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As a recently engaged couple, wedding planning can feel like a daunting task from venue hunting to table cards, seating plans and not to mention the dress. However, all you need to do is close your eyes, take a deep breath of fresh East Lothian sea air and gather your thoughts. If you think back to your dream wedding that you’ve been picturing since you were a child, you’ll see a big open green space leading up to a historic church. Your guests will be gleaming in the romantic setting as you arrive for the ceremony, which will be perfect, along with the celebration afterwards on a beautiful Scottish country Estate.

The truth is that most of us have already planned our wedding. We know exactly what we want and how it will run from start to finish. Together with your partner, you have a detailed itinerary ready to roll to celebrate the best day of your life and start your marriage journey together. Therefore, the next step is to make your dream wedding achievable.

Dunglass Estate is a picture-perfect venue in East Lothian that merges your plans with a beautiful church, grounds and cosy accommodation. The popular venue is available to book exclusively so you can ensure a private event that’s extra special for your friends and family with a dedicated team to run your special day and take care of everything.

Securing your date is a challenge for many couples so it’s best to make enquiries as soon as possible, regardless of the season. Weddings are a beautiful occasion at any time of the year, but we have a great Spring Offer wedding package available now. A glorious time to get married amongst blossoming flowers and to start a new beginning together.

Dunglass is also ideal for an intimate wedding and therefore we are offering an Intimate Wedding Package. A small, simpler celebration may be just what you need for your perfect day and this is a great option for Winter Weddings on a budget. Read more….

Alternatively, you could take advantage of our Midweek Offer. This gives you the opportunity to have your dream venue sooner than you think with more available dates. The relaxed setting and all-inclusive package could be ideal for you and your party. Read more…

Whatever your plans for your dream wedding, Dunglass will do their best to accommodate you and our talented team will guide you through the process. We take pride in a personal touch to tailor your day to your requirements.

Get in touch today and book a friendly consultation.

Dunglass Estate

The only thing important enough to rival the suspense of the Bride’s Wedding Dress, is the location of the wedding. It’s so important that you consider what is right for you and your other half as it is one of the only times in your life where it’s all about you!

Whether it’s a small intimate affair with your nearest and dearest or an all-out show stopping celebration, Dunglass Estate can help you create a bespoke wedding to meet your needs. 

One thing that is a given is that every wedding at Dunglass will have exclusive use of the most romantic church in Scotland.

15th Century Gothic Church

A lovers paradise, Dunglass Church is steeped in history that allows you to step back in time and create your own Scottish heritage. Offering both civil and religious ceremonies, this hidden gem is the perfect location for your dreams to come true.

Adjoining this unbelievable Church are the surrounding historic buildings on Dunglass Estate, once described by Robert Burns as “the most romantic sweet place I ever saw”. Inspiration for Scotland’s most famous poet is definitely enough inspiration for any of us.

The Wedding Experience: Intimate or all-out Extravaganza

Not every bride wants to be centre stage at an all out wedding and Dunglass understands this perfectly. Our Intimate Wedding Package allows up to 22 of your closest love ones to share your memorable day in an exclusive setting between October and March. Escape the world and immerse yourself in this idyllic Country Estate with the guarantee of no interruptions. You will have access to the Estate for up to 2 nights, why not treat your guests to an extended celebration with brunch or a BBQ to wind down after the big day.

Mid-Week Escape

To make your Wedding even more unique and minimise the everlasting wait, Dunglass Estate’s Midweek Wedding Offer allows guests to escape the realities of work and chores for a few days and lose themselves in your inspirational nuptials. Great for teachers who have the summer to plan

Marquee Weddings

Once your dreams have come true walking down the aisle of East Lothian’s best kept secret, you and your guests will make your way to our luxurious marquee to begin your evening. 

With a brand new dance floor and contemporary bar, you can ‘wow’ up to 200 guests with your Wedding Breakfast delivered by the Award-Winning Hickory, Dunglass Estates exclusive event partner. The Marquee offers a stunning panoramic window wall feature that offer views down to the sea and the neighbouring Church.

