Why Castle Wedding Receptions Need Advance Planning

Castle wedding receptions are a vitally important part of the entire castle wedding phenomenon which is becoming more popular with each passing year. The influence of organized religion is ebbing away, and greater numbers of people than ever before are looking to hold their weddings in places which have no religious significance, but which are either beauty spots with a unique atmosphere or which have a history going back for centuries. The castle is one venue which can satisfy both requirements, as well as providing the necessary indoor venue in case of bad weather, and facilities for the reception.

Deciding on a venue for a wedding is never an easy task, as there are so many factors to consider. For many people, there is a need to find a venue which is relatively local, as there will be other family members and friends who will want to attend the event. This consideration can be enough to prevent people from opting for a castle wedding, but if you can meet the financial expense of arranging the trip there are still ways in which it is possible for everyone to attend both the wedding and the reception. It all depends on the facilities on offer at the venue and in the towns nearby.

If a castle is large enough, and has enough facilities, it is possible for your entire wedding party to be housed at the facility so that they just just rise in the morning and be ready for the big event. A large castle such as Ackergill Tower in the Scottish Highlands can house over fifty guests as well as the participants in the wedding. If there is accommodation nearby, your party can be even larger because the venue can accommodate over a hundred people if they are not actually needing rooms at the venue. Few castles have as many facilities as this one, but most can offer something.

wedding venues

The good news is that most castle wedding receptions are relatively small affairs, because of the difficulty involved in friends and family traveling to the venue. This means that there is usually enough room for all of the guests either in the castle itself or nearby. Catering is also easily handled at these venues, and in many cases you can sample local delicacies freshly caught or picked as part of the reception fare. Try to find out in advance what will be available at the reception, and make sure that any special dietary needs are catered for.

The size of the reception can have a profound impact on the expense of a wedding, especially one which is being held in a remote location. Choosing the right plan is vital to making the project work, and many of the venues have specific packages which are priced up on the website to let everyone know what the expense will be in advance. If this feature is not present, be careful! Make sure that you send an email and get a written quote from the venue in advance of any arrangements being made.

wedding packages

The expense of castle wedding receptions can make such a difference to the budget you will need that advance planning is essential. There is a common practice throughout the hospitality industry of deliberately leaving prices off promotional materials so that people are forced to make inquiries. Whatever you think of that as a marketing tactic, you will need to be able to deal with it and get the quotes directly from the management. Only when you have all of the relevant information, along with independent reviews of each establishment will you be able to make the right choice of castle wedding receptions.

How To Plan Castle Weddings To Avoid Disaster

Castle weddings are one of the rising phenomena in a world which is rapidly changing to reflect the dissatisfaction people feel with organized religion, and the skepticism surrounding many of the old vows which have been traditionally used in marriage ceremonies. Weddings are now happening increasingly in places chosen for reasons other than their religious significance, usually their breathtaking scenery and the awe which they can invoke within the visitor. Tropical beaches, stately homes and ancient castles are being used in increasing numbers by those who want a secular wedding in a memorable location.

The major problem with a castle wedding for those who live in North America is that most of the castles which are used for weddings are in Europe. Castles stem from a time before the United States became the world power that it is today, and before there was any travel between the old world and the Americas. Castles have been common in England for centuries, but they can rarely be used now for the purposes for which they were originally intended. This means that the money to keep them in usable condition has to come from other sources, principally tourism. Weddings have become an increasingly important part of that tourism.

It is not only in England that castles were built as fortresses or as places for armies to be based. In the days when relations between England and Scotland were less than amicable there were also castles built north of the border, many of which survive today. The Scottish castle can provide a breathtaking setting for a wedding, but be sure you are ready to cope with the weather conditions. England's climate is wet and unpredictable, although it is guaranteed to be relatively cold in the winter months. Scotland is never warm, but it can be drier in the spring and extremely cold in winter.

There are also venues which allow castle weddings in the Principality of Wales, and across the sea in Ireland. The Welsh castles are also ancient and have been preserved through the efforts of willing volunteers and more recently money from government sources. Any tourist income which comes in is especially welcome, so the castles have started to seek their share of the wedding market. The climate of Wales is also wet and the skies are typically gray and overcast. Ireland has castles also, and may be of special interest to Americans with Irish ancestors.

A castle wedding can be expensive to plan if it involves a lot of traveling, and there can also be the problem of the distance being too far for friends and family to travel. Part of the problem of the expense problem can be solved if you are prepared to have the honeymoon in the same region. If you are getting married in a British castle, you will need to be able to cope with the climatic conditions. The problem of the guests can also be partially solved if you are able to send back pictures through the Internet, which will give them the next best thing to being there.

The planning of castle weddings used to be a nightmare in the past, because it involved communicating over long distances to even get the most basic of information which was needed to make an informed choice. Now, things couldn't be more different, as castles and the trusts which manage them are all competing for your business, and a simple Internet search will give you many possibilities. It is worth searching deeper, though, because you never know who may have an excellent castle for a wedding, even if their site is not optimized for the search engines. You will find many possibilities for venues for castle weddings.

