighted to hear he had been asked to conduct Antartica's first humanist wedding.

Lynsey Kidd, Head of Ceremonies for Humanist Society Scotland, smiles: "Ross is a very active and popular humanist celebrant and he has always been a bit of an adventurer, but we were quite surprised to hear that he had been asked to organise a ceremony in Antarctica!

"We're absolutely delighted he was able to help to help Yue and RuoMiao. Being an HSS Registered Celebrant is one of the most rewarding experiences someone can have - and we always feel thrilled when couples enjoy their important days.

"We have helped thousands of people celebrate their love in Scotland since 2005 but this is undoubtedly a first for us.

"Knowing Ross, I'm sure he'll have many more adventures ahead of him."

Ross adds: "It was such a privilege to have been asked to conduct Yue and RuoMiao's wedding, To actually do so on the seventh continent in such a stunning setting was surreal and magical.

"I'll never forget it."