TWO romantic US firefighters choose to exchange their vows in Glasgow’s tough Calton district – instead of 4,000 miles away in the sunny Caribbean.
Amanda Monroe, 38, and James Ownbey, 42, from Brunswick, Georgia met in 2020 when they started working together at Glynn County Fire Department.
They had originally planned to tie the knot in a romantic setting of the Bahamas before opting for the East End of Glasgow.
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Amanda said: “Scotland won out for us over the Bahamas because you cannot beat the hospitality here. It’s been amazing.”
James: “We only asked to exchange vows in the fire station but we can’t believe the amount of effort they put into the whole event for us.”
Area Commander David Murdoch piped the bride down the aisle as the on-duty White Watch stood guard.
And ahead of flying to Scotland, the pair completed the paperwork for their marriage to be legally registered back home in Brunswick at the exact same time they exchanged vows in Glasgow.
Group Commander Garry Marshall, who organised the event for the happy couplke, said: “It was an honour to oversee this ceremony for our fellow firefighters and make their day as memorable as possible.
“We wish them all the happiness in the world.”
James, a Battalion Chief back home in the US, said: “The day was perfect. It was better than what anyone could have imagined.
“Firefighters have a bond regardless of the department they work for.
“What the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has done for us today is above and beyond.”
Now the couple will spend their honeymoon touring Inverness and the Highlands, where the temperature won’t rise much above 4c this week, while the Bahamas enjoys 23c heat.
But Amanda says: “I’m looking forward to researching my Scottish ancestry – we couldn’t think of being anywhere better for our honeymoon.”