Being East Lothian’s most romantic wedding venue, it comes as no surprise that this breath-taking estate is a complete sellout time and time again. Speak to one of our dedicated Wedding Planners to see what dates are available for 2018 and let your marriage journey go down in history.

Local and the area

Dunglass Estate is situated only a 30 minute drive from Edinburgh, despite feeling like a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Its easy to find, making it a great choice for those unfamiliar with the area, but we cannot promise you wont lose yourself in the magic of the beauty when you arrive.

Award-winning venue with award-winning catering

It would be hard to believe if an Estate as stunning as this hadn’t achieved any awards! To rival Hickory’s award winning catering, Dunglass Estate were the proud winners of the Best Small Venue at the Scottish Events Awards 2016.

Fiona Sommerville – Dunglass Estate Sales and Planning Coordinator, Hickory

Recently engaged herself, our exceptional Sales and Planning Coordinator Fiona Somerville knows what it takes to organize truly inspirational events.

Fiona joined the Hickory team last year, having previously worked in the creative industries. Since beginning her role, Fiona’s artistic talents have been put to the test. Turning her hand to anything Fiona is proud to have influenced innumerable creative directives. Whether she’s been choosing interiors, sorting center pieces, deliberating staff uniforms or reupholstering furniture, Fiona is determined to go over and above to ensure each of her bride’s weddings is unique and meets our award-winning status.

Fiona fell in love with Dunglass Estate early on, and is delighted to be spending most of her time here this summer as dedicated planning coordinator. Never one for being stuck in the office Fiona is elated many of her meetings now occur against an idyllic backdrop and sees this role as the perfect fit.

For those of you yet to meet Fiona, you will have the opportunity at the Wedding Showcase Weekend at Dunglass Estate on Saturday 25^th and Sunday 26^th March. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Hickory

We have had an incredibly successful and rewarding year at Dunglass and to celebrate another brilliant year at Scotland’s most beautiful estate we thought we’d share with you some of our favourite moments and enhancements that have been introduced to Dunglass over the last year.

Scotland’s Small Venue of the Year 2016

We were absolutely delighted to be crowned the coveted title of Small Venue of the Year at the Scottish Event Awards 2016. The judges who comprised some of the most talented and experienced in the industry, described the venue as ‘a beautiful and traditional historic estate with a wow factor.’

Our award success for Dunglass Estate is a huge reflection of the beauty and impact of the estate, and also the hard work and dedication of the Hickory team who deliver excellent service and delicious food time after time.

Intimate weddings

Intimate weddings are growing in popularity and there’s nowhere quite like Dunglass to host a smaller celebration with your nearest and dearest. Here at Dunglass we understand that not everyone has their heart set of a big wedding which is why we have the perfect packages that lets you celebrate your love for one another around those who really matter to you, and no one else.

Simplicity. Exclusivity. Gourmet.

Our unique intimate packages are available between October and March, and offer you exclusive use of the estate for two nights. You can go all out and treat your guests to our Gourmet Package with a 6-course tasting Wedding Breakfast – it’s a foodie’s dream!

Stepping stones to our stunning 15^th century gothic church

New to the grounds this year were our feature stepping stones. Installed in the middle of February, they run from the house to the road, with a side path leading into the marquee and another to our beautiful 15th Century Gothic Church.

Beautiful pergola structure

Another fabulous feature we’ve added to the exterior of our marquee is the beautiful pergola structure, the perfect entrance to our marquee and stunning backdrop for photo opportunities during your drinks reception.

Build a Bellini Station

New to 2016, our build a Bellini station has gone down an absolute treat with wedding guests. It’s perfect because guests can help themselves and it includes a glass of Prosecco with the choice of fruit, peach puree, elderflower and Chambord to add a dash of something special.

LOVE letters

We introduced our beautiful light up LOVE letters this year and they have not disappointed, creating the perfect backdrop for countless photo opportunities.

Hanging photo frames

Our rustic photo frames, hanging from the giant Sycamore tree in front of Dunglass Church have been the feature at many of our 2016 weddings. They are a real talking point and fit perfectly with the feel and picturesque surroundings of Dunglass Estate.

