Traquair House: 10 Reasons To Choose This Scottish Wedding Venue

If you are looking for unique wedding venues in Scotland, then Traquair House is certainly worth your consideration.

Situated in the Scottish Borders and surrounded by beautiful countryside, it has a series of historic public rooms which can be used for ceremonies and receptions.

In addition to this there are a couple of fantastic spots for a marquee, and accommodation both inside the castle and in the nearby farmhouse.

Let’s take a closer look at what a Traquair House wedding would be like.

Traquair House Location

There are some fantastic country wedding venues in the Scottish Borders, with Traquair House located just outside the village of Innerleithen.

Edinburgh is the closest city at 30 miles away, and can be driven from in approximately 1 hour.

And although Glasgow is much further at 70 miles, at the right time of day that journey can be done in 90 minutes.

On arrival you will find plenty of onsite parking for your guests.

And large vehicle access is not a problem, if you would like to put on coach transportation.

Traquair House Setting

Traquair House isn’t your typical exclusive use wedding venue, as between April and November it is open to the public until 5pm.

This may impact on your ceremony, however your dinner reception is likely to be after 5pm, by which point you will have complete privacy.

In terms of setting the 4,500 acre estate surrounds the castle with stunning countryside, and creates a beautifully tranquil atmosphere.

Whether you choose to make use of the historic interiors or just go for a marquee on the lawn, this is a lovely place for a relaxed wedding.

Traquair House

Traquair House can trace its origins back to the 12th century, and it spent its early life as a royal hunting lodge.

In fact no less than 27 Scottish Kings and Queens have visited over the years.

Since 1491 the Stuart family have called this place home, and it’s actually one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland.

For your wedding day you will have use of some of the public rooms, which as you can imagine are steeped in history.

Access for setting up and dismantling is flexible, and although there isn’t a full time wedding coordinator you can request that someone is present for the duration of the day.

Traquair House Accommodation

There are 3 luxury double bedrooms available inside Traquair House, which can sleep up to 6 people.

They are all furnished with antiques, and have canopied beds and private bathrooms.

In addition to this there is Howard House, which is about a 10 minute walk from the castle.

It’s a classic Georgian style farmhouse, which has 9 bedrooms and can sleep up to 18 people.

The minimum rental period is one week for the farmhouse, but it’s a lovely property and could be ideal for the wedding party.

For hotels near Traquair House, you should take a look at Peebles Hydro.

Traquair House Ceremony

You will have the option of both an indoor and an outdoor ceremony at Traquair House.

Inside the castle you have the 18th century Dining Room, which can seat 34 guests.

Or there’s the 16th century Drawing Room, which can seat 60 guests.

The most popular indoor choice however is the Private Chapel.

Located in one of the wings, it was created in 1829 and can seat 50 guests.

Moving outside you have Cupids Garden, which is an enclosed space and features a stone statue of Cupid.

There’s also the Walled Garden and the Yew Tree Circle, which is a natural circle of trees in the woodland behind the house.

And finally for the really adventurous, you could choose to get married in the centre of the Traquair Maze.

Traquair House Reception

Your drinks reception can be had either in the Drawing Room, which can accommodate 50 people, or assuming the weather is nice the Walled Garden.

Followed by your dinner reception in the Dining Room.

Located on the ground floor in one of the wings, the Dining Room is decorated with French hand blocked paper and can seat 34 guests.

If you include the adjoining Lower Drawing Room, you can increase the capacity to 50 guests.

For more space a Marquee on either the Wine Glass Lawn or in the Walled Garden is your next choice.

There are facilities for both electricity and toilets, and of course you will have the castle as an imposing backdrop.

Traquair House Catering

Unusually for this type of wedding venue, you will have the freedom to select any caterer you wish.

There are numerous good quality suppliers in the Scottish Borders, and it’s always worth choosing someone who has worked at the venue before.

A cash bar can be provided, assuming there is a minimum spend of £300.

And you can bring your own wine and champagne, for a corkage fee of £5 per bottle and £8 per bottle respectively.

Traquair House Entertainment

There aren’t many wedding venues which come complete with their own maze.

However guests young and old will love the Traquair House maze.

And as if that wasn’t enough, when the sun goes down you can also put on a fireworks display.

In terms of dancing, a small ceilidh for 30 guests can be accommodated in the Drawing Room.

But for larger parties you will need to go for the marquee.

As is normal with most wedding venues, the celebrations can go on right up until midnight.

Traquair House Wedding Photos

You will have no problem finding a wedding photographer if you choose to get married at Traquair House.

The gardens and grounds are idyllic for wedding photos, with picturesque backdrops virtually everywhere you look.

Should the weather be unpleasant, the castle interiors offer a fabulous alternative too.

All of the rooms are beautifully decorated with numerous historical features, and the rooms in the wings have good natural light from their larger more modern windows.

Traquair House Wedding Prices

For accurate Traquair House wedding prices, you should contact the venue directly.

Their wedding packages can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

However to give you an approximate Traquair House wedding cost:

• Accommodation (sleeps 6), price £95 per person (includes breakfast).
• Traquair House/Chapel (ceremony), price £360.
• Traquair Grounds (ceremony), price £250.
• Traquair House (reception), price £1,100.
• Traquair Grounds (marquee), price £1,100 (marquee not included).
• Wedding Breakfast, prices from £42 per person.
• Corkage, price £5 per bottle.
• Howard House (sleeps 18), price £2,600 for 7 nights.

The prices above are for a summer weekend.

Winter and midweek weddings could cost less.

Traquair House Conclusion

So those are my 10 reasons you should consider Traquair House as your wedding venue.

Of course everybody has different tastes and opinions.

However if you are looking for one of the oldest inhabited castles in Scotland, surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful countryside, with its own little private chapel, and a walled garden for a marquee; then Traquair House just might be the place for you.

Whilst you are here, you should take a look at some of the other wedding venues in Scotland, featured on White Rose.

You can also find Traquair House’s website here.