A farm steading, a sandstone byre and a pair of church doors.

What the Den actually is

Three spaces, all in the old farm buildings. The Byre is part of the traditional steading, and over the years it has held grain, livestock and general storage. The family had the roof rebuilt by hand so the timber trusses stay on show, and sandblasted the old white paint off the walls to bring the sandstone back. That's where the ceremonies happen, and the venue says it seats up to 150. The Barn next door was a machinery and grain shed; it keeps the old cattle troughs behind the bar and takes up to 250 for dinner and dancing. Between them is a sheltered courtyard for drinks, with a loft above it for getting ready, and there's a two-bedroom cottage on the farm for the night.

The ceremony end

The best detail in the Byre is at the far end. There was an old platform up to the electrics board; the family built a cupboard underneath it, gave it arched timber doors like a wee church's, and the space in front of those doors became the ceremony spot. That's where I stood, with a spray of flowers over the doors, the rows of chairs running back between the stone and the panelling, and bulbs hanging from the trusses. The venue says the balcony above gives a photographer a clear view of every face in the room. We signed at a table under one of the windows set into the stone.

What I would check first

The Den is a blank canvas: you hire the space and bring many of your own suppliers. That's real freedom, and it's also more to organise, so decide early who sets out the chairs, who runs the music and who presses play on your entrance. My couple's wedding party walked in to a film soundtrack, and it only landed because somebody knew the cue.

Check your numbers against the venue's, too: it quotes 70 to 250 guests, so it's built for a proper party rather than a tiny wedding. The venue's car park takes 54 cars, with more room in the farmyard for coaches. And if you'd like your guests watching you rather than their phones, say so at the start, as my couple did. Still choosing who stands at the front? Here are the questions to ask your wedding celebrant.

The legal bit, handled

A humanist wedding in Scotland is legally binding, and as a Humanist Society Scotland celebrant I take care of every legal word of it: the declarations, the schedule, the witnesses. I write each ceremony from scratch, around the two of you. I'm based in Glasgow, and I'm a humanist wedding celebrant covering Fife as well as the capital. My Edinburgh wedding celebrant page has more on weddings in the east.

More Edinburgh & Fife venues I know inside out: Riddles Court · Kimpton Charlotte Square · Royal College of Physicians · Fingal, Leith · West Lothian Burgh Halls