Honest Review from a Gleddoch Bride

It’s one of the first things you look into after getting engaged – the venue. Swept up in the excitement of starting to plan your dream wedding, it can become overwhelming quite quickly. Especially a wedding venue in Scotland. We are spoiled for choice with beautiful castles, manor homes, converted barns, lochs and seaside hotels. So how on earth do you know which one is going to give you the perfect day?

Taking the plunge and booking a venue is a massive step forward in wedding planning. It means you’ve committed, chosen a date. But how do you know that the venue is exactly what you want if you have never even been there in person before? It was the subject of a lot of stress for my fiancé and I. We had gotten engaged in the middle of lockdown and to top it all off, we live in the Netherlands. I was adamant that I was going to be married back home in Scotland, so that meant that we found ourselves on many a zoom call with our shortlist of venues.

Knowing that we wanted to get married in 2022, and with the sheer number of postponed weddings from the two years prior, we knew we had to book somewhere quickly to secure the date we wanted. At that time, borders were still nowhere near to being opened for non-essential travel, so we took a deep breath, trusted our instincts, and booked the Gleddoch for our wedding.

We had been given a zoom tour of the Garden Room room, the grounds, as well as some of the rooms and suites. We trawled the internet for reviews, YouTube for vlogs of other people who had gotten married or stayed there – just to try and get a better feel for the place. We were hard pressed to find anyone with a bad thing to say and that made us feel secure in our choice. All we had to do was wait until we could get on a plane to attend a planning meeting in person.

I’ll never forget coming up that drive for the first time, with clear September skies outlining the stunning Gleddoch house, my fiancé and I looked at each other and smiled. Had there ever really been any competition? We originally had Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort on our list because it ticked all of the boxes for us – it had a great location close to the city, as well as Glasgow airport for the side of the family who had to travel for the wedding. Plus it was so quintessentially ‘Scottish’ with the gorgeous tartan details and stag decorations. Adding in the luxury bonus of the spa facilities and we couldn’t have asked for more.

As it turned out, Gleddoch became our place of choice for events running up to the wedding as well. I had my hen weekend there, sampling the delicious afternoon tea in the Vista Restaurant where the views over the golf course and the estuary are second-to-none. A relaxing spa day followed as we enjoyed the solarium, sauna and steam rooms. With a view of Ben Lomond in the distance and a lucky sighting of an eagle flying high above, we sipped champagne in the rooftop jacuzzi and I thought to myself how lucky I was that I was going to be married in a place like this.

Continuing our celebrations at Gleddoch, the night before the wedding rolled around and our coordinator, Beverley, had everything well in hand. We dropped off some of the decorations that we had brought ourselves, and with swift efficiency she assured us that she would take care of everything and we should just go and enjoy ourselves. As myself and my bridesmaids got settled into the Junior Suite for the night, complete with the necessary matching pyjama sets and prosecco, the groom was busy welcoming his family into Scottish luxury.

The junior suite was the perfect choice for us. Not only did the cloud-like beds give me the best night’s sleep before the biggest day of my life, it was perfect for bridal party preparations the morning of the wedding. A fresh breakfast of warm pastries, fruit salads, and yoghurt was brought to the room on a tray as bridal preparations got underway. I remember sitting in the chair as my hair was getting curled, watching as the early-morning clouds gave way to what was going to be the sunniest day of the year so far.

Once again, our coordinator had everything planned down to the minute. Our vendors arrived and set up the reception room, cake and flowers under her careful supervision while we relaxed in the suite. Popping up to our suite now and again with updates, and to ask if we needed anything, Beverley made sure that we were never left wanting. With such efficiency, the morning of the wedding never once felt rushed. By the time I was in my dress and our photographer had finished his final shots, the door opened and it was time to go and get married.

Our ceremony happened off-site at the church where I grew up, but despite all of the guests leaving for a couple of hours and with no exact time for return, somehow Beverley and her team were ready and waiting with a glass of champagne for all of our guests on arrival. With the gorgeously sunny weather, we enjoyed canapes on the terrace while photos were taken with the stunning view across the Clyde Estuary. Overheating slightly, I took a break in the Garden Room, and before I could blink I was presented with ice-cold water and a selection of our canapes that had been kept back for myself and the groom, just incase we hadn’t had a chance to taste them yet.

Back in the wedding planning phase, I had always known that I wanted a location that would give a lot of scope for photography. We had all of that and more at Gleddoch. Not only did we have the stunning House Hotel as a backdrop, but we had the view of the mountains, the picturesque gardens, as well as the use of the golf course for a sunset photo shoot. When we were delivered our wedding album it took my breath away at how unbelievably spectacular the scenery looked.

For most of the wedding day I was just so joyously happy that I felt like I was in a bubble, so I was exceedingly glad that there were other people taking care of the organization. The staff of Gleddoch were truly a credit to the hotel. Not only did they cater to every single one of myself and my husband’s needs, but they went over and above for every single one of our guests. On more than one occasion my family came up to me to comment on how smoothly the day had run, and on how they never felt like there were luls in the entertainment. But the biggest highlight of the day for everyone was the food.

Knowing that we wanted to give the groom’s side of the family a true taste of Scotland, we chose our menu accordingly. From haggis bon-bons, to smoked Scottish salmon, to game terrine, the Dutch and French guests were pleasantly surprised by what Scotland had to offer. As the bride I felt that no one would begrudge me a second dessert, so I polished off both mine and my mum’s chocolate and honeycomb brownie. Needless to say that come 10pm, the rolls and sausage at the evening buffet were well and truly demolished before I could even blink.

Your wedding day will always be the most special day of your life, and you want to choose a place with people who will go to any lengths to make it that little bit extra for you. Whether it was Amy placing linens over the golf buggy so that my dress wouldn’t get dirty, or Lee attempting to speak French to book taxi’s, or Shaun diligently carrying my train for me when I couldn’t find my bridesmaids. The staff at Gleddoch always put us first. It was there when the kitchen staff went the extra mile and saved some of our cake for us, delivering it to the honeymoon suite the following evening. It was there when the housekeepers brought us extra towels and robes without being asked. The people were what truly made our wedding spectacular, and for that I cannot thank them enough.

Gleddoch now holds a very special place in our hearts and our memories as the place we became husband and wife. But further than that, it became the place that our families met for the first time. Where we laughed, and cried, and danced the night away. If you want a wedding venue that puts the people first, then Gleddoch is the place for you.

My only regret is that I’m not able to do it all over again.