Their story….
Fiona and Jessica are two Scottish girls who live on the other side of the world. Their dream of returning home to the Scottish Highlands for the most magical wedding came true at Achnagairn Estate.
It’s a big decision, finding the perfect venue. What made Achnagairn the dream location?
We wanted to get married in a beautiful castle somewhere in the Highlands, close to where both our families are. Achnagairn Estate is only 4 miles from where I grew up. It ticked all our boxes – a private and secluded weekend, a beautiful, dramatic ballroom and the addition of the mini manors which meant we could accommodate all our guests for the whole weekend.
You planned your wedding from halfway round the world. How did you manage?
We managed to organise everything with a large spreadsheet keeping track of payment deadlines and frequent video calls to our suppliers. We enjoyed creating the colour scheme of the wedding and the Bridesmen’s outfits the most! We also very much enjoyed our sample menu tastings!
You made the most of your time at Achnagairn, partying over several days…
On the first night we had a garden party and hired Ry’s Slice who was serving out pizzas. It was great to have a more informal event the night before our wedding because it gave us chance to catch up with friends and family, some of whom we hadn’t seen for quite a while. We had 82 day guests and an extra 30ish evening guests.
The highlight for us was getting piped down the aisle after we were married by Dougie, Piper on Parade to ‘Hielan Laddie’ – such an upbeat and celebratory tune. We also loved getting piped back in for dinner and along the mezzanine, looking down and waving to all our guests who were cheering very loudly!
Our caterers, Good Highland Food, were a highlight for our guests and several of them told us the wedding breakfast was the best food they had ever had at a wedding. Our guests also absolutely loved our band, The Rollin’ Drones and said they made it the best wedding night ever.
Any advice for couples considering a similar wedding?
Achnagairn have fantastic wedding co-ordinators who make sure the day goes smoothly; we had Cara who was an absolute gem. Don’t worry about anything on the day, it will be taken care of. Be prepared well in advance with guest numbers and get the mini manors booked up. I think it was the attention the detail and regular communication which made this an extraordinary experience. Our favourite features were the ballroom, the gardens and the stunning bridal suite but everything was flawless.
There is not a single thing we would have done differently, the whole weekend was perfect.
Venue | Achnagairn Estate
Photographer | Michael Carver Photography
Videographer | Highland Love Stories
Celebrant | Kirsty Harding, Humanist Society Scotland
Florist | Amanda Call
Piper | Dougie, Piper on Parade
Band | The Rollin Drones
MUA | Gillian Hoban
Hair | Suzanne McMahon at Hår
Cake | Cupcake Creations
Caterers | Good Highland Food & Ry’s Slice
Decor/Lighting | Eva’s Covers
