Venues

Venues & Places I know inside out.

Every venue below is one I know from the front of the room — where the light falls, where the nerves hide, and exactly where your ceremony should stand. Marrying somewhere that isn't here? Even better. I love a new room, and I travel anywhere in Scotland.

Or browse by area: the West End of Glasgow · Glasgow & Loch Lomond · Ayrshire · eloping anywhere

A couple signing their Marriage Schedule at House for an Art Lover, Glasgow
Venue guide

House for an Art Lover

Mackintosh's white-and-light masterpiece in Bellahouston Park — tall windows, clean lines, and a room that's already the star.

A couple celebrating their marriage at Saltcoats Town Hall, Ayrshire
Venue guide

Saltcoats Town Hall

A characterful civic room on the Ayrshire coast — classic, central, and budget-friendly. My home town.

An empty wood-panelled ceremony room set out for a wedding at Riddles Court, Edinburgh
Venue guide

Riddles Court, Edinburgh

A historic Old Town room off the Royal Mile — my first ceremony in Edinburgh.

A couple celebrating their marriage at Crossbasket Castle, South Lanarkshire
Venue guide

Crossbasket Castle

A castle wedding venue in South Lanarkshire, half an hour from Glasgow.

Cottiers wedding venue, Glasgow West End
Venue guide

Cottiers

Leiper's Gothic church-turned-theatre in Hyndland — candlelight, stained glass and an "I Do" in neon.

A newly married couple with celebrant John Paul Fitzpatrick under the glass dome of the Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Venue guide

Kibble Palace

Vows under Victorian glass in the Botanic Gardens — tree ferns, statues, and rain as percussion.

A beach wedding ceremony on South Uist — triangle arch dressed in dried flowers on white sand, the Atlantic behind
Place guide

South Uist

Barefoot on a Hebridean beach — white sand, Atlantic light, and a handfasting with the tide out.

Garry Beach, Isle of Lewis — white sand and sea stacks, the setting for Laura and Marc's wedding
Place guide

Garry Beach, Isle of Lewis

Sea stacks, white sand and the Minch as witness — a legal ceremony on one of Lewis's most dramatic beaches.

John Paul Fitzpatrick with wedding coordinator Hazel inside Pollokshields Burgh Hall
Venue guide

Pollokshields Burgh Hall

An A-listed 1890 baronial hall beside Maxwell Park, run by a community trust in Glasgow's Southside.

Katie and Adam signing the marriage schedule together at The Engine Works, Maryhill
Venue guide

The Engine Works, Maryhill

A restored Victorian warehouse on the Forth & Clyde Canal — exposed brick, fairy lights, and my own home patch.

A couple celebrating their humanist wedding on an Arran beach, sea and rocks behind
Place guide

Isle of Arran

Scotland in miniature — beaches, mountains and a ferry crossing that feels like the start of a proper elopement.

A wedding on the Quiraing, Isle of Skye — the couple and celebrant on the clifftop with Trotternish ridges behind
Place guide

Isle of Skye

On top of the world — vows on the Quiraing with half of Skye rolled out beneath you.

A newly married couple and their family on the lawn at Cats Castle, Cardross, the Firth of Clyde behind
Venue guide

Cats Castle

A turreted baronial house above the Clyde at Cardross — lawns, period rooms, and the water in every photograph.

Nicole and Andy toasting with champagne after their wedding at the Brig o' Doon House Hotel, Alloway
Venue guide

Brig o' Doon House

Burns country weddings in Alloway — gardens on the River Doon and the auld brig in your photos.

Christine and Stewart with their celebrant outside the barn at Fruin Farm
Venue guide

Fruin Farm

A working farm in Glen Fruin, over the hill from Loch Lomond — rustic, relaxed and utterly personal.

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Venue guide

The Grosvenor

Victorian terrace grandeur opposite the Botanic Gardens — the West End's classic hotel wedding.

Òran Mór wedding venue
Venue guide

Òran Mór

Glasgow's converted West End church — married under Alasdair Gray's painted sky.

Citation wedding venue
Venue guide

Citation

The old Merchant City courtroom — the happiest verdict ever passed.

The ceremony room at Dalmeny Park House Hotel set for a wedding, rows of silver chairs with navy sashes either side of the aisle, white flowers and candles, crystal chandeliers hanging from the mirrored ceiling
Venue guide

Dalmeny Park

Dalmeny Park House Hotel in Barrhead: marry indoors, keep the garden bandstand for the photographs.

The aisle of the drawing room at Glenbervie House set for a ceremony, tall gold stands of white roses either side, low white roses lining a cream carpet and white chairs under a gold chandelier
Venue guide

Glenbervie House

A Victorian house in Larbert: vows in the drawing room, then straight out onto the terrace.

