Jonathan Trew

Chefs, staff and organisers go to heroic lengths to ensure a perfect big day, from baking last-minute cakes to sourcing alpacas, finds

Heightened emotions, lavish settings and family tensions – it is no wonder that weddings feature prominently in romcom films. But while a good wedding often has elements of theatre, few of those involved want to see the big day turn into a drama of season finale proportions.

For the venues and staff that make wedding days run smoothly, consultation, preparation and contingency planning are key. To put it another way, forewarned is forearmed and this can help prevent a fairytale turning into one of the Grimm Brothers more alarming stories.

For the last seven years, event manager Karen Mcveigh has been organising private events including weddings at Gleneagles. At the five star hotel, each wedding is assigned a dedicated event manager who works with the guests’ ideas, themes and budgets.

She says: “We start by having a discussion about the experience you want to create – whether that’s a simple candlelit dinner for six in our Broadcasting Room or a glamorous themed party for 180 in the Ballroom with a swing band and fireworks. Then we start drawing out your interests and pulling everything together to bring that vision to life.

And if Cossacks and caviar are on your wish list then so be it. Karen adds: “There are no standard ‘event packages’, because everything we do is tailored to the guest. A couple of years ago, we had an amazing event that reunited two sides of a family, from Russia and Scotland. My job was to blend those cultures, so we had vodka, whisky and caviar, Cossack dancers and Highland dancers, traditional Russian folk music and Scottish bagpipes.”

For many couples, their wedding is an opportunity to show their personalities.

Ring bearing duties, traditionally the domain of the best man, are ripe for customisation. Despite the old adage about never working with children or animals, page boys remain popular ring bearers and more exotic, animal-based variations are not unheard of. At Gleneagles, couples have had the ring delivered by a falcon. Meanwhile, at Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow, staff once organised two alpacas to walk down the aisle with the all important ring.

A hotel spokesman says: “The alpacas added a touch of irreverence, personality and fun into a day which although wonderful, can be very stressful

for the bride and groom. Anything that helps relax everyone, in a manner that is true to the couple, so that they can enjoy the day to the full is what the hotel is all about.”

At least with wedding days, both groom and bride are both aware of what’s happening and are happy to be there. When it comes to masterminding wedding proposals, things are slightly different. Happily, Gleneagles has experience of stacking the odds in favour of an enthusiastic “Yes” response.

The team once arranged a scenic, mountain-top safari as the backdrop to a proposal. The wouldbe husband popped the question