Wedding Information Pack
Welcome to Auchen Castle The original Auchen Castle dates back to approximately 1220 A.D and was most likely built by Sir Humphrey de Kirkpatrick. The modern Auchen Castle was constructed in 1849 and later through marriage the stately home and its 35 acres of prime estate became the property of Sir William Younger, the famous brewer. The castle has changed hands and function many times since, including a brief stint as a boarding house during the 1940 s and early 1950 s. Auchen Castle became a hotel for the first time in 1953. At Auchen Castle we have the experience to know that your wedding day is the most important day of your life, and that the choice of venue is the biggest decision you will make. Marrying at our Scottish Castle will make you feel like royalty for the day. Our specially selected team members will do everything they can to ensure you have a perfect wedding day. We will assist in all aspects of planning and will be here to provide advice on everything from the wedding menu through to the timings for the day. At Auchen Castle Hotel we have years of wedding venue experience and have hosted everything from lavish weddings for 120 to weddings just for 2. We have a dedicated Wedding team who will guide you through every aspect of planning your Special Day. The Auchen Castle restaurant seats up to 100 diners and extra guests can be catered for, if required. We can also accommodate weddings of larger numbers by means of a marquee. Whether inside the Castle or out in the gardens, your wedding party will enjoy the very best wedding reception. We pride ourselves on our service, cuisine and the personal touches that make you feel like the most important person in the world. We also give you variety of choice in menu, drinks and entertainment. New legislation has come into effect which makes it illegal to smoke in any public space in Scotland. As such, the hotel is fully non smoking. We do not have any discretion on this matter and this rule also applies to exclusive use bookings. We hope you will find everything you need to know within this brochure; however please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any additional information. Carol Wilson Wedding Co-ordinator Page 1
Guest Accommodation We pride ourselves in our beautiful bedrooms; each room within the castle is unique. The hotel has 5 different types of guest accommodation on offer: Castle Romantic Suite Our Castle Romantic Suite Our Romantic Suite is the ultimate in luxury. This room has a four poster bed, a larger seating area, an in room mini-bar and en-suite facilities. Included with our Romantic Suite is a full bottle of house champagne and a bouquet of fresh flowers on your arrival day. Castle Four Poster Suites These suites have traditional four poster beds with additional period features and stunning views of the castle grounds. These rooms have a small seating area, in room mini-bars and en-suite facilities. There are 3 four poster rooms. Castle Four Poster Suite Castle Deluxe Rooms These rooms are traditional castle rooms with period features, a small seating area and en-suite facilities. There are 5 deluxe rooms. Castle Classic Rooms These rooms are similar in size to our Lodge rooms however are situated in the castle and are uniquely decorated. There are 6 classic rooms including one single room. Castle Deluxe Room Lake View Lodge Rooms Our Lake View Lodge Rooms are situated in a separate building from the Castle. These rooms have a modern feel with basic en-suite facilities. There are 10 lodge rooms with beautiful views over our private lake. Children and Dogs Children under the age of 2 are accommodated free of charge and you will only be charged for their food. We are happy to offer children s menus. Lake View Lodge Room We welcome well behaved dogs but we do not permit them in the public areas of the hotel. There is a charge of 15.00 per dog, per night. There is no charge for guide dogs. Please note that we do not allow dogs in our Romantic Suite or Four Poster rooms. Please ensure all dogs are kept on their lead when in the castle grounds. Page 2
Planning Your Wedding At Auchen Castle we firmly believe that every private booking needs our careful and individual attention. We will work hard with you to ensure your day or evening is a success. Part of our commitment to you is that we do not offer standard packages. Our wedding co-ordinators are on hand to guide you through the decisions you need to make in order to create your dream wedding. From the initial show around of the property and the first discussions concerning your ideas and plans right up until your wedding takes place, our team are available to assist, guide and help you. Late bookings and Overseas Visitors Sometimes weddings and parties are booked at fairly short notice. If this is the case all the details can be dealt with at one meeting. Many of our weddings are for couples from overseas and it is difficult to visit the hotel prior to the wedding. If this is the case we are happy to discuss details with you over the telephone and by letter, fax or email. If you wish to be married in Scotland and