Was there ever any doubt about where Matt and Georgie would tie the knot? The irresistible magic of Achnagairn Castle left them little choice…
Georgie Lacey-Solymar and Matt Withers, now the Solymar-Withers
27th July 2024
Venue | Achnagairn Castle, Inverness-shire
Photography | Hayley Fraser Photography
Most engaged couples nowadays are keen to find a fresh venue – somewhere none of their friends have already chosen to marry. That was not the case for Georgie and Matt: they booked Achnagairn Castle, even though the bride’s sister (and chief bridesmaid) had tied the knot there a few years earlier.
“Tanya’s wedding was amazing, so we stole her best bits and changed the parts that didn’t feel like us,” laughs Georgie. There wasn’t a sniff of sibling rivalry here, though: “Tanya’s knowledge really helped shape our plans,” confides Georgie. The sisters’ parents, in fact, own the stunning Highland venue and surrounding estate, so it was the natural choice for both of them.
See Georgie's sister's wedding, also at Achnagairn Castle, right here
After their engagement in the French Alps in February 2023, Georgie and Matt had to act quick to snap up one of the last prime summer 2024 dates at Achnagairn and thereafter leaned on the castle’s in-house wedding team for support.
What can I expect from a wedding at Achnagairn Castle?
“We felt a bit clueless at times and they were phenomenal. Weddings and events lead Cara McIntyre helped us so much in the early stages, then fellow lead Alison Bombail supported us over the weekend of the wedding. They kept stress at bay and kicked us into gear, in a very nice way, when we needed to do something,” recalls Georgie.
“They both know the castle so well, which really helped us make informed decisions.”
“For instance, at our rehearsal the night before the wedding, they suggested I change where I planned to stand so that the light from the windows would be coming in on my face. They also advised the bridal party to position themselves diagonally so I could see their reactions during the ceremony. These were small details but they made such a big impact.”
The castle can only be hired on an exclusive-use basis, which means couples have the place to themselves. “It was so special. We were able to spend Friday to Sunday with our 115 guests who all stayed with us at the castle and the extensive accommodation on the estate,” says Georgie. The weekend kicked off on the Friday evening with “tame” Highland games, a barbecue and drinks.
Discover other fairytale castle wedding venues in Scotland
“We stopped serving alcohol at 10.30pm as we wanted everyone to be on sparkling form the next day,” laughs Georgie. A wise move, as the bride and groom had a relatively early 12.30pm ceremony start on the Saturday: “We wanted to maximise the time we had with everyone,” says Georgie.
“That said, I woke up at 3am filled with excitement, while Matt says he was ready by 11am and thinking ‘what do I do now?’ for the next 90 minutes.”
Ideas for personalising a wedding ceremony
The ceremony took place in front of the statuesque carved stone fireplace in the castle’s spectacular vaulted ballroom, and the content of the service was just as special, as Georgie recollects.
“Matt’s uncle Graham is a priest, so he made our ceremony super-personal. Matt’s dad did a bible reading, and Tanya read a poem, Shelley’s ‘Love’s Philosophy’, which I’d read at her wedding, and in fact had been read at my parents’ ceremony too.
"My mum then recited a poem about Matt and me that she’d written especially for the occasion – it was wonderful!”
The rest of the wedding was peppered with touches that made it ‘them’. “We both had mixed-gender parties as it was important to have the people that mattered most to us close to us on the day,” says Georgie.
“They wore green Rewritten dresses and suits from Oliver Brown London.”
The food was outstanding, recalls Georgie. “Our caterer Donnie Macleod was brilliant and created a feast that included scallops, beef and dauphinoise potatoes. We then served mini sharing desserts in the dining room while the ballroom was being turned over ahead of the ceilidh.”
Matt’s mum, Fiona, meanwhile, baked cake with tiers of lemon drizzle, red velvet and chocolate. “I was quite particular about the flavours,” laughs Matt. The groom also had another treat in store that was just as sweet. “My dad has had a vintage racing-green Morgan sports car for 20 years. He drove it up from London especially and I got to drive it for the very first time on our wedding day,” he says with a smile.
Creative wedding photo idea
In fact, the bride says one of her favourite photos from the wedding is stepping out of the sports car, as it shows off her customised Savannah Miller gown and statement red suede LK Bennett shoes (that she’d bagged in a sale!) “The style of much of the day was classic and traditional, but I adored that my unexpected shoe colour matched the bouquet so well,” says Georgie.
“My dress was transformed for me by one of Savannah Miller’s seamstresses. She added a split, removable cuffs, a button-down back and a satin necktie that I wore in the evening.”
Surprise bride and groom wedding speeches
The speeches were a huge highlight for the newlyweds, who chose to spread them out. “My dad and best man Jez spoke outside in the maze in the garden before dinner as we drank champagne, then Matt and I spoke together after the main course.
“I didn’t know what Matt was going to say and he didn’t know what I was going to say, but my brother acted as a go-between to keep us right,” recalls Georgie. “Hearing what Matt had written about me was so special. The whole day was absolute perfection. We expected it to be amazing, but it was even more incredible than we could’ve imagined!”
When should I sort out wedding suppliers?
Top tip: “As soon as you have your venue and date, get planning! I was so excited to book all our suppliers and had everyone lined up within six weeks of us being engaged. At 18 months out, we found most of the vendors we approached had good availability,” says Georgie.
Venue Achnagairn Castle, Inverness
Photography Hayley Fraser Photography
Filmmaker Grand Gesture Wedding Films
Officiant Revd Graham Duncan, the groom’s uncle
Bride’s dress Savannah Miller from The White Room, Minchinhampton
Bride’s shoes LK Bennett
Bridesmaid dresses Rewritten
Hair Jenna Cooke Hair
Makeup Athena Andreas
Groomswear Oliver Brown London
Catering Donnie Macleod Event Catering
Cake Made by Matt’s mum, Fiona Withers
Flowers Ewa Glabik, in-house gardener and florist at Achnagairn
Venue decor Eva’s Covers
Ceilidh band City Limits Inverness
