How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Venue
For newly engaged couples, wedding planning comes with a lot of excitement…and occasionally, overwhelm.
And the most important decision comes first: where are you going to get married?
Here is our shortlist of the most important questions to consider, and why Fenton Tower could be the perfect East Lothian wedding venue for you to begin the next chapter of your love story.
Do you want an exclusive-use venue?
Unless your gathering is so large that you book out all the rooms, traditional hotel venues will continue functioning as usual throughout your wedding.
Fenton Tower, on the other hand, is always booked as an exclusive-use venue. We only host a set number of weddings each year to ensure you have the most unique experience.
Weddings here are free from unnecessary interruptions or unwanted onlookers – and there certainly won’t be another ceremony happening at the same time as yours!
When you get married at Fenton Tower, you will work directly with our complimentary wedding planner to create your perfect celebration.
Instead of having a fixed (and sometimes rushed…) schedule, your wedding timetable is entirely in your hands. We can work together to turn your wedding into an extended multi-day getaway with the people you love most.
Our attentive team is on hand to make your dreams come true. No ask is too big or too small!
We can arrange a host of special activities, including Highland Games, archery, clay pigeon shooting, and horse-riding. We’ve even been known to book a magician!
What is included with the venue hire?
With many wedding venues, it can be hard to understand the total cost and what is included.
We strive to create wedding packages that are as inclusive as possible.
When you choose Fenton Tower as your wedding venue, the cost includes our wedding fee, exclusive use of our facilities, on-site accommodation, and any additional requested activities.
We also work exclusively with several local suppliers and can include them in your quote.
These suppliers include:
For catering: The Edinburgh Catering Company
For marquee hire: Arc Marquees and Myreton Marquees
For wedding cakes and favours: Liggy’s Cakes
For flowers: Lottie Longman
For hair: Emma Combe Hair
Once booked, our team will handle all the logistics on your behalf and remove several big tasks from your to-do list.
When do you want to get married?
When we ask this, we don’t mean time of day.
Rather, which season do you intend to get married in?
Some venues lend themselves better to the summer months. We might be biased, but we believe that Fenton Tower offers something special at every time of year.
Spring Weddings: Just before the darker afternoons and evenings disappear, spring weddings deliver spectacular sunset photography and intimate candle-lit wedding breakfasts.
Summer Weddings: When the weather heats up, we can erect an outdoor marquee to host a big celebration that lasts into the wee hours.
Autumn Weddings: East Lothian is stunning as the seasons shift, and our grounds transform with bright reds, oranges, and browns.
Winter Weddings: As a chill hits the air and a blanket of snow covers the rolling hills of our grounds, there is no better place to host an intimate celebration in front of a roaring log fire.
What’s your ideal photography backdrop?
Your wedding photos are a real investment. You need to look back with pride at their location.
Fenton Tower is a venue steeped in history. Alongside our meticulously restored 16th-century castle, you have expansive grounds and rolling hills at your disposal.
As such, you have a variety of sensational backdrops to create a wedding album you want to share far and wide.
Here are a few wedding photographers we have had the pleasure of working with previously, who we believe capture the essence of what a wedding at Fenton Tower entails:
How many guests do you want to invite?
Many venues will have strict minimum and maximum guest numbers.
Fenton Tower, on the other hand, can be very flexible on the number of people you have in attendance.
We have no minimum number of guests. The number of people you wish to invite will determine how you use our spaces.
Our Great Hall and Dining Hall can host 32 guests for your ceremony and dinner. This number can increase up to 50 to include evening guests.
For grander celebrations, we can host up to 250 guests in an all-weather marquee in our beautiful grounds.
Do you require on-site accommodation?
If you have family and friends travelling from afar to attend your wedding, providing accommodation can make their journey much easier.
The intimate size of the Fenton Tower makes it ideal for hosting small weddings or the immediate family of larger celebrations.
Within the tower, we have six luxury bedrooms that sleep 12 guests. On the grounds, we have two additional cottages that sleep four guests each.
As a result, you will have plenty of space to get ready, relax, and recharge
What transportation options do your guests require?
Whether your loved ones are travelling from near or far, Fenton Tower is ideally situated in the heart of East Lothian.
For those driving to your wedding – or indeed, staying overnight – we are located a few minutes from the A1 and have ample on-site parking, with a charger for electric vehicles.
If you have guests travelling from further afield, we are 20 miles east of Edinburgh and approximately 45 minutes from Edinburgh Airport.
Our team wants to make your day run seamlessly, and will be delighted to arrange luxury transfers to and from Fenton Tower for your guests.
What style of food are you interested in?
any wedding venues will offer in-house catering, but chances are it’s a set menu with fairly limited choices.
Rather than restrict your food choices, we can create a bespoke menu that suits your tastes. This can cover everything from a multi-course tasting menu to a theatrical BBQ feast on our grounds. The only limitation on your wedding breakfast is your imagination!
And who says first-class cuisine has to be exclusive to the wedding day itself? We can arrange wood-fired pizza nights, champagne brunches, and picnic hampers to round off your wedding stay at Fenton Tower.
Real couple reviews of Fenton Tower
Of course, you can’t just take our word for it that Fenton Tower is your perfect East Lothian wedding venue.
Here is what a few of our happy couples had to say about hosting their wedding with us:
“Fenton Tower met and exceeded our expectations in every way…the staff went above and beyond. We were extremely impressed with every part of our stay!”
“Alan, Karen, and the team were incredible! They couldn’t have done more to make our day perfect. Stunning location, facilities, and food. We genuinely found the most magical place and were so delighted with everything. Thank you!”
“We stayed here for a family wedding. The entire weekend was magical. The location is beautiful, the rooms are superb, the management and staff were friendly and efficient, and the food was great. Truly, there is nothing I would have changed about our experience…it was outstanding!”
Choose Fenton Tower as your East Lothian wedding venue
If you’re looking for a wedding venue that delivers an unforgettable experience for all the right reasons, our team is ready to help you plan a celebration you will treasure for the rest of your lives.
We have a very limited number of 2025 dates remaining, and further availability in 2026.
Simply get in touch, and let’s chat about how we can bring your fairytale wedding to life at Fenton Tower.