MACHERMORE CASTLE - NEWTON STEWART WEDDING

IF YOU’RE PLANNING A WEDDING AT MACHERMORE CASTLE IN NEWTON STEWART, YOU’LL ENJOY THIS WEDDING!

Hayley and Alistair got married at Machermore Castle, which is a fantastic 16th century Baronial House in Newton Stewart with countryside views. It was one of the most fun weddings I’ve shot and even the rain didn’t dampen the day!

Alistair grew up in Galloway and was eager to get married there. His search for a wedding venue ended at Machermore Castle, Hayley to this day still doesn’t know how! But when we they went to look around they knew it would be the perfect location for their wedding. Hayley said that there was a lot of flexibility for us to decorate it the way that they wanted and they had a beautiful backdrop of the river Cree.

The proposal happened in August 2018 at Talnotry, just down the road from the wedding. They had previously talked about getting married and so Hayley knew that it was on the cards. They walked up to the top of a waterfall in the Galloway Forest, it was pouring with rain and Alistair got down on one knee. They were then supposed to do a zipwire nearby but with clothes drenched they decided to skip that and go straight for food and cake instead.

The ceremony

The ceremony was a humanist service which was held in the ballroom (It was originally set to be outside but unfortunately rain cancelled play). They decorated the area with wildflowers, which I loved. Hayley says that they were going for a woodland theme but quite classic with crystal vases and vessels. Luckily this really translated when the ceremony was moved indoors. They used local wood to line the aisle. During the ceremony they had several beautiful readings from friends and family. It was so personal.

The champagne reception was held upstairs in the period drawing rooms at Machermore Castle, which gave people plenty of opportunity to relax and chat, whilst the ballroom was transformed into an elaborate dining room – Weddings at Machermore Castle are amazing, because it’s got bags of atmosphere.

Why Machermore Castle is a great place to get married

Machermore Castle is perfect for couples who want a chilled out wedding, and is one of the loveliest places to get married in Newton Stewart. The venue offers so many incredible backdrops that are perfect for wedding photographs.

The party

The couple had live music . The band were all old college friends, which was a lovely touch and the band sounded amazing and their first dance was ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’, by Randy Jackson. For the second dance they had Never Too Much by Luther Vandross – every single guest joined the dance floor at this point! I just remember laughing a lot, they were having the best time surrounded by family and friends.

The couple

Hayley wore a white skirt and top, which she says in hindsight was a brilliant decision as it wasn’t too heavy or big and she was very thankful when walking in the rain and when dancing. Alistair wore a traditional kilt in a modern tartan (Robertson, just because he liked it) and they looked really perfect. Hayley also chose not to have a bouquet and decided to have a corsage which stayed on her wrist all day and instead of a veil she chose a fresh flower hair comb which was handmade on the morning of the wedding.

Advice for planning your wedding at Machermore Castle

Hayley said “don’t sweat the small stuff. As long as you both have what you want on the day that’s all that matters – know one notices the small stuff. Also, if it rains don’t worry, it means you’ll have some awesome photos (if you’ve got Dan!).

Alistair said that his favourite part of the day was watching Hayley walk down the aisle. He said that he has never felt happier and it was a really proud moment!

When we first saw Dan’s photography we loved the atmosphere and contemporary feel to his pictures and knew with our venue we would get some great shots! Dan was fantastic on the day from start to finish. He did whatever he had to do to get the shots we wanted. He went above and beyond and got soaked in the rain! He was an absolute pleasure to deal with and made us feel at ease throughout the day. The photos speak for themselves, they are absolutely beautiful and exceeded any expectations we had.

If you’re planning a wedding at Machermore Castle, get in touch!