A Wonderful Celtic Folklore Wedding at Carrick Castle Estate

bride and groom snuggling in the Scottish hillside near Carrick Castle Estate

Although springtime isn’t a common time for most weddings, it served as the perfect time for this beautiful celtic folklore themed wedding for Nick and Robyn at Carrick Castle Estate in Scotland. The soft clouds on the rugged hillside and loch added an ethereal feel to the photos. Wedding guests cooried in the warm barn with shawls and blankets adding to the snug feeling.

This story starts with a postponed wedding in 2020, and a rescheduled date. And then another rescheduled date. Then finally third date lucky!

Carrick Castle Estate Overnight Accommodation

Carrick Castle Estate lodge offers plenty of accommodation for your immediate wedding party. This lovely self-catering lodge is perfect for up to 16 people to stay, with everything you need to make your stay cosy and special. It even includes an outdoor hot tub, sauna and steam room, so you can indulge in some pamper time before the big day. It’s a lovely cosy venue and the log fire, wooden four poster beds and wooden beams add to the Celtic folklore feel. This is the sort of lodge you want to snuggle down and indulge.

bridesmaid in a pink silk dressing gown on a chesterfield sofa opening a gift box

Carrick Castle Estate Wedding venue

Robyn and Nick chose Carrick Castle Estate for a luxurious Celtic barn wedding in the beautiful setting of Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute. This is a beautiful modern lodge, with a lovely rustic barn and stunning views. Robyn had opted to wear a lovely cosy shawl on the day too. Her wedding dress added some elven mysticism and kept in with the celtic folklore theme of their wedding in Scotland. Robyn kept snug with a cosy shawl when we headed out for photos – this also adds to the romance of a springtime March wedding date in Scotland.

The other benefit of a March wedding date at a Scottish wedding? It’s the perfect temperature for those tweed jackets and warm woollen wedding suits! The purples of the bridesmaid dresses and blue tones of the tweed made me think of the Scottish heather and the lochs.

bride coming out of doorway at Carrick Castle Estate Lodge.

bride walking up the aisle inside the barn at a wedding ceremony at at Carrick Castle Estate Lodge.

Celtic Folklore Theme Wedding Details

Nick and Robyn had travelled from London for their wedding in Scotland. They made the wise decision to hire Studio A to decorate and style their wedding for them. They brought a beautiful celtic folklore theme to the day, which tied in beautifully with the Scottish countryside setting.

The use of in season florals, moss, and branches added to the organic wild Scottish Celtic folklore wedding theme. I loved the pillar candles in the lanterns and hurricane vases. Wooden logs and boxes were used to add height to the displays. The use of an old rustic rug at the altar added warmth and character. Having a rattan runner worked beautifully for the aisle. Everything felt very natural and organic.

Robyn and Nick used macrame accents throughout the day, from the backdrop at their wedding arch, intertwined with the table plan and place settings. The natural fibres were lovely and soft and set off beautifully against the tones of the wood, and brought out the textures. All these elements helped keep in line with their celtic folklore theme at this beautiful wedding in Scotland.

wedding flower display a wedding in the barn at Carrick Castle Estate.

wedding arch made from logs and flowers and macrame at a wedding in the barn at Carrick Castle Estate.

Scottish Weather on your Wedding Day!

One of my favourite things about being in Scotland, is that we often experience multiple weather types in a day. And springtime in Scotland can deliver four seasons on a wedding date too! While the morning may have started a wee bit dreich with fine drizzle; the weather lifted in the afternoon for some couple portraits by the loch. In the evening, we headed into the mountains for some gorgeous blue-hour photos. I loved the way that the March skies added a certain romance to the photos. It was also another perfect opportunity for Nick and Robyn to cosy up together a little more!

When we think of Scottish celtic folklore, we probably think about all those dramatic tones of the sky and the weather.

bride and groom smiling and embracing with Scottish hills in background

Ceilidh Dancing With English Wedding Guests

A truly Scottish wedding wouldn’t be complete without a good old ceilidh knees up!

This wedding stays with me whenever I chat to couples about their plans to have a ceilidh at their Scottish wedding. People often worry whether guests who are not Scottish will cope with a ceilidh, and enjoy themselves. Nick and Robyn proved that ceilidhs really can be for anyone. With not a single Scot in their wedding guestlist, all the guests arrived without any knowledge of ceilidh dances. I chatted with guests and told them that this is part of our culture – children in Scottish schools learn every winter, how to do the most rudimentary dances. I think it’s become one of the most useful life lessons I gained from school.

While none of the guests knew how to ceilidh dance, this didn’t put them off from having a go. The dance floor was constantly full, and the smiles and laughter told their own story of people’s excitement at having a go at this new wedding dancing!

Truth be told, even as a Scot while we know the dance moves we still mess them up, still go left instead of right, and a few drinks in the mix it’s sometimes a bit of a chaotic attempt to dance. So if you’re worried about whether your non-Scottish guests will cope with a Gay Gordons or Dashing White Sargent… relax. Hire a good ceilidh band who can talk them through the moves and it’ll all work out fine.

bride and groom arriving at reception at their barn celtic folklore theme wedding at Carrick Castle Estate in Scotland

tables arrangement with floral overhanging displays and lighting at a barn celtic folklore theme wedding at Carrick Castle Estate in Scotland

March Wedding Photographer Scotland

I have been to Carrick Castle Estate several times, so I know the venue really well. If you’re looking for more inspiration for your wedding at Carrick Castle Estate, check out these blog posts too – including this beautiful boho styled wedding and this stunning summer Carrick Castle wedding. I think this is a Scottish wedding venue that works well in all seasons, including spring. Want to chat more about your day? Drop me a line!

Wow Kristin all of these photos are just incredible! I can’t get over how beautiful they are and you managed to get some great shots of the decor and some lovely candid ones of our guests.

I cannot thank you enough, you were fabulous!

Robyn and Nick