It has been more than a year since marriage was granted to all Scots couples, regardless of gender or sexual orientation but some couples remain fearful of outing themselves to the wedding industry.

Gerrie and Susan Douglas-Scott were among the first same-sex couples to tie the knot as the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2014.

As Humanist celebrants, they have since married dozens of couples from the LGBTQIA+ community.

According to Gerrie, many couples still feel marginalised by venues, tailors, make-up artists and even florists when seeking out services for their day of bliss.

Some say they have been subjected to offensive comments, while others have been refused services because of their sexual orientation - one male same-sex couple said they were asked: "Which of you will be wearing the dress?"

To enable better relationships between the wedding industry and the LGBTQIA+ community, the Douglas-Scotts have developed a training programme for staff in conjunction with wedding planners Tartan Partnerships.

The aim of the programme is to help workers better understand what expectations are in terms of the Equality Act 2010, as well as the Equal Marriage Act (Scotland) 2014.

Gerrie said: "The training has been developed so that all who love each other can be married in a way that is respectful.

"People make assumptions about couples getting married - like marriage is just for men and women.

"This programme is about the industry providing the same level of service to all couples and benefiting from their business as a result."

Founder of Tartan Partnerships Andrew Brown experienced similar difficulties when organising his marriage to Scott Hepburn.

After spending £50,000 on a three-day celebration, Andrew said they were still receiving paperwork addressed to the "bride and groom" the day before the ceremony.

In February 2015, Scots couple John and Stephen Devaney were allegedly told "we can't allow people like you in here" when shopping for wedding venues at Loch Lomond.

The couple claimed the owner told them marriage between two men was against their beliefs.

While the Equal Marriage Act (Scotland) was published with a "conscience clause" to allow clergy to opt out of organising marriages for same-sex couples in a church, the same was not extended to commercial operators such as hotels.

The Douglas-Scotts say they were "devastated" when they heard of the Devaneys' difficulty.

Gerrie said: "Susan and I contacted the couple through Facebook and said if there was anything at all we could do to help, we were absolutely here for you.

"John came back and thanked us for our support and said we would love to be in touch if they found a place that would allow them to get married - so they were actually doubting whether they would be accepted anywhere."

According to the Douglas-Scotts, gender stereotyping from wedding staff is a common complaint among LGBTQIA+ couples.

When visiting venues couples have been shown "where the bride stands" or when visiting a florist been asked: "Who will be carrying the flowers?"

The training programme will encourage industry workers to avoid traditional words like "wife" and "husband" or words pertaining to sexual orientation like "homosexual". Workers will instead be encouraged to ask which terms the couple would prefer to use.

Gerrie said: "I know of florists and photographers and so on who are absolutely brilliant and don't do those things. But I've heard many reports of businesses making assumptions about peoples' relationships, gender and what might be expected of them on their wedding day.

"I've heard reports of two men who were asked 'which of you is going to wear the dress?' as if one should have a stereotypical bridal role.

"If people would just accept others for who they are rather than making assumptions about roles that would make a big difference."

According to Gerrie, LGBTQIA+ couples have confessed their annoyance when discussing ceremonial traditions with their venue providers, such as the assumption that one person walks down the aisle and one person should carry flowers.

Gerrie said: "There is such a thing called internalised homophobia - LGBT people themselves don't feel they are good enough.

"They believe the things society say about them so they lack in confidence. I've met people who, at a wedding ceremony, won't kiss their partner in front of their dad.

"There is an assumption that people follow widely understood traditions made by the wedding industry themselves.

"To me, the Equal Marriage Act has allowed people to feel confident that they can make their own traditions and rituals, as well as the usual stuff, regardless of gender or sexuality."

In an industry built on concepts of "bride" and "groom", gender specificity has been another stumbling block for both LGBTQIA+ couples and workers in the service industry.

Some couples have been dubbed with honorifics like Mr and Mrs on the big day, which do not fit their gender identity.

The Douglas-Scotts advocate careful language choice, particularly when it comes to titles, asking staff to "mirror" the language the couples use themselves.

Gerrie said: "Don't make assumptions about peoples' titles or roles or relationships. If we're talking about equality, respect and love for people at that precious moments in their lives we need to let them describe themselves - mirror their language, don't use your own.

"One venue announced ladies and gentlemen, 'I give you the new Mrs and Mrs' to a lesbian couple and that was an assumption they made of a couple who specifically did not want 'Mrs' to be used in their marriage.

"To be fair, a lot of couple do want 'Mr' and 'Mrs', but I never make that assumption."

Gerrie and Susan have been tasked with providing online and face-to-face training at venues in the coming months in Edinburgh, Ayrshire and Pitlochry.

What started off as a programme for venue staff will be available to tailors, florists, photographers, hairdressers, make-up artists, shoemakers and celebrants across Scotland.

Gerrie added: "If one couple feels treasured where they wouldn't have been otherwise, it'll be worth it."