Is a barn wedding warm enough in December?

Yes. The barn at Glen Clova has underfloor heating, and on Kevin and Katie's December day we also lit the wood-burning stove. With the doors closed and around 120 guests in the room, a winter barn wedding stays warm and cosy through the evening.

Can you have your dog at a Glen Clova wedding?

Yes. Glen Clova is dog-friendly, and it is why Kevin and Katie booked. Their wee dog was part of the celebrations. Dogs are welcome at the ceremony and in the photographs, and there is dog-friendly accommodation on the estate for the wedding party.

Can the same barn host both the ceremony and the reception?

Yes. Kevin and Katie married, ate and danced in the one room. Our team resets the barn through the day, from the ceremony, to the wedding breakfast, to an evening dance floor, so the couple never has to move their guests off site.

Where do guests stay when the party runs late?

On the estate. Glen Clova sleeps up to 88 across the hotel rooms, steading rooms, lodges and houses, so nobody drives home. Kevin and Katie's guests came up the night before for a buffet and stayed through to Sunday, which is what three days rather than a time-slot really means.

Kevin & Katie, a frosty December barn wedding, with a very good dog

Kevin & Katie · Winter 2025 · The Barn

Written by Mhairi Preston, Wedding Coordinator

A frosty December wedding in the barn: a ten-foot Christmas tree, deep-red roses and candlelight, their own dog in the room, and a party that started in the afternoon and ran all night.

The day

Kevin and Katie married in the barn on a lovely, frosty December day, Christmas all around them. A ten-foot tree stood in the room, the wood-burning stove was lit for that extra bit of cosiness on top of the underfloor heating, and with around 120 guests in, the whole space felt warm and full. What everyone remembers most is the two of them: the looks they gave each other all the way through, total love and devotion, the kind of happiness that spreads, so the guests stayed smiling all day too.

Why the barn, and a dog at the heart of it

Kevin and Katie came to Glen Clova looking for somewhere their dog could come too. Plenty of barn wedding venues in Scotland will tolerate a dog for the photos and not much more. Here the dog is part of the wedding party, so their wee one was in the room for the day, and that was reason enough to book. The barn does the rest. It is the all-weather room where the ceremony, the wedding breakfast and the dancing all happen, which in a Scottish December is exactly what you want.

A deep-red Christmas in the barn

This was one of the first Christmassy weddings in the new barn. Katie and Kev had chosen deep reds, dark red table runners, candles and roses, and it toned in perfectly with the wood of the space. A neon sign added a bit of glow, and they brought their own rum, Twice Buried, which they brew themselves, to share with everyone. They knew exactly how they wanted the room to look and feel, and the end result had so much atmosphere and warmth. Jill from San Pado came up with the additional decor that made it look better still.

Moving a ten-foot tree

When Katie and Kev arrived on the Friday to set up, they decided the Christmas tree did not belong in the corner after all. So there we were, sheets down on the floor, the Ops Manager and one of the team on their knees, dragging a ten-foot tree across the barn, with only two or three decorations lost on the way. After the ceremony, back it went to where it started. There is always a bit of behind-the-scenes like that on a wedding day, and it is all part of the fun.

One room, three weddings

With the ceremony and the meal both in the barn, the day meant a lot of quiet work behind the scenes, turning the room from ceremony space, to the wedding breakfast, to an evening floor for dancing. That is what the team is here for: to get everything set exactly as the couple want it.

The party started early

Their content creator and their photographer were both called Rhea, and between the two of them and the fun coming off Katie and Kev, the whole day was a joy to work. The party started early too, singer and guitarist Scott Mellis playing the afternoon in the Glen Logie Suite, everyone up dancing and in the mood from then on. A band carried the night from there, and it ran right through. Katie's brother took on MC duties and kept the room laughing, the sort of host we would happily have at every wedding. Their wee dog was part of the celebrations as well, and we always love a doggie wedding at Clova.

Three days, not a time-slot

Kevin and Katie's wasn't a single afternoon, it was a proper few days. Guests came up the night before for a buffet, the wedding filled the Saturday, and everyone drifted off on the Sunday rather than pouring into taxis at midnight. Because the whole party stays on the estate, the celebration kept going in between the set pieces, which is half the point of getting married somewhere everyone can sleep.

“This venue was perfect in every single way. The location is out of this world. The team are the kindest, most helpful and welcoming people. The communication was always so quick, and nothing was ever an issue for them to deal with. There is not one thing we would change about Glen Clova.”

Katie & Kevin, in their review