Jeni A.
Yelp
Every little girl (and some little boys) hope for a fairytale wedding. At Dundas Castle in 2008 I got just that! The wedding of my dreams. Of course the best bit about your wedding is saying your vows to your beloved, and having everyone you love in one room at the same time... But the venue certainly helped!
We had our ceremony in the 15th century building, "The Auld Keep", the oldest part of the castle. The ceremony room is a high-ceilinged stone room decorated with ancient looking tapestries. It is up two sets of narrow spiral stone stairways - not the best if you want to have elderly/infirm/disabled guests at the ceremony, or if you have a particularly enormous dress! The room seats about 90, but if you want more guests there is a second room where the ceremony can be watched by video link.
We went up to the roof of the Keep for photos following the ceremony, which had amazing views over the River Forth to Fife, with the road and rail bridges visible from that height. After that we greeted our guests by entering the main part of the castle via a huge sweeping staircase, following a piper all the way.
The meal was served in a large marquee on the grounds with lovely views across the gardens. It was served by the staff from Prestige catering company - The food was absolutely delicious, and served brilliantly by the glove wearing silver service waiters - it was almost scary how they silently appeared and placed food in front of every person on the table at once.
The marquee was an ample size for a ceilidh that night, and again delicious food was served for the evening guests. And we got to choose the lighting scheme for the marquee to make it look unique to us!
That was a brief summary of our specific wedding day, but there are loads of options for couples depending on where they want the ceremony to be held, number of guests for the ceremony and dinner, location of the dinner, and all importantly in Scotland- options for both outdoor and indoor activities should the weather be a bit rubbish!
The castle is situated on acres of land, so it seems like you are miles from anywhere. I believe there is a golf course on the land, for those that fancy a quick round of golf before the ceremony. Quite randomly, there are Llamas living on the grounds of the castle! Something for the children/big children to get excited about.
Before the wedding day, there is a dedicated team of wedding coordinators who help to plan every detail with you. During the wedding day, they can sometimes be seen discreetly running around with earpieces in, secretly communicating with one another to make sure things go smoothly.
I would definitely recommend Dundas Castle for a wedding. I loved that once hired, it is "exclusively yours", the public can't walk in an have a look around whilst you're busy getting married! I can't speak for the current prices, but four years ago whilst expensive, it was very competitive with other Scottish wedding venues. If you are prepared to spend the money, you will be guaranteed a 5* service and an unforgettable wedding day.