Find Castle Wedding Locations Throughout The Old World

Castle wedding locations are easy enough to find when you search on the Internet, but this does not necessarily mean that they are going to be easy to get to or reach. If you live in North America, you will need to find a way to travel to the old world to experience the hospitality which a medieval castle can offer. Most of them are found in Europe, with the British Isles being the obvious choice as the language, political system and culture will be familiar to those visiting from across the Atlantic.

England is a popular location for castle weddings, and it has many advantages for the American traveler. Flights into the airports surrounding London are frequent and there are often discounts of you book at the right time. Great Britain does not impose any visa requirements upon American visitors, so arranging a trip should be quick and easy. The castles themselves are found throughout England, including in the south east only a short journey away from London. Hedingham Castle in Essex is one which regularly hosts weddings and civil ceremonies,and it is easy to reach from London or the airport at Stansted.

The northern part of England and the Borders region of Scotland also have many castles which are open to the tourist public and which can be used as wedding venues. The climate in these regions is colder and generally more unsettled than the south, although the climate is always unpredictable in the British Isles. The Border region has one of the most famous venues of all for wedding ceremonies, that being Gretna Green, where thousands of eloping couples have crossed the border into Scotland so that they could be married in secret without being subject to English laws or the wrath of their families. There is a castle very close to Gretna Green, and that is Comlongon Castle.

The Highlands of Scotland have the feel of a completely different country from the Border region, but they also boast some ideal castle wedding locations. When planning a trip to the Highlands you need to be mindful of the fact that this is the least densely populated area of the United Kingdom and that transportation routes and facilities are sparse to say the least. Ackergill Tower is one Scottish castle resort which has all of the benefits of a rural location, such as the spectacular views of the sea and surrounding countryside, but which is also accessible as it is relatively close to the Scotrail line.

Wales also has its share of castles which date back to the medieval times, and these have suffered through the years from the fact that Wales itself has no sovereign government to oversee the interests of historical buildings. Now that there is a Welsh Assembly there is more which can be done, but the trust who own the castles have been quick to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the expansion of the wedding industry. There are also castles in Ireland both sides of the border, which may be a significant attraction for Americans with Irish ancestry.

These castle wedding locations are geared up to take maximum advantage of a growing market in non-traditional weddings, and their advertising and web presence makes them easy to find. In the past, booking any kind of foreign trip was difficult, but now you can just log on to the Internet and see for yourself how different castles are providing this service. The competition is now so strong that every castle has been forced to develop its own fully illustrated site to be able to compete for business. This makes it easy to compare different castle wedding locations.

Find The Right Medieval Castle For Wedding Ceremonies

Castle for wedding ceremonies is becoming one of the most popular and sought after venues in those parts of the world where ancient castles are common. The lack of interest and belief in organized religion which characterizes most of modern society is leading people to look for alternative venues to churches and religious buildings for weddings, and most of the venues which are being used are either luxury venues with a prestige and an atmosphere, or they are places of historical importance. The castle satisfies both criteria, and although you may have to travel a long way to find one, the experience is sure to be one you will never forget.

There are castles to be found in most parts of Europe, including the British Isles. If you are concerned about the language barrier, or want to be sure that you will be able to relate to the culture of the place you are visiting, then England will be a sensible choice. Be warned, though, that the climate is unreliable and can be cold and wet even in summer, when the demand for castle wedding venues is at its highest. The weather in the south east is typically slightly better, and this is where you will find Hedingham Castle, one of the medieval castles in England which regularly hosts weddings.

The south west of England does not suffer from extreme cold, but anywhere in the west of England is prone to high rainfall. In the south west county of Dorset you will find Highcliffe Castle, another popular venue and castle for weddings and civil ceremonies. As you move further north, and into Scotland, the average temperature drops accordingly. Averages mean very little in Great Britain as the temperature and conditions vary so greatly. In the Borders region of Scotland you will find Comlongon Castle, the nearest castle to the famous elopement town of Gretna Green.

This can be an ideal castle for wedding ceremonies if you are intending to keep the whole thing quiet until the deed is done, and if this is the case you will probably be too busy to worry about potential problems with the Scottish weather. For those who are even more brave, Ackergill Tower in the Scottish Highlands offers some of the most breathtaking views of the sea and the Highland landscape, as well as the luxury you would expect from a prestige venue. Just be sure to realize that the climate in the far north of Scotland can be extremely cold, and strong winds are a virtually omnipresent feature.

There are inevitably some logistical problems with castle weddings, such as where the guests you want to bring with you are going to stay. If you have the budget, you can often have visitors staying at the castle itself. Ackergill Tower, for instance, can take over fifty guests and serve food to over a hundred. It is unlikely that anyone coming from North America will have enough guests to exhaust that quota, and similar facilities can be found at other castles for wedding ceremonies.

