Helen and Grant enjoyed Dalduff Farm's wedding spaces and delicious catering, while making the space their own with meaningful DIY decor
Helen Fletcher and Grant MacGregor
2nd September 2023
Venue | Dalduff Farm
Photography | Euan Robertson Photography
Having a trial run can be a great way to ensure you get exactly what you want on your special day. Helen and Grant, who were students when they met working for a catering company, had countless ‘trials’ as they served up wedding breakfasts all over Scotland. It gave them a great insight into what they were looking for when it came to planning their own day.
“We had 45 or so venues on the long list, of which we visited eight and shortlisted three,” recalls bride Helen. “We had a pretty good idea of the style we wanted to go for in a venue. We also wanted good food, a relaxed vibe and somewhere fully furnished with a kitchen, bar and staff so we didn’t have to stress too much.”
One of the shortlisted options was Dalduff Farm in Ayrshire, a place the couple say they had “a good feeling about” right from the very beginning. “When we visited Dalduff, James, the owner, gave us a great walk round and answered our long list of questions. From the start, it felt like he and the whole team cared about our wedding – which wasn’t always the case elsewhere,” says Helen.
As well as falling in love with Dalduff itself (“It has a great mix of spaces, such as the airy, industrial Dutch barns, the cosy, thick-walled stone barn and the beautiful gardens”), this pair of self-confessed foodies were also sold on the delicious dining options: “The menu choices were unlike anything we’d seen so far – BBQ ribs as a main course, Korean beef tacos for the evening buffet, and pizza. Ideal!”
They eventually settled on the Barbecue Wedding Feast package (reception canapés, wedding feast and drinks, plus an evening buffet) along with the middle tier drinks package. They also requested some higher-end whisky for the bar too
The couple had exclusive use of the venue from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, allowing them to bring their 102 guests back together on the final morning for a post-wedding brunch. “Dalduff had on-site accommodation for the wedding party, so we could stay on the Friday and Saturday nights,” recalls the bride.
“On-site accommodation meant we didn’t have to organise transport and hotels and all the stressful logistics that go with that”
“We wanted somewhere that our guests could easily get home from so they wouldn’t have the expense of accommodation. And for those who did have to travel from further afield, there were plenty of affordable places nearby to stay.”
Helen and Grant were a long-distance couple at one point, so paid tribute to their love stretching the miles by basing their table names and decor on vintage railway posters and postcards, having their order of service as a train ticket and namecards as vintage-style luggage tags tied with ribbons in their family tartans.
“One of our friends engraved a map of Scotland on a whisky barrel lid which we hung in the entrance to the Dutch barn, and my mum and I sewed tartan cushions to decorate the barns too,” adds the bride.
The couple made use of different spaces for different parts of their day, with good weather allowing the drinks reception to be moved outdoors at the last minute, a seamless change made possible by helpful venue staff, as Helen recalls: “The staff were fantastic throughout the day – they just couldn’t do enough for us.
"It was thanks to the team that we were able to stay in a happy little bubble, being with our friends and family without having to worry about any timings or organisation. Everyone remarked on how relaxed the whole day felt.
Venue Dalduff Farm
Photography Euan Robertson Photography
Wedding Dress Wedding Wise
Bride's shoes Monsoon
Bridal Hair Comb Lily Luna
Bridal Pearl Earrings IBB John Lewis
Bridal cape Ebay
Bridesmaids dresses David’s Bridal (now closed)
Groomswear Kilts 4 U
Celebrant Nancy Braid, Fuze Ceremonies
Cake Dunlop Dairy, I.J. Mellis
Lego cake toppers Minifigs.me
Catering Dalduff Farm
Flowers J Dunlop Florists
Stationery Printed by Minuteman Press, designed by the groom’s sister Heather who has an Etsy shop
Favours Mini Schnapps bottles
Tartan ribbons for the decor and fabric for handmade tartan cushions Fabric Bazaar
Neon Sign Kustom Neon Falkirk
Engagement/wedding rings and jewellery Hodgkinson, Clarkston
Reception ceilidh and disco The Jim Jam Ceilidh Band
Hair & Makeup Honey Love Make-up & Hair
Nails Tan Oz, Netherlee
Wedding website, save the dates, registry and invites withjoy.com