are not a European citizen you must obtain a visa before you travel. If you do not have a visa the Registrar will be unable to accept your notice of marriage. The visa should be obtained from the British consul in your country of residence. If you are already in the UK you will require a certificate of approval from the Home Office. For full details please go to www.gro-scotland.gov.uk. Numbers We welcome weddings for any number up to 120 guests and sometimes more guests can be accommodated, if required. If you have reserved all our rooms we can accommodate up to 54 guests overnight comfortably We have a minimum numbers policy for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and all bank holiday dates of 50 guests. Please note that we cannot arrange evening entertainment or fireworks unless you have reserved all 15 of our Castle bedrooms. Page 3
Your Ceremony At Auchen Castle we can host both civil and religious weddings. Whether your marriage is to be civil or religious you still need to contact the registry office as they are responsible for all the paperwork. A maximum of three months before the wedding, you must submit two Marriage Notice forms (M10 forms) to Moffat Registration Office. These forms can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the address on the back of the wedding pack or by downloading them at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk. Do not forget to enclose the current registration fee along with any appropriate legal documents when returning your M10 forms to the Registration Office. The Marriage Schedule must be collected by the bride or groom in person on the morning of the wedding or up to a week beforehand. The Registration Office is closed on Saturdays and Sundays in addition to some bank holidays. Always telephone the Registration Office to check opening times. This document MUST be handed to your minister before he/she can perform your marriage ceremony. Please do not complete any details on the Marriage Schedule before the wedding ceremony. The Marriage Schedule is an important legal document and it is your responsibility to ensure that it is treated as such. Your Marriage Schedule must be returned to Moffat Registration Office within three days of your ceremony. You will then receive your Marriage Certificate from the Registration Office. Auchen Castle is licensed to allow ceremonies to take place either inside the Castle or on the grounds. This means that if you plan an outdoor wedding and the weather is unsuitable, then the ceremony can be moved inside without any obligations to the Marriage Schedule Page 4
Your Wedding Exclusive Use Hire The Castle is available for exclusive use at most times and is subject to an additional fee. The main benefit with this type of booking is that no other guests (apart from the ones at your wedding) will be allowed to use the hotel. The hotel and the services we offer will be fully yours for the duration of your exclusive use booking. Venue Hire To hire the hotel as your wedding venue the following rates apply: 700.00 for midweek weddings (Mon-Thurs) 1000.00 for Fridays and Sundays 1400.00 for Saturdays and bank holidays Evening Entertainment We can offer a range of evening entertainment options to ensure that you and your guests have a day to remember. Please note that in order to have evening entertainment then all of the hotel rooms need to be booked. Please contact us direct for further information. Making a Booking We can hold a date for you for a maximum of 7 days after which time the reservation will either have to be confirmed or released. In order to confirm an exclusive use reservation we will require an initial deposit of 1000.00. Further deposits will be required 6 months and 1 month prior to arrival. Cancellation and Wedding Insurance In the event of cancellation of a confirmed booking the cancellation charge will equal the sum of deposits paid. If the booking is cancelled within three months of the date a charge equal to the full value of the booked services will be levied. We will, of course, reduce this by the value of any accommodation we are able to re-let. Please note that insurance is available to cover cancellation charges. We strongly recommend you insure your wedding. This insurance covers such things as illness, accident, redundancy and travel difficulties. It also covers such things as wedding photos, dresses, presents etc. It will not cover you if you simply change your mind! Page 5
Wedding Food & Drink Wedding Breakfast Our Chef produces interesting and imaginative dishes using fresh local ingredients wherever possible. We have three different Menu and Drinks packages: Silver Menu* 36.50 per person for 3 courses Gold Menu* 48.50 per person for 4 courses We always offer a vegetarian option, special diet menus or an alternative dish if you know a guest will not enjoy your choice. There is no charge for this option and we must be notified in advance. *Please contact reception for copies of the menus Drinks Silver Drinks Package 16.00 per person to include 2 glasses of sparkling wine** and one glass of wine Gold Drinks Package 22.50 per person for 3 glasses of sparkling wine** and 2 glasses of wine **If you wish to upgrade from sparkling wine to Champagne there is a supplement of 4.00 per glass per person Evening Buffet The evening buffet is charged at 8.50 per person and includes items such as bacon rolls, stovies. Prices Valid Until 31 st March 2011 Page 6