Another difficulty of using a castle for wedding ceremonies is that it usually prevents someone you would have liked to have there from actually attending. Castles are not typically easy places to get to, even if you live in the same country. Video recording or even live streaming over the Internet can help to solve this problem, although the details will need to be worked out in advance. With modern technology, there is no reason why anyone should not have at least virtual access to the castle for wedding.

How To Make Scottish Castle Weddings Work For You

Scottish castle weddings are just one of the many possibilities for those who are seeking something different from the traditional wedding in a church or other religious building. As the influence of organized religion has waned in modern society, people have been seeking alternative places in which to make their vows and commitments, places which would feel more comfortable and reassuring to them. Most of these venues are either beauty spots which feel invigorating and stimulating, or places steeped in history, and with a Scottish castle you get both.

There are many castles in Scotland which now operate within the business and tourism sector, offering facilities to corporate guests as well as the opportunity to get married with the castle and its grounds. These castles usually date from medieval times, and they need a consistent income to be properly maintained. Offering them as wedding venues is a certain money maker for the trusts which own them, and there is never any shortage of demand for the service. The expenses involved for those getting married will vary greatly depending upon how many guests there are going to be and whether any of them will be staying overnight, but it is possible to have a fully featured wedding for under a thousand dollars.

Of course this does not take into account the potential expenses of traveling to the venue, if you don't happen to live in Scotland. Visitors from North America will need to fly in to one of the British airports and then travel by train to the nearest station. A private hire vehicle will then be needed to get you from the station to the venue itself. The castles themselves can be in any part of Scotland, from the Border region closest to England to the far north of the Highlands, and conditions vary considerably from one region to another.

Many Scottish castle weddings take place in the Borders, because this is the easiest and cheapest part of Scotland to reach for the majority of people. The Border region is also where the famous town of Gretna Green is based, very close to Carlisle in England. This small town is famous as the place were English couples have traditionally eloped to escape from more restrictive religious and political practices in England, and from parents and families who were against the idea of them getting married in the first place. The nearest castle to Gretna Green is Comlongon Castle.

For those who want to travel even further north to the Scottish Highlands there are also castles to be found there, including Ackergill Tower which has one of the most comprehensive packages on offer to all corporate and wedding guests. It also has the benefit of being relatively close to the most northerly section of railroad line in the British Isles, meaning it is not incredibly difficult to reach. For views and scenery there is nowhere to beat it, although you will need to be prepared for the harsh climate and high winds which the region experiences.

Finding information on how and where to find Scottish castle weddings has never been easier now that all of the castles themselves have quality Internet sites. There is no longer any need to try to find travel folders for as many of the venues as possible, and then to try to correspond remotely with the venues to try to get something organized. The websites give you a clear indication of the appearance of the castle and the surrounding area, and the facilities are well described. Combine this with independent reviews of people who have stayed there, and you should be able to make the right choice from the many Scottish castle weddings.

Chief Wedding Planners

 

 

wedding location

 

Destination Wedding Survival Guide - Click Here

 

 

Wedding Packages News:

 

Of pink poodles and velvet curtains: Picking the wedding venue - Baltimore Sun (blog)

Of pink poodles and velvet curtains: Picking the wedding venue
Baltimore Sun (blog)
Fortunately, being as familiar with our fair city as we are, my fiancĂ I had a pretty short list of potential wedding venues. We crafted this list based on location, budget and most importantly, ambiance. The overall goal of our wedding is to create an .

..

Wedding Photography Packages Now Available in Every U.S. City from WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com
Wedding photography packages are available now in every U.S. city from WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com. Top wedding photographers from around the country can be contacted quickly online through this wedding website and deliver accurate quotes for wedding photos and related services.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2012 Wedding photography can be hit or miss for many brides-to-be when planning their ...


Wedding Services in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld
During the past five years, many economic and consumer trends acted against the Wedding Services industry. High unemployment reduced budgets for weddings and also postponed nuptials as individuals returned to school. In addition, longer engagements, cohabitation before marriage and a higher average marriage age all became more acceptable, pushing the marriage rate down. Although some of these ...


Resorts in Phoenix Offer Stunning Outdoor Wedding Venues - MarketWatch (press release)

Resorts in Phoenix Offer Stunning Outdoor Wedding Venues
MarketWatch (press release)
TEMPE, AZ, Apr 26, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The first item on any bride's checklist, after the date, is picking the perfect venue. At the Phoenix Marriott Tempe at the Buttes, couples can say "I do" in a breathtaking outdoor wedding venue in .

and more »
..


It's a wedding cakewalk
PLANNING a wedding takes time -- and much patience -- as there are many details, some more intricate than others, that require attention. If you do not have the time or the patience, quite possibly both, it is best to hire a wedding planner...


Plan Your Wedding at the Miami Airport Marriott
Hotel's All-Inclusive Wedding Packages Offer the Convenience of One-Stop-Shopping..


 

wedding location

 

Destination Wedding Survival Guide - Click Here

 

share