Couple take part in "blackening" pre-wedding ritual

Ellie Ordish and Gavin Smith marked their upcoming wedding by getting captured and then gunked with molasses, eggs and flour.

The pre-wedding tradition in the north east of Scotland, called a Blackening, is said to bring luck and is also a chance for pals to humble the happy couple.

However, it can leave a mess behind, and Orkney Islands Council has now issued a warning to stags and hens to clean up facilities like public toilets after such events.

Ellie, 30, and Gavin, 31, got engaged in January 2022 and the wedding date is set for June.

The couple marked their upcoming nuptials by standing in an old bathtub in a field while their friends tipped manure, eggs and molasses over their heads.

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