Driving along an ordinary West Lothian lane, Forth Bridges to the north, Pentland Hills to the south, nothing atypical, nothing unusual. Then BOOM, a glorious tangle of shiny sputniks and steel foliage meets the eye and you’re suddenly aware that things are about to take a turn for the extraordinary!
Imagine how Lucy Pevensie felt as she took her first steps through the wardrobe into the mythical world of Narnia, well that’s sort of how it feels when you enter Jupiter Artland, an 80 acre sculpture park on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Even the drive leading from those glorious galvanised gates to the carpark is a psychological roller coaster. First, there’s the excitement as you leave the ordinary world behind and cross the aforementioned threshold, then comes a sense of calm as you travel through dense native woodland before WHAM, the landscape abruptly transforms into an otherworldly realm where the Life Mounds, a Teletubby-esque world of terraced hills and lakes will make you gasp out loud! It could even be said that the emotional ups and downs experienced along the driveway to Jupiter Artland could be considered an honest representation of love and marriage.
Therefore, with Jupiter Artland, love and marriage in mind, here’s why Team Fuze have chosen this West Lothian wonder to behold as this week’s Incredible Scottish Wedding Venue:
• One of a kind and utterly unique
• Just 15 minutes from Edinburgh Airport & 30 minutes from the city centre
• Endless indoor/outdoor ceremony options
• Exclusive use venue from October – May
• A wedding photographers dream come true
• Suitable for both elopement/micro weddings and larger weddings (up to 100 ceremony/120 evening)
• Accommodation available nearby
• Ample onsite car parking
When deliberating the perfect wedding venue, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jupiter Artland wasn’t quite right for your big day. Perhaps you have no interest in the arts? Maybe you’re looking for something a little less contemporary? Or maybe you’ve even questioned if wild romance and sculpture parks go hand in hand? Well, Team Fuze are about to allay your wedding venue fears because Jupiter Artland has got it ALL going on!
Founded in 2009 by philanthropist art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson, Jupiter Artland pretty much ticks all the ‘dream wedding venue’ boxes. The fact that there are innumerable, awe-inspiring works of art peppered throughout the estate is a secondary bonus to how well Jupiter Artland works as a wedding venue.
With endless and seriously romantic indoor and outdoor ceremony options available, couples looking to tie-the-knot at Jupiter Artland will be spoilt for choice. When Vicky & Ruaridh married back in October 2018, the couple opted to say “I do” in the Ballroom, which is located in the east wing of Bonnington House. With honeyed-apricot walls, bell towers and turrets galore, this 17th Century baronial beauty has more atmosphere than Jupiter itself! From October to May (the space is used for art exhibitions over the summer months) couples can exchange vows in the Ballroom below a ginormous chandelier which hangs from a ceiling so elaborately and intricately fashioned that there is a serious risk that guests will miss the ceremony as they’ll be too busy looking up! The Ballroom can comfortably seat up to 100 guests for the ceremony and if you can’t bear to tear yourself away, smaller groups can also enjoy the wedding breakfast and evening reception in this space.
Note: There are a number of steps leading up to the Ballroom so this space might not be ideal for wheelchair users.
Just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Ballroom, a pretty stone steading and cobbled courtyard with beautiful views out over the Forth Bridges makes for the perfect place to enjoy the wedding breakfast and evening reception. For thirsty guests, a supercool vintage caravan has been transformed into a bar and is stationed within the courtyard alongside roaring firepits. Within the steading buildings a wondrous Alice in Wonderland style reception space awaits and makes for the perfect, funky location to feed famished guests at the midnight hour. From the steading, couples and their guests can access the beautiful bell-tent style marquee, which comfortably seats up to 80 guests for the wedding breakfast and up to 120 evening guests. Foodie couples won’t be disappointed either as Jupiter Artland use the brilliant, Barry Bryson Jack, from Cater Edinburgh to tantalise the taste buds.
Although Jupiter Artland is perfect exactly as it is, we LOVE how much creative freedom couples are given to inject their personality into their big day. The wedding team not only strive to accommodate a couple’s preferences, they fully embrace it.
When it comes to capturing the big day, Jupiter Artland is a wedding photographers dream come true. Not only are all the reception spaces bathed in incredible natural light, the 80 acres that surrounds Bonnington House are simply unbelievable. From Laura Ford’s ‘Weeping Girls’ to Mark Quinn’s ‘Love Bomb’, the entire landscape is interwoven with the most incredible sculptures, so couples looking for super-creative backdrops will be spoilt for choice. For those looking for more traditional wedding photography, Jupiter Artland is inspired by nature so couples can weave their way through whimsical wild meadows and native woodland for mega-romantic wedding snaps.
We could go on and on about how wonderful this wedding venue is, but seeing is believing (or in this case, not being able to believe your eyes) so we recommend getting in touch with the friendly team to arrange a viewing.
P.s. did we mention there’s also an entire menagerie of real life animals!!
Thanks to:
Venue: Jupiter Artland
Photographer: Claire Juliet Paton Photography
Couple: Vicky & Ruaridh
Date: October 2018
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