2022 – The year of the wedding! What a year it has been for weddings here at The Lodge on Loch Lomond in 2022! It has been the busiest year by far and we were all feeling a mixture of excited and nervous as the wedding season approached, but following a year of lockdowns and postponements in 2020, to a year of weddings going ahead under some strict and debilitating covid restrictions in 2021, we were all keen to throw ourselves into the first normal season in 2 years!

We spent the first quarter of the year getting our best team together preparing and by time the first signs of spring appeared we were ready, then by mid-April it was clear we were well underway with weddings every day of the week! One of the silver linings of lockdown was being able to make some significant changes to the McMillan Suite, offering the option of an outdoor ceremony and our fantastic new Glen Lomond Suite and Patio, and it was wonderful for us to see friends and families coming together to celebrate much awaited weddings, the atmosphere at these post – covid, long awaited weddings were like nothing we had seen before! People are certainly in the mood to celebrate love and have a massive party!

As the months passed, we saw couples that we have been working with for years – some who had their weddings booked for up to 5 years, finally tying the knot and having their happy days!

The weddings this year have been bigger and better than ever before, and we have noticed more live entertainment, such as Capella String Quartet, Ginny & The Tonic singing duo, and Clan & Drumma Tribal Band performing, as well as couples spending more on décor, and suppliers such as ice cream carts, candy carts and pizza vans. Couples also seem keener to capture their day on video, and we have had the pleasure of seeing many more gorgeous wedding videos from Knoxland films shot here at The Lodge.

We have noticed couples looking to inject their personalities into their weddings – with some choreographed first dances, live animals getting involved in ceremonies, and Tik Tok trends galore! We hope to see much more of this in the future as it is so much fun for the team to witness.

In June we were able to open the doors to our AmberRose Spa – with a relaxing thermal suite and 2 treatment rooms for guests to enjoy – this is a great addition for guests and couples who wish to stay at The Lodge the night after their wedding to truly unwind and refresh.  We also have some lovely new treatments that couples can book and enjoy in the lead up to their day,  the Bridal Glow and Shore Man to name but a few!

In July we were thrilled to have the addition of our gas firepit for the McMillan Suite, further adding to the options to be outdoors and enjoy the views and ambience of the Loch. This has gone down a storm so far! We can offer s’mores to be served alongside the firepit and this is great for bringing guests outside and makes for the perfect photo opportunity!

As we are now slowing down and preparing for winter, we can reflect on how extremely proud of our team we are given the amazing wedding season we have had and with such a busy season, everyone has worked so well together and thoroughly enjoyed the relationships we have shared with our couples and their families to create such magical memories!  It has become clear that the wedding industry has bounced back twice as strong after covid, and 2023 looks to be just as jam packed.