The ceremony room at The Tudor Hotel in Airdrie, a white aisle runner over tartan carpet, white blossom trees at the front and a piper in Highland dress at the double doors as the newly married couple leave
Venue guide

The Tudor Hotel, Airdrie

The whole wedding under one roof, a short walk from Airdrie station.

Rowallan Castle wedding venue, the wood-panelled library with shelves of leather-bound books
Venue guide

Rowallan Castle

A Lorimer castle out past Kilmaurs, and a panelled Ceremony Room that takes 120.

Glasgow University Chapel wedding venue, carved wooden stalls and stained glass in the Memorial Chapel
Venue guide

Glasgow University Chapel

A 1929 memorial chapel on University Avenue, and yes, humanist ceremonies are allowed.

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel wedding venue, the Orangery set for a ceremony under its glass roof
Venue guide

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel

A red sandstone baronial castle in Pollokshields, and a glass-roofed Orangery that takes 120.

Glasgow Film Theatre wedding venue — guests seated in Cinema 2
Venue guide

Glasgow Film Theatre

An art-deco cinema off Sauchiehall Street — red carpet aisle, and every guest can see you.

The Exchange wedding venue
Venue guide

The Exchange

City-centre glamour on Royal Exchange Square, one wedding a day.

Mar Hall wedding venue
Venue guide

Mar Hall

Five-star Gothic grandeur on the Clyde, ten minutes from the airport.

The Cruin wedding venue
Venue guide

The Cruin

Right on Loch Lomond's shore — the loch as your witness.

Ross Priory wedding venue
Venue guide

Ross Priory

The hidden Gothic gem where I had my own wedding in 2012.

Ardoch wedding venue
Venue guide

Ardoch

The exclusive-use Gartocharn estate — managed by my own cousin.

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Venue guide

Piersland House

Troon's 1899 mansion, built by the Johnnie Walker family — married in the house that whisky built.

A wedding ceremony on Loch Leven's shore at the Isles of Glencoe, the Pap of Glencoe behind
Venue guide

Isles of Glencoe

A hotel on its own peninsula in Loch Leven, Ballachulish — mountains on every side of your vows.

Kinlochard Village Hall dressed for a wedding — chiavari chairs, ribbons and fairy lights
Venue guide

Kinlochard Village Hall

The bonniest wee hall in the Trossachs — fairy lights, ribbons, and Loch Ard through the windows.

Flower stands framing the Firth Pavilion windows at Seamill Hydro, with the beach and the Firth of Clyde beyond
Venue guide

Seamill Hydro

The beach I grew up jumping onto, with Arran on the horizon.

A newly married couple with celebrant John Paul at Riverside Lodge Hotel, Irvine
Venue guide

Riverside Lodge Hotel, Irvine

Ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening do all under one roof on the Ayrshire coast.

The Lagavulin Suite at the Gailes Hotel set for a wedding, a long white aisle lined with candles leading to a flower arch under chandeliers
Venue guide

The Gailes Hotel & Spa, Irvine

Chandeliers in the Lagavulin Suite, a glass-roofed conservatory, and the links on the doorstep.

An ornate historic fireplace at West Lothian Burgh Halls dressed with white flowers
Venue guide

West Lothian Burgh Halls

A dignified civic room in the heart of Linlithgow, right on Edinburgh's doorstep.

The Grand Ballroom at Sloans set for a wedding, a long white aisle between wooden chairs under a vaulted, coffered ceiling and chandeliers
Venue guide

Sloans, Argyle Street

A Category A ballroom above the Argyll Arcade. I've married couples here in June and in January.

A signing table and iron candelabras in front of the carved fireplace at Artà, Glasgow, under dark timber beams
Venue guide

Artà, Merchant City

A candlelit Spanish hacienda in the old cheese market, with the ceremony in front of a great carved fireplace.

Looking up from the deck of the Tall Ship Glenlee at a yellow mast, rigging and a white lifeboat against a cloudy blue sky
Venue guide

The Tall Ship Glenlee

An 1896 Clyde-built barque at the Riverside Museum. Hire all four levels, bring a piper, and give guests a boarding time.

Emily and Gill in their wedding dresses inside The Bothy on Ruthven Lane, timber-clad walls and set tables behind them
Venue guide

The Bothy, Ruthven Lane

A cobbled-lane Scottish restaurant for small weddings, where Emily and Gill passed their rings round every guest.

A ceremony room at One Devonshire Gardens set for a wedding, grey upholstered chairs either side of a patterned-carpet aisle
Venue guide

One Devonshire Gardens

Victorian townhouses off Great Western Road: fireplaces, bay windows and ceremonies for up to 80.

The chancel of the Mackintosh Church at Queen's Cross ready for a wedding, a carved oak table and high-backed Mackintosh chair before dark panelling
Venue guide

Mackintosh Queen's Cross

The only church Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed that was ever built, in Maryhill, with his own chancel table to sign at.

