A St Monans florist provided the finishing touches for an Auld Kirk wedding scene from a new film starring Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth.
Janet Williamson stepped in at the last minute when the director decided the entire cast should have single white carnations on their lapels.
The local businesswoman told The Courier she was given less than an hour to create 17 buttonholes.
Janet said: ”Norah, the church session clerk, rushed into the shop with a woman who turned out to be the props buyer for the film. She said she needed 17 buttonholes made for a wedding scene. She wanted carnations and some fern. I suggested adding some tin foil because that’s what they would have used in that era.
”Then she asked if it could be done within half an hour. I said there was no chance but Norah and the props buyer offered to help and we managed to get it done in 45 minutes. I’ve never worked to such a tight deadline before.”
However, Janet said the impromptu contract was no more lucrative than any other.
”I just charged them what I normally charge,” she said. ”Some people said I should get a mention in the end credits or an invitation to the premiere but I don’t know about that. I’m just pleased that I’ll get to see my buttonholes in the finished film.”
The wedding scene is one of the happier moments from the harrowing Second World War epic The Railway Man, the story of Scottish prisoner of war Eric Lomax. The cast and crew of the multi-million pound production rolled into St Monans on Saturday and attracted dozens of celebrity spotters in their wake.
It was hoped that the influx would boost the local economy but few visitors spent money in the village, according to locals.
Tom Hughes, owner of the Mayview Hotel in St Monans, said his profits didn’t go up by much.
”There was a wee boost, a few extra lunches were served,” he said. ”But there wasn’t a massive increase in trade. I think it was because the film crew stayed in Anstruther. I’m not sure where the stars stayed, possibly St Andrews.
”It would have been nice if they’d decided to come to the hotel but apparently Nicole Kidman had a table reserved at a fish restaurant in St Andrews, although I heard the reservation was cancelled because the filming ran over time at St Monans.
“Maybe they should have booked a table at the Mayview.”
He added: ”Overall, I don’t think there was a massive financial gain for the village. Not that I had any objection to them coming here it was fantastic that they chose our beautiful village as a location.”
Harbourmaster Norman Hall also welcomed the unlikely visitors but he was sceptical about the economic boost they brought.
”It was nice to see them here. It certainly attracted people to the harbour. Everyone was trying to get a glimpse of the stars.
”I’d imagine there would be some kind of uplift to the local economy but I wouldn’t say it’s a big increase,” Mr Hall said.
As well as visiting St Monans, Firth and Kidman shot scenes at Perth railway station, which was transformed into a Victorian version of Edinburgh Waverley for the film. Production now moves to Thailand and Australia.
The movie will be released next year.