One of my favourite intimate wedding venues is Venachar Lochside, a secluded wooden lodge situated beside a loch with breath-taking views to the surrounding mountains. Weddings here are always exclusive-use, so there won’t be anybody else on the premises throughout your day apart from the team of friendly staff who are on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Catering for small to medium sized gatherings (up to 100 guests) this atmospheric venue presents couples with so many options for how to personalise the day and make it unique to them. If you’re looking for an outside ceremony, you could marry on the shore of the loch, or on the decking beside the water. Otherwise the interior restaurant area is equally pretty, with elegant wooden floors and lots of natural light from the large windows which offer great views over the water (just with less exposure to the elements!).
After the ceremony I love to invite guests outside for a confetti shower or a whole group photograph – a lovely way for the newlyweds to make their first entrance as a married couple and then everyone can congratulate them! I always enjoy capturing these happy moments with lots of emphasis on candid, natural photographs before moving on to any arranged group pictures. This venue has endless possible backdrops for group pictures and couple’s portraits, from the picturesque lochside shore to the industrial-chic front of the building, the pier and decking or the staircase and loft upstairs. The choice is yours! A short drive down the road there are more little beaches and patches of woodland, which are beautiful in the golden hour before sunset. I take couples outside again during this window of magical light to give them some more alone-time and take dreamy, cinematic pictures.
Throughout the day guests can wander outside and enjoy the views or even play lawn games and enjoy tasty treats from a trailer bar. The wedding meal is served upstairs, in the light and bright loft, with long banqueting tables being a popular setup option. Speeches are recommended to be before dinner, so the speakers can then relax and enjoy their food which works really well here.
After dinner the newlyweds make their entrance to cut the cake and continue on to their first dance, with space set up for live music if required. The dancefloor space is cosy so feels nicely full very easily, and the walkway and pier outside looks very pretty in the evening, lit up in the dark for some beautiful end-of-the-night couple’s portraits or sparkler shots. Why not light the fire pit and toast marshmallows in the evening? There is even an option to end your night with a bang and have a private fireworks display here – I can extend my coverage to include this display if you’d like me to stay a little later.
If you’re planning a wedding at Venachar Lochside and looking for a photographer to capture the story of your day as it unfolds, I’d love to hear more about your vision! I can also recommend local hotels and accommodation for the morning preparations, if you’d like this element of the day captured too.