All weddings take planning, and Scottish castle weddings are no exception. But there are many businesses in Scotland based around the marriage industry, so you’ll have plenty of help. If you can’t get on-line, there are books available that are just about planning Scottish weddings. Your favorite travel agent should also be able to help you find a professional wedding planner in Scotland, as well as arranging for airplane tickets. One big advantage of getting a Scottish wedding is you don’t have to live in Scotland in order to get married there, which is one reason celebrities choose Scotland for at least one of their weddings. The further ahead you plan, the more you can save. Just try to get all the arrangements in writing done before the Big Day.
You can have your legal wedding in Scotland, or just a ceremonial one, depending on the marriage laws in the country you live. But you can apply for a marriage license over the Internet, the telephone or even by snail mail. You do have to get a marriage certificate before the wedding.
You can have a traditional Christian wedding, or just about any wedding ceremony you like. Check to be sure, for a non-traditional Scottish wedding, that you may have to have a brief ceremony at a local civil serve register if you care about making the wedding legal. And most Scottish ministers have no qualms if wither the bride or the groom have been divorced – as can be a problem if you try to get married in England. Don’t be surprised if the minister wears a tartan kilt and speaks your service in both English and Gaelic.
You can bring your rings with you, or buy them in Scotland. Scottish gold wedding rings usually feature the graceful and intricate Celtic knots, which add a special blessing to your union, as well as being gorgeous rings. Your Scottish wedding will also be lucky if everyone wears a sprig of white heather. And the bride usually doesn’t wear white; she wears blue, but does wear a veiled hat or a veiled wreath of flowers. A traditional Scottish wedding also has bagpipes and gunshots fired in the air. There are many places to hire bagpipe players and also kilts, if the bridegroom wishes to have a unique wedding outfit. But, it is perfectly all right to wear whatever you want.
Although Scotland is part of Great Britain, they do have their own currency, the Scottish Pound. Many places also still take English pounds, Euros and international credit cards like Visa or American Express. You don’t need any extra paperwork to get into or out of Scotland if you are coming from England.
The large cities like Edinburgh have extensive and reliable public transportation, but outside of the cities you will most likely have to rent cars.
A Scottish wedding can be an extra special way to celebrate your big day.