Budget Costs We often get asked what the wedding will cost. This is impossible to work out accurately until we know your requirements but we have outlined some typical costs. You will find costs for accommodation and meals in the preceding pages but here are some guidelines for other services commonly asked for. Please note that these should not be used as a firm guide. A brides bouquet, for example, can cost anything from 50-500! We can arrange a piper, minister, registrar, falconry and photographer for you, and point you in the direction of everything else you will need! Registration Fees Required for civil or religious ceremony, this covers the marriage notices plus the marriage certificate 60.50 Registrar fee To conduct a ceremony at the hotel From 180.00 Registrar fees To conduct a ceremony in the registrars office 55-120.00 Minister (to carry out the ceremony in the hotel) From 150.00 Cake Price for a fairly straightforward single tier fruit cake 85.00 Piper To play outside the church or registry office and on arrival at the hotel 140.00 Entertainment Ceilidh Band 550.00 Dance Floor Hire 250.00 Photographer Based on 20 colour photos in a leather album. Should you choose to use our resident photographer, Alister Lynn, he will offer 20% discount on all of his standard packages. This exclusive offer is only available for weddings at Auchen Castle 275.00 Flowers Arrangement for the bride, button hole for the groom and a posy for the table for the signing of the register From 85.00 Page 7
Useful Numbers & Contact Details Minister Rev. David Bennett (Church of Scotland) Tel. 01387 257 755 Mob. 07711 048 885 Rev. Robert McLeod Tel. 07824 460 893 Rev. Sandy Strachan Tel. 01387 279 460 Registrar Moffat Registrars Office (Margaret Thorpe) Town Hall, Moffat, DG10 9HF Email: margart@dumgal.gov.uk Tel. 01683 220 536 Photographer Alister Lynn & Co Tel. 01461 202 064 Mobile 07860 564 913 Email: alister@gretnaweddings.co.uk Website: www.alisterlynn.com Florist Flowers By Fiona Tel. 01683 221 443 Email: flowersbyfiona@fsmail.net Website: www.flowersbyfiona.co.uk Beautician & Makeup Rachel McRudden Tel. 01387 810 721 Mob. 07752 893 018 Diane Boa (Hairdresser also) Tel. 01387 267 653 Mob. 07719 269 265 Tracy Bonner Tel. 01387 860 354 Mob. 07747 883 596 Hairdressers Hair by Anita Mob. 07940 968 139 The Cake Partnership Tel. 0131 660 6688 Website: www.thecakepartnership.co.uk Email: enquiries@thecakepartnership.co.uk Piper We have a number of contacts and will organise this for you Falconer An on-site falconer is available to do ring deliveries and falconry displays. Please contact us direct for further details. Chair Covers Events 88 Tel. 0141 445 2288 Email: info@88eventscompany.com Website: www.88eventscompany.com Cover Co-ordinates Mob. 07912 093 251 Mob. 07872 117 333 Email: enquiries@covercoordinates.co.uk Website: www.covercoordinates.co.uk Wedding Balloons Balloons for all Tel. 01387 750 234 Mob. 07950 028 074 Website: www.balloondesigner.co.uk Lightshows Lynx Lasers Mob. 07976 235 717 Email: info@lynxlaser.co.uk Website: www.lynxlaser.co.uk Wedding Stationery JoJo Beautiful stationery for weddings Website: www.handmadebyjojo.co.uk Email: jojo@handmadebyjojo.co.uk Hairport in Moffat 01683 221 488 Wedding Cakes Sandra Braid Cakes Tel. 01576 470 369 Page 8
Useful Numbers Cont... Entertainment Discos Scotty s Discos Tel. 01683 220 560 Mob. 07743 443232 Barry Watt Disco Hire Mob. 07717 494 822 Email: barry@soundtecdiscos.co.uk Website: www.soundtecdiscos.co.uk Bands Pacific Jazz Band Mob. 07948 879 660 Email: info@pacificweddingband.co.uk Website: www.pacificjazz.co.uk The Vagabonds Mob. 07973 620 764 Email: steverino14@hotmail.com Ceilidh Bands The Gallivanters Tel. 01738 783 585 Email: info@thegallivanters.com Website: www.thegallivanters.com Master of Ceremonies Ray Owens - The Highlander Tel. 01463 791 742 Email: rayowens@highlandvoices.co.uk Website: www.highlandvoices.co.uk Should you have any questions or should you wish to make an appointment to see the hotel please feel free to contact our wedding team on: Tel. +44 (0)1683 300 407 or by emailing sales@auchencastle.com. For further general information on the hotel please visit our website at: www.auchencastle.com. Auchen Castle Hotel Beattock Near Moffat Dumfriesshire DG10 9SH Two Left Feet Tel. 01387 750 988 Mob. 07841 389453 Email: dsmusicservices@spence19.fsnet.co.uk Website: www.tlfscotland.co.uk Music Agencies The Wedding Music Company Ltd. Tel. 0131 624 4005 Website: www.weddingmusic.co.uk Email: help@weddingmusic.co.uk Big Al Entertainment Tel. 0131 445 5959 Website: www.bigalentertainments.com Wedding Cars Vintage cars and Rolls Royce Tel. 01387 251 465 Email: all@rollsroyceweddingcars.com Excalibur Limousines Tel. 01387 721 200 Mob. 07969 570 117 Email: slavko@btconnect.com Website: www.excalibur-limos.co.uk Page 9