Rising dramatically from the Midlothian landscape, Borthwick Castle is one of Scotland’s most powerful and uncompromising wedding venues. This is not a softened or romanticised castle experience, but something far more authentic: vast stone walls, soaring vertical spaces, and a palpable sense of history that gives every wedding here a feeling of significance. For couples who want their day to feel immersive, bespoke, and entirely their own, Borthwick offers a setting unlike anywhere else.

The interior spaces are both monumental and surprisingly flexible. Ceremonies can take place in the castle’s top-floor Garrison, a breath-taking room defined by scale, texture, and atmosphere, or in one of several evocative locations throughout the building. Each space carries its own mood, from intimate and enclosed to grand and resonant. From a photographic point of view, the castle rewards a careful, considered approach, using scale, shadow, and light to create images that feel cinematic and grounded rather than decorative.

For couples planning a church service, the nearby Borthwick Church provides a traditional ceremony option before returning to the castle for celebrations. This pairing works particularly well, offering contrast between the quiet formality of the church and the raw, dramatic presence of the castle itself. The transition back to Borthwick feels purposeful, as though the day gathers momentum rather than fragmenting across locations.

Wedding celebrations at Borthwick are entirely custom-designed, and that philosophy runs through every part of the day. Dining can range from a formal banquet within the castle walls to a more relaxed summer barbecue with drinks in the gardens. This flexibility allows the tone of the wedding to reflect the couple rather than the venue, whether that means grandeur and ceremony or warmth and informality. From my perspective as a photographer, this bespoke approach produces more natural moments, because the day is built around how people want to gather and celebrate.



As evening falls, Borthwick Castle comes into its own. Ceilidhs and late-night parties sit comfortably within the thick stone walls, while quieter moments unfold beside roaring fires, glasses in hand. For guests staying overnight, the experience doesn’t end abruptly but softens into something slower and more reflective. Having photographed weddings here, I understand how to work with the castle’s scale, light, and rhythm, ensuring the images capture not just how the day looked, but how it felt to inhabit such an extraordinary place.