The Grand Ballroom at Boclair House set for a humanist ceremony, a round flower arch framed by mirrored gold pillars and chandeliers
Venue guide

Boclair House, Bearsden

An exclusive-use 1890 mansion in Bearsden, with a chandeliered Grand Ballroom looking onto the lawn.

The ceremony room at the Glazert Country House Hotel, a red carpet aisle between white-covered chairs under chandeliers
Venue guide

Glazert Country House, Lennoxtown

A family-owned country house hotel under the Campsie Fells, with a red-carpet ceremony room and gardens by the river.

The Busby Hotel ceremony room set for a wedding, a round arch of pink and white flowers on a cream aisle runner
Venue guide

The Busby Hotel, Clarkston

A Southside hotel three minutes' walk from Busby station, with a panelled ceremony room and a balcony.

A function suite at Dalziel Park set for a wedding, a white heart-shaped arch dressed with roses in front of French doors
Venue guide

Dalziel Park, Motherwell

A family-run hotel in 250 acres of woodland near Motherwell, with a nine-hole course and private wedding gardens.

A ceremony room at the Strathaven Hotel, cross-back chairs and candles lining a herringbone-floor aisle to a white fireplace
Venue guide

Strathaven Hotel

A listed 1797 country house on the edge of Strathaven, with a plaster-ceilinged ceremony room and a courtyard.

The seaward lawn of the Waterside Hotel set for an outdoor ceremony, white chairs with green sashes either side of a white runner
Venue guide

The Waterside Hotel, Seamill

The other hotel on the Seamill shore: a ceremony on the lawn facing Arran, with an indoor lounge as plan B.

Rows of wooden chairs on the lawn of the walled garden at Kelburn, under the branches of old conifers
Venue guide

Kelburn Castle, Fairlie

The graffiti castle's walled garden, where yews over a thousand years old stand over the lawn, and four more licensed spots on the estate.

The Fairfield Suite at Fairfield House Hotel set for a ceremony, pale chairs with black sashes on a wooden floor
Venue guide

Fairfield House Hotel, Ayr

A Victorian mansion on the Ayr seafront, where one suite hosts the ceremony, the meal and the evening.

Venue guide

The Fox & Willow, Ayr

An Ayr gastropub with a hire-it-yourself Peacock Lounge, right for vow renewals and small, relaxed ceremonies.

Venue guide

Adamton House, Prestwick

An 1885 red sandstone country house near Prestwick Airport, once a US Air Force officers' club.

The Oak and Glass Pavilion at Enterkine dressed for a celebration, oak beams and a glazed gable above a floral stage
Venue guide

Enterkine, Annbank

A 350-acre estate by the River Ayr with an oak and glass pavilion, where Brycen and Ammara celebrated at six in the evening.

The Ballroom aboard Fingal set for a wedding, chairs either side of an aisle under a long skylight and twin staircases
Venue guide

Fingal, Leith

A former lighthouse ship moored in Leith, with a ballroom built into the old hold and room for an intimate wedding.

Venue guide

Kimpton Charlotte Square

Seven Georgian townhouses on Charlotte Square, with event rooms, a glass-roofed courtyard and the square's private gardens.

The New Library at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh set for a December wedding, chairs between tall oak bookcases
Venue guide

Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh

A book-lined library on Queen Street, with balconies above, marble fireplaces and Queen Street Gardens across the road.

The Byre at The Den at Culross set for a wedding, white chairs between a sandstone wall and grey panelling under timber trusses
Venue guide

The Den at Culross

A converted farm steading near Culross in West Fife: ceremonies in a sandstone byre under handmade timber trusses.

Inside the old steading at Guardswell Farm, stone walls under a timber roof, a wood stove above stacked logs and a stable door
Venue guide

Guardswell Farm, Perthshire

A hillside farm steading above the Carse of Gowrie: stone, timber, a firepit lawn and a blank canvas.

Woven chairs set out on the riverside deck at Dunkeld for a wedding, the wide River Tay and wooded hills beyond
Venue guide

Tay House, Dunkeld

Small weddings on a riverside deck over the Tay in Dunkeld, with Telford's bridge in view.

The marquee at The Riviera at Lux set for a wedding, gold chairs either side of a long white aisle to an arch of white flowers
Venue guide

The Riviera at Lux, Stirling

A purpose-built marquee on a farm near Stirling, looking over the Forth to the Wallace Monument.

Rows of dark wicker chairs on the lawn at Altskeith Country House, set out under a huge copper beech
Venue guide

Altskeith Country House, Loch Ard

A white country house on the shore of Loch Ard, with ceremonies under the lawn's great trees.

The grey stone tower of Kilmartin Castle with its round turret, rising between tall conifers under an Argyll sky
Venue guide

Kilmartin Castle, Argyll

A 1550 tower house in Kilmartin Glen for micro weddings of up to twenty, among standing stones and ancient cairns.