Winter Micro Wedding at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory

This may be the first time you’ve heard of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory as a wedding venue; it’s maybe even the first time you’ve heard of it, full stop. As far as venues go, it’s pretty spectacular. It’s an astronomical observatory located near Loch Doon, East Ayrshire, and it’s situated on a hilltop site overlooking the Craigengillan Estate and Dalmellington. It was a dreamy choice for the star-crossed Rob and Rosie.

The pair opted for a micro wedding pre-pandemic. What’s a micro wedding, I hear you ask? Put simply, they’re a wedding that’s between an elopement and a big wedding. Typically, micro weddings are made up of twenty people or less. These types of weddings are gaining ground as that’s the most viable way for couples to hold a wedding in the earlier part of 2021 due to Covid restrictions. However, micro weddings have been around for a long time and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Be sure to read Creative Micro Weddings: Practical Advice.

I digress.

Back to the wonderful Rob and Rosie. Both knew they wanted to avoid a large, traditional-style wedding. Instead, they were keen to have an intimate gathering packed full of personal details. A day that was laid back, relaxed and truly reflective of them. A micro wedding was a perfect fit for them. After opting for an imitate-styled wedding, they knew finding an unconventional venue was the next step for them. Enter Scottish Dark Sky Observatory! It was an obvious choice with their shared love of all things spacey and universey. The building’s striking aesthetics contain a cozy and inviting indoor space which added to the warmth and intimate environment of this delightful venue. Rosie and Rob even cut their starry cake alongside the inimitable Neil Armstrong! Perhaps the greater highlight was that their family dog, Freya, was allowed to attend and took on the important role of ring-bearer.

They opted for a 4pm ceremony with their 16 guests. Following on from their personal marriage ceremony, they celebrated with their family and friends with drinks before enjoying all that the Dark Sky Observatory has on offer including the Planetarium and mammoth telescope. From this perspective, it played to all of the things Rosie and Rob love as a couple. Rather than a formal sit-down meal, they opted for a buffet with guests asked to BYOB. Everyone loved the chilled-out atmosphere. Their evening wound down at 9pm and was considered a unanimous success by all.