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Enchanting Megginch Castle Wedding
Megginch Castle is a superb new elegant wedding venue with a famous past. Nadia & Steven loved the beautiful courtyard and expansive grounds.
Megginch Castle may be a superb new elegant wedding venue but once upon a time, a long long time ago (well actually in the 90’s) the castle’s historic courtyard hosted movie stars, including Liam Neeson, for the filming of the 1995 movie Rob Roy.
The Wedding Ceremony
Nadia & Steven chose Megginch Castle for their wedding after COVID meant they re-evaluated their original plan to elope to Spain. They loved the beautiful courtyard and chose the light conservatory for their ceremony but they could have chose the chapel or the gardens.
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Places to Explore
The castle is a hidden gem, I love little adventures and Megginch had lots of great places to explore. The conservatory links the courtyard via the grand ballroom to the gardens with it’s 1000yr old yew trees, fun topiary, fountain and expansive lawns. There are also horses to go say hello to and a tiny chapel in the groups which can be used for religious ceremonies.
Surprise, Surprise!
Nadia and Steven’s guests were entertained with croquet and the big surprise of the night was when the waiter fell over and then got up and started singing. Nadia had told us that it would be happening so we were waiting in anticipation for him to fall. As a guest ran to help the poor fallen waiter, he jumped up and started singing and caused a lot of hilarity. Everyone loved the impromptu performance, guests were standing on the chairs, dancing, swinging their napkins around their heads. Danielle and I ran around the room having far too much fun capturing it on camera to make sure the fun was bottled up for Nadia & Steven to look back on and laugh.
The Magical wedding Team
Venue – Megginch Castle
Event Management: Jan Deegan Next Step Events
Officiant – Margery Bambrick
Photographer – Ali Jay Photography
Videographer - Danielle Watt
Hair stylist – Hair Ups
Make-up artist – Christina Grace
Nadia’s outfit – Pronovias - San Patrick
Cake – Celebration Stations
Are you Planning a wedding at Megginch Castle?
Get in touch today, I’d love to be part of your amazing wedding team.
Barnbougle Castle - A Unique Castle Wedding By The Sea
Barnbougle Castle is a beautiful picturesque exclusive use wedding venue near Edinburgh with panoramic views over the River Forth and an exclusive beach. Check out Louisa & Jonny’s wedding at the castle.
Louisa & Jonny chose the uniqueness of Barnbougle Castle for their wedding.
It is a relatively new venue which takes on a limited number of weddings each year.
You get exclusive use of the castle and it’s grounds which are tucked away within the beautiful Dalmeny Estate which sits on the Forth Estuary, just outside Edinburgh.
What is the history of Barnbougle Castle?
There has been something on the Barnbougle site since the 13th century. The current castle was reconstructed in the 19th century for the 5th Earl of Roseberry - who served as Prime Minister from 1894 to 1895 - to work and entertain and then it was refurbished in 2019 to become a new venue for Roseberry Venues. The castle is owned by the Earls of Roseberry. Like most castle’s is has evolved over the years from the 13th century tower house to it’s present form.
It sits on a rocky terrace projecting it out slightly into the estuary. Louisa and Jonny had a beautiful day for their wedding so chose to get married on the terrace. The terrace wraps around the castle and has panoramic views over the river and the islands in the Forth.
Hi from Ali
Thanks for visiting. For over 10 years I’ve explored and photographed amazing castles and wedding venues and Barnbougle Castle has to be one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland and I’m very excited you are considering it.
I’d love to help you, so please drop me a wee email with your plans and I’ll send you a personal email with information personalised to you and your plans.
Scottish Castle Venue Guide
I love Barnbougle but if you like to know more about castle weddings, check out my Scottish castle guide for other castles around Edinburgh?
Layout
The castle has such beautiful features including the grand stone spiral staircase which links the Scottish Library to the Banquetting Hall on the second floor and up to the third floor where there is a bedroom and access to the minstrel’s gallery above the hall.
About Wedding Photography At Barnbougle Castle
Would you like to know about my flexible packages, designed to be personalised to suit your day? Find out prices or more about my work?
The Scottish Library
If the weather is not so desirable you can hold your ceremony in the stunning Scottish Library on the bottom floor of the castle.
The library connects to the terraces and some smaller rooms which can be good if you need a quiet space.
Louisa and Jonny used this area for guests to enjoy drinks and to cut their cake.
Just along the corridor from the library there are some bookcases which hide the toilets and are a very fun feature.
Private Beach
There is a private beach a very short distance from the castle. We went down at sunset.
It was a beautiful private place for Louisa and Jonny to explore together and a great place to get some beautiful photos with the castle and the estuary behind.
The Banqueting Hall
On the second floor the banqueting hall with it’s stunning barrel vaulted ceiling has to be one of the most fantastic reception space’s I have seen.
I noticed guests enjoying the view from the windows which looked out over the Forth River.
The Minstrels gallery
During the reception I was able to creep up into the Minstrels gallery on the third floor which gave me a brilliant view of the whole hall and all the guests enjoying the speeches.
You could even do a speech from the gallery if you wanted something a little different.
Getting Ready
On the top floor of the castle they have a beautiful room where you can get ready if you wish to.
Unfortunately you can’t stay there over night but it would be a lovely fun place to get ready and watch your guests below enjoying the terrace and views.
There are plenty hotels nearby such as Orocco Pier or Dakota. Louisa chose to get ready at her home.
Dakota is a beautiful hotel nearby with an excellent restaurant and cocktail bar but when I have photographed wedding prep there the bride has asked to use a lovely bar area near the entrance of the hotel for their hair and make up as the rooms are very very dark. This is always something worth thinking about as your hair and make up team will struggle in a dark environment.
Orocco Pier is located within the old village of South Queensferry and is a beautiful place to stay with fantastic staff, delicious food and great cocktails.
How do I get to Barnbougle Castle?
Barnbougle sits just to the north of Edinburgh between Cramond and South Queensferry within the Dalmeny Estate which is a popular place for a nice walk. There are beautiful walks in the Dalmeny Estate and you can view Dalmeny House and visit some beaches in the estate but you will need to request permission to drive in to walk in fenced off part of the estate where Barnbougle Castle is. The Dalmeny Estate entrance is just off the B924 road to South Queensferry. One of the best ways to view the castle and it’s situation on hound point, is from the river, on one of the Inchcolm Island boat trips.
Planning Your Own Barnbougle Castle Wedding?
Get in touch today, I’d love to be part of your amazing wedding team.
