Trump’s Aberdeen resort hosts just 12 marriages in eight years

Donald Trump’s Aberdeen golf resort which boasts of being “one of Scotland’s finest luxury wedding venues” has hosted just 12 marriages in eight years.

There have been just five religious marriages and seven civil marriages held at Trump International Golf Links, in Balmedie, near Aberdeen, since it began operating in July 2012 – an average of just one ceremony every six months.

The number of weddings taking place at the 15th-century baronial mansion has slumped since Trump took office in 2016.

Hotel accommodation, Macleod House and Lodge, opened in October 2013.

Sole occupancy fees for a Saturday ceremony start at £6,500, based on a minimum two-night stay.

Records maintained by local registrar offices and the National Records of Scotland, show five civil marriages took place between 2014 and 2016.

None were held in 2017 or 2018, but two civil marriages were held there in 2019 until October, in figures from Freedom of Information requests to Aberdeenshire Council.

No year-by-year breakdown of religious or belief marriages was available.

Trump’s other Scottish resort, Turnberry, in South Ayrshire, has fared significantly better.

But wedding planner Emma Matthews described Trump as a “Marmite” figure who might put off punters.

Ms Matthews, a director at Timeless White, a luxury Scottish wedding planners, questioned a strategy of using a semi-permanent marquee for wedding gatherings.

She said: “If you’re paying Trump prices, you probably don’t want a marquee.

“The two things don’t necessarily align.”

Picture: Kami Thomson. The resort began operating in 2012.