The Dougarie Boathouse Reviews 24

What an amazing place to start your future as a married couple…. The Dougarie Boathouse. David and I loved it from the start. Malin you are a star, from the start of our wedding journey to the end, you helped to organise our special day beautifully - thank you. Everything just went so smoothly - well almost… we’ll not mention the Grand March ;) but that was on me!! The wedding breakfast was delicious. The piper was great. The photographer was wonderful. I had a lovely stay in the Bothy. Thank you Joyce for accommodating the guest changes. A truly beautiful place and although our wedding journey is completed, I hope we can get back to visit you all again soon. Thank you so, so much.

Me and my (now) husband would like to say huge thank you to Malin, Joyce, Chef and all the Dougarie Boathouse team! They did an amazing job during those few months we had to prepare for the wedding. Malin was just incredible helping me to plan everything the way i wanted it to be, from the flowers, colour, decor to special ourdoor ceremony arch that i envisioned, to photozone and so on. She was always in touch, and i don't think that without her responsiveness and support I'd be able to survive the craziness of the last month before the wedding))) She advised on the most wonderful photographer and Celebrant for our day, helped to create the look of the outside and inside space just as we wanted, both her and Joyce helped to organise me dress change (as the Boathouse itself doesn't have a room for that if you have 2 outfits), and just kept everything under control and running smoothly on the Day. Chef cooked an amazing meal and Joel created a wonderful bar with cocktails specially made using mine and his ideas in the wedding colour theme. All the team was really the part of our special day, not vendors, our family&friends had a fantastic time, and we are really happy we chose Dougarie Estate and Boathouse for our wedding! Cannot recommend them more. Thank you, Malin & Team ❤️ with our best wishes, Anastasia&Ewan

We had an amazing wedding! I was coordinating this from the U.S. and the entire staff was very responsive and easy to work with. The venue is beautiful, and our guests had a really wonderful time. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking to have a small destination wedding with a romantic and rustic sea scape feel!

We loved every minute of our wedding at the boathouse. A fantastic location even on a rainy Scottish summers day! Malin could not have been more accommodating in the lead up to our day and was on hand throughout to make sure everything ran smoothly. Perfect island wedding!

We had the most amazing day at Iorsa Water for our elopement wedding. It was an absolutely stunning location to get married, with a small rustic boat-house set up with candles and a small table for us to sign the register. We were lucky with the weather, so our ceremony took place outside at an awesome spot by the water.

Malin was lovely, helpful and efficient with arranging and co-ordinating everything so that the day ran seamlessly. She arranged travel to Iorsa water for us, along with the excellent registrar, photographer and piper, as well as ordering a lovely bouquet and button hole from a local florist.

Malin was quick to respond to our emails and queries whilst we were sorting the arrangements beforehand, and nothing was too much trouble.

We would highly recommend Iorsa Water, Dougarie Estate to anyone planning an elopement wedding.

We couldn’t have loved our wedding at the Dougarie Boathouse more. The setting is absolutely breathtaking, and the inside of the boathouse is beautiful. We had some proper west coast weather so ended up getting married in the central part of the boathouse with the main doors open on to the water. It was so beautiful, and the sounds of the waves echoing round the room was very atmospheric.
We had a small wedding, just 20 people in total, but the size of the boathouse worked perfectly for this. Big enough that there was plenty of space to move around without feeling cavernous and empty. We also had it sectioned off for our ceremony and opened it up for dinner, which was ideal and made our ceremony space feel very intimate.
Malin is amazing, so helpful and lovely. She made everything really straight forward and always replied quickly to our questions. The rest of the Boathouse team, Mark, Joel and Sarah were fantastic. Thanks to everyone for such a magical day, I wish we could just do it all over again!

We recently got married at the Dougarie Boathouse and could not thank Malin and the team more for how perfectly it went.
Throughout the process Malin was so helpful and understanding with every one of the questions emailed to her and her communication was exemplary.
She gave us invaluable suggestions for the set up of the day and followed our requests to deliver a beautiful venue on the day itself.
From the ceremony, to the dinner, to the dancing, every step appeared to happen seamlessly and without anyone noticing including multiple room transformations - a testament to how professional Malin is!

The venue is beautifully secluded with the most picturesque landscape and sunset, and the interior decor is elegant but simple - allows you to add your own touches to make it personal but without being bare.

Overall we highly recommend the boathouse if you’re planning an Arran wedding!

My partner and I recently eloped at the Dougarie Boathouse, and it was nothing short of magical. The setting by the loch was absolutely perfect, providing a breathtaking backdrop for our special day. The boathouse itself was beautifully maintained, with charming details that added to the romance of the occasion.

The staff at Dougarie Boathouse were incredible – kind, accommodating, and always ready to help. They went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect for us. The piper they arranged added a touch of tradition that made the day even more memorable.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect location or more wonderful people to help us celebrate our love. If you're looking for a stunning and intimate place to elope, we highly recommend Dougarie Boathouse!

The Boathouse provides a unique, magical and dream-like setting that no other venue can give. Its locatioin provides a tranquil and secluded space for hosting your special day as well as giving views to die for, making your wedding pictures out of this world. Inside is intimate and relaxed with the most stunning decor, its gorgeous vaulted ceilings covered in fairy lights add to the magic.
The Boathouse was perfect for our intimate wedding and Malin and her team went above and beyond for us. The Boathouse provides a list of suppliers to help with the planning of your big day - very helpful when you don't live on the Island - and constant updates on social media provide endelss inspiration for your big day. Malin ensured everything was perfect from start to finish, nothing was too much hassle and she kept cool and calm throughout - even when the ferries robbed us of our caterer and we had to re-jig things very last minute. The team took great care of us and our guests throughout the day to enusre we all had the absolute best time. Our guests were blown away by the venue, its surroundings and the service and can't stop talking about it all!
Chosing the Boathouse was an easy decision and it gave us the wedding of our dreams. We cannot thank Malin and the team enough for making it all possible, I just wish we could do it all again.

