Getting Married in Gretna Green?

LaurenC

Hey all, just looking for some advice/opinions/experiences really

Me and my fiance have been engaged for nearly 18 months now and we're starting to think about planning our wedding. We want to have a small (around 30 people) but luxurious wedding and we don't want to spend more than £10,000.

Although we live in England, I'm Scottish and would love for us to get married in Scotland (so would my family!) so I was recently browsing and came across this website offering package deals. It looks good, in particular the executive one, but I'm wondering whether or not I'm being naive by thinking a deal that covers everything is a good idea?

http://www.weddingsatgretnagreen.com/packages/index.html

Has anyone used a similar package for their wedding? I'm a bit of a control freak so I'd like to make sure I can still liaise with the planner over the little details but from the website it all looks lovely to me.

Furthermore, I reeally wanna know what people think of Gretna Green? Is there any kind of stigma associated with the place?

I know it was once where people eloped to but nowadays it seems like all sorts of weddings take place there. My fiance thinks it's romantic but I do worry what people think (I know I shouldn't!) and hope its not actually some tacky Las Vegas esque place.

Thanks in advance for any comments. I will definitely go and visit the place and talk to my family about it if I get serious about the idea but this seemed like a good place to get some initial thoughts!

toriaterrier

I used to have the same views of Gretna Green, people eloping often young cos you could marry at 16? But I think they have gone more upmarket now. Some of the venues on that website look wonderful and very different for different tastes. You could have an elaborate wedding if you went to 'Springkeel House' or even a church wedding. I think you should do what you and your fiance want to do. Sometimes there is far too much pressure associated with planning a wedding so this could be a great solution. The executive package sounds amazing! You'd have a fantastic wedding on your budget!

Congratulations!

GlasweJen

My friend got married at gretna and it is anything but tacky, it gets booked up really fast and the waiting list is 12 months + long!

Becles

Best advice is to book a weekend there and have a look around and see how you feel.

We got married in the Original Blacksmiths Forge. It's a museum so you can go and have a look around and read about some of the people who have married there. Some of the old love letters are beautiful.

We married in the actual forge, but there were other rooms available too.
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v130/65/83/606412843/n606412843_242591_6616.jpg

When you marry they rope off that section of the museum and pull curtains across during your ceremony, so it's totally private. There is an anvil in the forge and you put your hands together on the anvil and they strike it with a mallet to signify that marriage is as strong as the bond of metal. As I had two boys and my husband became their step-Dad the minister placed all of our hands together and bound us as a family rather than couple which I thought was lovely.

We stayed at the Garden House hotel and had a reception meal there. The rooms were spotlessly clean and the food was beautiful. We looked around a few hotels and we liked this one best as it has beautiful gardens and we had some lovely pictures taken there. Trees were a bit bare as it was in April!
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v130/65/83/606412843/n606412843_242593_7272.jpg

The registry office will give you a booklet with various wedding supplier advertisers in. I found the florist and photographer I used in there and was able to chat with them both before the wedding and explain exactly what we wanted.

esmf73

My friend got married at Gretna last year and had a reception in a gorgeous castle which they'd rented out and got caterers in. It was gorgeous and totally a fantastic day to remember. Don't know how much it cost, but she even had a proper sharabank (Old fashioned coach) to ferry all the guests to and from the wedding. It was GREAT xxx

sheldon08

I have family that live very close to the Anvil Hall and it's a lovely building. The grounds aren't very big outside it however. I wouldn't choose the Registration Office opposite where the one stop shop is situated. I haven't been inside the building itself but directly opposite is a parade of shops ie Spar, Chinese takeaway, Costcutter etc:cool:

My sister lives in Gretna and they married at The Garden House Hotel, it was quite a small marriage room it was nice but not as lovely as the Hall. It did have the convenience of hosting the post wedding meal etc though so it was handy.

HTH:)

ellay864

can't offer any advice on Gretna but just wanted to say that wherever you do decide to get married, come over to the weddings board. You will find LOADS of good advice on all kinds of things, and have a place to have a rant when the prospective in-laws/your own mum/your OH are just doing your head in...we all know the stresses of wedding planning though we love it really. And it's great sharing stories, and pics of course
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=142

nickyhutch

My friend got married there in January and it was lovely. They stayed at the Smiths hotel which is just beautiful. We stayed at the Anvil View Guest House across the road because Smiths was full by the time I came to book it; Anvil View is just fantastic.

themull1

I got married at comlongon castle near gretna green and had the reception there, the food, cake and photographers were fab!!!

kimmie

We also married in the Old Blacksmiths Shop, it was a lovely day 8-)

*Louise*

We got married at Gretna and it was absolutely wonderful

I wouldn't bother with one of the packages though, you could probably put it together better yourself.

We got married at the Mill Forge - they have a beautiful little chapel in the grounds. The meal for 50 guests was beautiful (and reasonably priced) - not one single complaint about the food :T and the people there were great at helping to organise everything when we arrived. We also had the striking of the anvil and the hand binding there as well by the vicar.

Our whole wedding came in at under 4k, and we had everything you would expect at a wedding and more


I would suggest that you take a trip there, have a look round all the venues and decide what sort of thing you would both like, then start looking at dates and prices