Congratulations on your engagement and thanks for looking at my blog!

Congratulations on your engagement and thanks for looking at my blog!

How to use this blog

PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOW COMPLETELY RETIRED, SO I'M NO LONGER TAKING ANY WEDDING BOOKINGS. I'M LEAVING THIS BLOG ONLINE IN CASE IT'S OF ANY HELP TO YOU IN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING, BUT I WON'T BE MAINTAINING IT, SO APOLOGIES FOR BROKEN LINKS OR OUT OF DATE INFORMATION! This blog is structured as a series of questions and under each posting, I've provided what I hope will be helpful advice for you in planning your humanist wedding. All of the posts are on one page, but each one has been condensed in size, so to read the full details, just click on the post title or 'read more'. When you get to the end of the post, just click on 'home' to get back to the full page of posts or 'older post' to move on to the next post. If you're interested in a particular subject, you can also click on the list to the right or you can do your own search by using the box below.

I've started with a wee video, so happy viewing, happy reading and happy wedding planning!



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Where are there great places to get married in central Scotland?


(The Wallace Monument from Stirling Castle)

Great places to get married? This is a matter of opinion of course and it's well worth spending some time visiting potential venues to see which ones suit your needs best and have the right 'feel'. In this part of the world, there are numerous lovely places to get married and although this isn't an exhaustive list, here are a few suggestions to get you going! Some of them are suitable for both your ceremony and the reception and others just for the ceremony. By the way, I've listed mainly local venues here, but I'm also quite happy to travel further afield to conduct weddings too! The beauty of living in central Scotland is that I can travel easily to numerous locations north, south, east and west! Here are some great local venues including fabulous hotels with great food, castles, other historic places and places with spectacular views:

Fabulous hotels with great food! 




Castles:



Callendar House, Falkirk


Please note: Historic Scotland have decided that weddings will no longer be allowed at a number of their properties in the central belt and they include Inchmahome Island, Tullibardine Chapel, Innerpeffray Chapel and Cambuskenneth Abbey. If you need more information about this, phone the Historic Scotland wedding team on 0131 668 8916


Places with spectacular views:


Loch Lomond islands such as Inchmurrin and Inchcallioch (pictured)
Venues on the western shores of Loch Lomond such as Cameron HouseDuck Bay Marina, Lodge on Loch Lomond, Culag Lochside and The Cruin
Or venues on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond such as Rowardennan Youth Hostel and Boturich Castle

Other ideas:

You will have noticed that there are one or two chapels mentioned in the lists above. Although humanist marriages are entirely non-religious in content, it isn't usually a problem (though check with your Celebrant first) to hold the ceremony in a building of religious significance, if it is no longer used for regular worship. Many old chapels have been beautifully renovated and make lovely settings for a wedding - such as Glencorse near Edinburgh :


The other thing you might be considering is getting married in your own home or garden and I have conducted some lovely relaxed and informal weddings in such settings. If the house isn't big enough or you'd prefer to be in the garden, you can hire a marquee, either large or small and have fun decorating it:






If you have an out building, a barn or a byre, this could be converted and decorated for the big day. A bit of whitewash, an inexpensive carpet and some nice decorations completely transformed this one for example:


And you might want to consider your local village or community hall too - with a bit of decoration, these places can make lovely (and often inexpensive) venues for weddings! Kinlochard Village Hall is particularly nice for example and has a lovely view over the loch:



And finally, don't forget that Humanist Celebrants can conduct legal marriages ANYWHERE in Scotland without the need for a civil licence, so if you have an idea for something unusual of different, just let us know!


By the way, you might want to consider the following local venues to accommodate your guests or for your reception if the ceremony venue doesn't offer an option for this:
The Stirling Court Hotel, at Stirling University (formerly the Management Centre)

There are local pubs, hotels and halls that would be suitable for a smaller reception too. And if you're looking for accommodation for you or your guests, there are plenty of B&Bs around. Try:

Glenardoch House in Doune
The Woodside Hotel in Doune
The Red Lion in Doune
The Stable in Doune 
Doune B&B in Doune
Mackeanston House a couple of miles outside the village
Hillview Cottage a mile or so outside the village


There are quite a few lovely self catering cottages and houses in the area too. For example:

Lochend Chalets at the Lake of Menteith
Kilbryde Castle near Dunblane
The Cardross Estate holiday cottages near Port of Menteith

And if you fancy somewhere a bit bigger to accommodate a group of friends and family, try:

Newholme House in Stirling (accommodates 10-12)
Burnside House at Deanston (accommodates 8)
Gargunnock House in Gargunnock (where else?!) which is owned by the Landmark Trust (accommodates 16)
Plane Castle by Airth (accommodates 18)
Altskeith House at Kinlochard (accommodates 22)
Leny Estate near Callander (accommodates around 56 people in various lodges and cottages)

This is a lovely area to stay in and very central location for exploring the Trossachs. 


To return to the full page of posts, click on 'home' below or to move on to the next post, click 'older post': 

1 comment:

Tim Maguire, Celebrate People said...

great photos, Mary and a very useful list!
happy new year