Unusual wedding venues in Scotland

Ranging from large palatial hotels with fairy-tale features, to small forts with a more homely lodge feel, each Scottish castle venue is a unique wedding location with its own tale to tell. 

If you're after a venue with a more unusual edge, then a historic ruin might be just what you're looking for. Walking down the aisle of an old castle, abbey or cathedral will create a sense of occasion and make for dramatic photographs. Guests will feel as though they've stepped straight into a storybook as they cross a moat, fill a great hall or enter a woodland chapel for your ceremony.

Choose a venue in the country for a scenic ceremony and a unique festival theme at your reception. A number of farms offer accommodation and even converted barns for a really charming celebration, including hay bales, fairy lights and horse-drawn carts.

For an intimate family wedding, you could book a traditional cottage featuring home-cooked food and post-ceremony walks in the surrounding countryside. With loch-side treehouses, rural museums, quaint village halls and woodland cabins, rural Scotland offers a great range of venues for couples who want something a bit different.

Perhaps you'd like to whisk your guests away to islands such as Arran, Orkney, Shetland or Islay (or one of the many, many more in between!). Imagine a ceremony with stunning waterside views and everyone gathering around a bonfire on the beach at the end of the day.

Whether you want to charter a boat to a small island for your ceremony, or have your whole wedding at a luxury island hotel, you'll find that the island's character will help to inspire your day, from local food and favours, to fun activities for guests.

An inspirational venue can help you to create a unique wedding theme. Why not choose a venue which reflects a mutual interest, such as a football or rugby stadium, whisky distillery, golf resort, brewery, animal park or other type of visitor attraction?

Lovers of Scottish literature could book a historic venue associated with famous writers, such as Robert Burns or Sir Walter Scott. Elegant Georgian town houses, stately homes with 1930s decor, art galleries and museums are unusual venues which can really set the scene for the day. Following a ceremony at a traditional Highland lodge, guests from near and far will love a fun Scottish-themed activity, such as a mini Highland Games, whisky tasting or a ceilidh.

Did you know that it's possible to get married aboard a boat in Scottish waters? A chartered boat around the coast or a canal would make for a unique wedding venue. Or you could reach a riverside venue by speed boat, or cross a loch in a rowing boat after your ceremony.

For a sense of occasion, choose one of Scotland's historic ships which are moored in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Other options include restaurant boats on waterways and at docks such as the floating hotel, Fingal, berthed in Leith, Edinburgh. Another elegant option is to incorporate a steam train into your day, as a mode of transport, or even as a venue for your reception - some can be hired exclusively and have on-board catering carriages.

Pick an unusual seaside wedding venue for a sublime coastal wedding in Scotland. Choose former lighthouses and old fishing cottages for a ceremony with historic roots, seaside ballrooms and piers for old-world charm, beaches for natural backdrops, or even a reception in an aquarium!

If you've always dreamed of having your ceremony set against spectacular natural scenery, then having an outdoor venue on your wedding day is a great option. Celebrate your whole day outside with a hilltop panorama and a yurt  as your evening reception venue, or select an estate or a garden which offers both indoor and outdoor spaces.

If you're lucky enough to have Scottish heritage, why not connect with your roots and plan a wedding in a location associated with your clan? Clans often have connections with specific castles and lands which would be the perfect spot for a wedding.