Sparklers

We love to see what our brides and grooms come up with and a popular feature for Dunglass Weddings, especially in the Autumn and Winter months, has been getting everyone to come together for sparklers in the evening. It’s fun for all ages and the ideal time to get everyone together again for one last photo opportunity before everyone succumbs to the dancefloor.

All in all, it’s been a pretty great year for Dunglass Estate. We’re already looking forward to the new year with so many weddings coming up – if you’re one of our lucky 2017 brides and grooms I hope you’re ready for the most unforgettable and memorable weekend of your lives.

Until then, on behalf of everyone at Dunglass Estate, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of Murray McMillan Photography.

We can hardly contain our excitement here at Hickory, the exclusive managers of Dunglass Estate weddings and events. We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Dunglass Estate has been awarded the coveted title of Small Venue of the Year at the Scottish Event Awards 2016.

The Drum Scottish Event Awards are the only awards dedicated to recognising and rewarding the very best of Scotland’s events industry. The panel of judges comprised some of the most talented and experienced Events and Hospitality people in the industry. It is a huge honour to win this award and be recognised for such an impressive accolade.

The judges described the venue as a beautiful and traditional historic estate with a wow factor.

The win at the Scottish Event Awards comes on the back of a series of award successes for Hickory. We have been shortlisted for eight industry awards, including The Drum’s Content Marketing Awards for our Botanical Gin Bar at the Royal Highland Show and Best Event Caterer at The Caterer’s Foodservice Catey Awards in London – both of which are UK national awards.

We have also received a commendation in the second category we were shortlisted for at the Scottish Event Awards, The Green Award. As a Gold member of Green Tourism, the world’s largest sustainable certification programme, Hickory prides itself on its commitment to sustainability in all aspects of the business.

Our award success for Dunglass Estate is a huge reflection of the beauty and impact of the estate, and also the hard work and dedication of the Hickory team who deliver excellent service and delicious food time after time.

Find out more about the award-winning Dunglass Estate – Scotland’s Best Small Venue of the Year 2016.

When it comes to planning your wedding, fewer people can mean a more personal celebration. You’ve got more time to spend with your wedding party, your guests can really get to know one another and you can pay attention to those finer details that make your wedding truly memorable.

Here’s five reasons why an intimate wedding might be right for you.

Keep to a smaller budget

Deciding to have a smaller, intimate celebration can work wonders on your wedding budget. Maybe you’d rather put the money towards building your future, such as a down payment for your first house together, a once in a lifetime honeymoon or simply have more to spend on those finer wedding details.

A licence to splurge

Some couples like to have a small guest list, not because their budget is small, but because it allows them to splash out on other things. This could be a five-piece jazz band in the foyer of Dunglass House or it could be splashing out on the wedding dress of your dreams.

Treat your guests well

Personalised details are more manageable when there’s less people to think about. Your guests can truly relax and enjoy every moment of your nuptials without getting caught up in the chaos. There are so many ways you can add that extra wow factor and an added bonus is that you get to cut down on the thank you cards.

Think gourmet

Just because you’re saving money elsewhere doesn’t mean you can’t splurge on your special day. Why not treat your guests to an indulgent wedding breakfast served with the finest wines.

How does a five-course East Lothian tasting menu sound? Or maybe you want to incorporate some family favourites to your menu – whatever you fancy Hickory, our award-winning caterer, can create a truly gourmet experience for you and your guests.

Quality time with the ones you love

Ultimately getting married is not only the joining of two people but the coming together and merging of friends and family. With a smaller guest list, you’ll have more time to spend with those closest to you and your guests will have more time to get to know one another.

How many times have you been to a wedding where you’ve hardly spoken to the bride or groom? Create memories that you’ll cherish with your loved ones and take your time to really catch up with your guests.

Feeling pretty convinced? We don’t blame you! If keeping your wedding special means just inviting your close family and friends, our charming Intimate Wedding Package may be the perfect choice for you.

For a maximum of 22 guests, you and your guests can stay in all three of our luxurious properties on Dunglass Estate: Dunglass House, Laundry Cottage and Stable Cottage.

If you’d like to know more or to book a consultation, please get in touch with us.