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Scottish Laws and Traditions

You might be very surprised to know that you can get married anywhere in Scotland? In a wonderful Treehouse like ours at The Lodge on Loch Goil, on top of a mountain, on a beautiful loch side or even on a beach.  Just pick your favourite location and follow your heart..

One of the greatest reasons to get married in Scotland is that you can exchange your vows practically anywhere you want. The minister, priest, registrar or humanist carries a licence that means you can choose your venue, no matter how wild or romantic!

Choosing the right venue means that you are selecting the right canvas which your wedding will be painted.

Weddings in Scotland

You can have a religious or a civil marriage in Scotland or a humanist wedding the choice is yours.

Minister 

A religious marriage may take place anywhere that an officiating clergy will agree to. This kind of wedding can also be conducted according to other belief systems.

Our local Minister Robin, can conduct the ceremony, outside, in our amazing Arts & Crafts room, on the terrace, in the Orangery or in our amazing treehouse.  If you prefer you can go the local church in the village of Lochgoilhead just 2 miles from the venue.

Registrar 

A civil wedding can be held in a registration office or in any of a list of approved places of your selected location.

The Registrars that we work with here at the Lodge, Margaret Brewer is the head registrar and runs the office in Dunnon with Leanda, Sam, and Stephanie. All of these woman I personally find so amazing and very professional at all times.

Margaret’s Words 

One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to any couple who wish to get married, they must contact us as soon as possible regardless of whether it is a civil ceremony/religious or other believe ceremony regarding all legal paperwork as it is not always straightforward, for example they may require to obtain marriage visas, certified translations of documents etc.

This link to our dedicated registration website which will show all the different types of ceremonies that we provide.

https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/marriage/

Humanist

Humanist ceremonies were granted legal status in 2005 and are an increasingly popular marriage ceremony option.

A Humanist wedding ceremony offers you a very personal and meaningful way in which to celebrate your marriage.  Each ceremony and wedding is unique.

Our Humanist is Belinda Braithwaite has conducted many ceremonies over the years here at the lodge and is an experienced Humanist Celebrant, registered with the charity Humanist Society Scotland.  I find Belinda very professional and a lovely lady.

Belinda’s words 

I am very experienced in large and small, indoor and outdoor weddings,  it is a pleasure to work with couples to guide them through a ceremony to suit personalities and tastes.  I feel it is important to decide on the structure and content together to ensure couples get the individual and personal ceremony they want. Ceremonies can include symbolic gestures such as hand-fasting, guests’ contributions, recorded or live music and vows chosen or written by the couple.  I feel it is important to have a good rapport with your celebrant and the venue to ensure that everything is planned in advance so the couple and their guests can all be relaxed and enjoy the special day.

Scottish Traditions 

A Sixpence – A sixpence coin may be placed in the brides shoe to help bring her good luck in her future marriage.

The Wedding Scramble – As the bride steps into the car, it is a tradition for the father to throw a handful of coins for the children to collect. This practice, called a scramble, is believed to bring financial luck.

The Lang Reel – The Lang Reel is a traditional dance which happens in the fishing communities in the North-East of Scotland. The dance sees villagers and the wedding party begin dancing from the harbour, continuing through the village as each couple leave the reel when they pass their home. This continues until the only couple get home.

Love isn’t a decision. It’s a feeling. If we could decide who we loved, it would be much simpler, but much less magical.

Find out more

To find out more about Woodside Lodge and make a booking, please visit our Contact page.

Our Awards

AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year 2019-20
AA Restaurant with Rooms gold award
AA 2 rosettes
AA Breakfast award
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Contact Us

Woodside Lodge
on Loch Goil
Argyll, Scotland
PA24 8AE

Telephone - 01301 703 173

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What the people say

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Kalyn

If I was to do it all over again I wouldn’t change a thing! I loved our wedding day and couldn’t have asked for anything more! I am forever grateful to the team at The Lodge for making our day so special, so relaxed and such a dream!

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