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MARQUEE WEDDINGS AT ELSICK HOUSE

Setting the scene

Marquee wedding guests are encouraged into the country house via the grand reception hall for your drinks reception.  The ground floor is for your guests to explore, whether this be in the comfortable drawing room, dining room or in the snug study.

 With a glass of champagne in hand, we encourage your guests to explore the grounds via the door by the study.  This door takes your guests into the south facing gardens of Elsick House.  The rotating summer house can be used to serve your guests further beverages. Perhaps you could have a beer barrow by the string quartet in the corner or an ice cream cart by the lawn games laid out for the children and big kids!

Canapes and champagne top-ups can be arranged by your waiting staff to keep your guests content while you head to the barley fields, woodland or lake with your photographer.

As the sun dips slightly in the sky, we encourage your guests to move from the garden to the gated walled garden towards the sun dial at the rose pergola.  The rose pergola provides a romantic and elegant walkway to the entrance to the marquee.  Perhaps lanterns sit on the steps or flowers drape the handrail to link the marquee to the herbaceous borders below.

Your guests enter the floored marquee to see your tables assembled, your personalities shine through as months of planning, tears and craft adventures come to fruition.

Once your guests are seated, you enter the marquee to a roaring applause.  The new Mr & Mrs, family and friends are reunited once more to celebrate into the small hours.

The joys of a Marquee Wedding at Elsick House

Our marquee is installed as standard with windows along its south facing wall. We love the light, bright and airy feel of the marquee. The height of the marquee allows you to play around with height in terms of hanging flowers, balloons or creative lighting. As the sun begins to set, uplighters around the perimeter frame the marquee beautifully in time for your evening guests, dancing and evening buffet!

The marquee is large enough to be segregated into two main areas. The first area is where your day guests enjoy your beautiful meal provided by Hudsons Catering. This area is segregated by the marquee curtain ensuring the space feels right for your numbers. The area behind the curtain is where your dancefloor is hidden, waiting for your evening guests and band to arrive. Your band can enter directly to the dancefloor area to set-up as required without interrupting your meal and speeches.

The marquee is large enough that no table movement is required. If additional tables and seating are required for evening guests, these are set-up behind the curtain on the dancefloor so no table movement is required – it’s seamless!

Further details

The marquee is 25m x 12m, can accommodate up to 200 guests and is available for weddings and other events from April to October.

The marquee costs include tables, chiavari chairs, wooden flooring, chandelier lighting, PA system, bar structure, cake table, heating and toilet facilities. All you need to think about is your design and perhaps your florist to create the finishing touches.

The grounds are completely private to you and yours for the duration of your wedding weekend.

For further information or to arrange a visit, get in touch here

 

MAKING THE MOST OF THE GARDEN

Elsick’s mature and beautiful garden offers a multitude of possibilities.

So close to Aberdeen and with all the space in the world to create your own fantasy, Elsick House is the one place where real privacy can be found and you can remain hidden from the outside to escape the hustle and bustle.  A good imagination is not a gift that all of us share so we thought it might be helpful to guide you through some of the ideas we have for a corporate gathering or a family and friends’ celebration. Some are tried and tested ideas and some we know would suit the grounds very well.

Within the walled garden

Join forces with a few friends, raise a plastic glass of prosecco and enjoy the borders and shrubs from a hot tub. These can be hired and fit brilliantly on the top terrace.  You can even enjoy this under the garden lighting for a bit of night-time adventure.

The setting is so well suited to croquet and other traditional games. There is a house croquet set, and if you order it in advance, a second set could be brought in for racing croquet.  Two teams can compete simultaneously, and it is hilarious and easy to adjudicate.

The marquee is up during the summer months and has a fully transparent side set slightly above the main wall so no matter what the weather you can enjoy the setting out of any breeze.  How about teaching employees a new craft on a team building day?

The Yew Garden

In the centre of this area of the garden sits a revolving summer house to make the most of the south facing lawn.  This charming wooden house makes an ideal Pimm’s bar for summer drinks or serving area for a BBQ and there are plenty of outdoor tables and chairs for a real party.  Or you could pop in a central table and let your executive team do a bit of blue sky thinking.

On a more active note, you could set up a Segway tour around the entire 1500 acres of the estate on a set route or a mystery tour and maybe even venture further afield

The garden pond

The Chinese style bridge across the pond makes an ideal photographic backdrop.  Indeed, the whole pond area is an ideal amphitheatre and anyone wanting to do presentations

The Lake and beyond

A long straight area on the estate is the ideal spot for full length archery although there are several places for a more modest competition.  Otherwise a treasure hunt for all ages can be organised through the woods and garden focusing on the amazing wildlife on display here.

The Lochter Activity centre  has great equipment that they can bring to the estate and can work with all sorts of client requirements so take a look.

For the adventurous

A little off-road karting or driving will set the heart racing and the competitive juices flowing and these can be done within team events.   If you prefer your feet firmly on the ground there is a 5km circular trail that you can pick up just on the edge of the garden.

Let your imagination run wild and remember our experienced team can help to guide you as to what will work. Contact Alison to get more details.

 

MID-WEEK WEDDINGS

Scottish mid week weddings are becoming more and more popular.  We offer a wide selection of options for those who wish to celebrate their wedding at Elsick House.  We are currently offering a significant discounted rate along with venue only packages.

A well argued piece in the Wedding Ideas magazine outlines the advantages of opting for a mid week wedding.  We hope you will enjoy reading their article on the topic.  Not only is there savings to be made on venue costs but huge savings can be made with all wedding suppliers including photographers, florists and stylists.

At Elsick House, we can offer you exclusive use of the house the night before the wedding, which you can chose to spend with your closest family and friends –  with 11 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, we can accommodate up to 20 guests.  You will be together to share the excitement and build up to the ceremony – no hire cars, no travel, no rushing about.  At the end of the evening there are no worries or hassle waiting for taxis and other transport.   Wake up as a married couple in our beautiful bridal suite then join your family in the morning for breakfast, enjoying complete privacy in your own little haven.

For those happy to celebrate in simple style and whose family and friends are local, we can also recommend the Venue only packages for midweek weddings.  Suited for a simple celebration and wedding breakfast without accommodation, this option provides even greater value for money.  You will still have exclusive use of the house and grounds for the duration of the ceremony and celebration afterwards.

Our expert team are ready to guide you through all of the options we can offer at Elsick House.

Contact us now to find out more