We are American and planned a wedding here. As you can imagine it is difficult to plan a wedding while not knowing any of the vendors, etc. Malin and her team made sure everything was taken care of! She was very responsive and made time to meet with us at convenient times - even with the time difference. We had such a wonderful day- awesome food, stunning venue, and FUN band- we would not have changed a thing. We loved every minute of our wedding.

We can’t thank Malin, Joyce, Joel, Sarah and the rest of the team at the Boathouse enough! Right from our very first contact with Malin, she was enthusiastic about our wedding and has gone above and beyond to help us create our perfect day. The Boathouse was the first and only wedding venue we viewed because we absolutely knew that nothing would beat it.
What we loved especially about the Boathouse was the incredible surrounding scenery. The venue feels isolated which means your guests have full access to walk around on the beach and take in the beautiful Arran coastline. Our guests spent most of the day outdoors (we were lucky enough to have incredible weather) and couldn’t believe how peaceful the grounds were. This also makes for the most amazing backdrop for your photos – something you won’t find with a lot of other wedding venues.
The interior of the Boathouse is modern, clean and simplistic meaning you can put your own stamp on it and Malin and her team are so happy to accommodate your vision. Nothing was too much for them and Malin made herself available whenever we had questions about the whole process, we never felt we were alone in planning our wedding despite going for the venue only package.
I wish we could do it all again honestly, it was flawless from start to finish and that was mainly down to the attention to detail paid by all of the Boathouse staff. Even on the wedding day itself the staff were very helpful in assisting with the order of events and making sure the day ran smoothly for us. Our family and friends haven’t stopped talking about how incredible a day it was and how amazing both the staff and venue were. We are so glad we went with the Boathouse and can’t imagine a better wedding venue or location to get married.

Myself and my husband had our wedding day at the Dougarie Boathouse on the Isle of Arran on 12th September 2023. Almost one month on and we are still beaming from the day and how perfect it was. Arran is special to us for a lot of reasons but importantly because every time we go, it’s relaxed, and we wanted to reflect that in our day but wondered how you create such a feeling. With a small wedding of 36 people, the Boathouse team provided just that - a day that was relaxed, intimate and stunningly beautiful. The scenery, the people, the food and the charming venue itself gave us a day that was beyond perfection and one that exceeded all of our expectations.

Their flexible package made it easy to start building a wedding day with just a year to go and we loved being able to use local suppliers to the island including caterer, florist and celebrant. We were also able to hire a lot of decor from the venue itself which made it so easy for us and more practical than packing what are usually already very full cars! The team handled the majority of the set up - bringing to life our vision and making it better than we could have ever done. They also supported with the running of the day and were more than happy to adjust timings when I thought it nicer to stay out and enjoy the sunset before the cake and first dance.

For an intimate wedding, we would recommend this venue 100 times over and our only regret is not being able to do it all over again.

From the bottom of our hearts, we can’t thank Malin and the Boathouse enough for giving us an unforgettable and wonderful day to celebrate our new start as husband and wife.

Where do we even begin!!! If you're thinking of getting married at the Dougarie Boathouse don't hesitate! It is simply breathtaking!

From Malin's attention to detail to the unbelievable sea views, it's honestly perfect. We really can’t thank everyone enough!!!!

We can't thank Malin, Joyce, Jules and the team at the Dougarie enough, everything was just outstanding. In fact, everyone on Arran was incredibly friendly and it really does feel like a community. We had forgot to drill holes in one of our signs and within the hour Malin had a joiner over to drilling them for us, this is just one of the many ways they went above and beyond.

We were nervous of the table setting’s being put together without us but Malin executed it perfectly, everything was exactly how we had imagined it, from the placement of the each disco ball to each table.

The location of the boathouse is stunning from every single angle, it is secluded so it really does make the day feel even more special. You have the beach, the river, the boathouse itself and then a short walk is a stunning walled garden. You are really spoiled for choice for the dreamiest wedding photos.

You are really really spoiled for choice at the Dougarie Boathouse.

We wanted an outdoor ceremony, the weather had been quite grim all week but on the day of our wedding it was truly stunning and we were blessed with blue skies.

We went with most of Malin’s recommendations from Eleanor’s flowers (who I would recommend to anyone and everyone!!!!! What she did for us was above and beyond) Malin even recommended transport to us which we never would have known. The kindness from everyone on the island was incredible.

We still can’t believe we had such a special wedding and even managed to plan it in less than 6 months. Which we would never have been able to do elsewhere. Everyone really went above and beyond to make our day special.

Having attended a very special and unique party at the Boathouse a few weeks ago, I can’t recommend it enough for any event.
It’s a beautiful space with stunning views and very well appointed so it would work very well for dinners, shooting lunches, weddings, parties and get togethers

Dear Malin and the Entire Boathouse Team,

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for orchestrating a truly magical day on our wedding. Arran holds a special place in our hearts, making The Dougarie Boathouse the perfect and only choice for our celebration.

When planning a wedding from 500 miles and a ferry journey away, one must place immense trust in the team assisting them. Malin, Joel from Arran Food Events, Charlotte from Charlotte's Flowers, Elie from Elie's Delight Cakes, David and his diligent crew for catering, Rory for his enchanting bagpipe melodies, and Connor McEwan, our photographer aka personal assistant! – each of you were absolutely fantastic.

Exchanging our vows amidst the moody skies, encircled by majestic mountains and the sounds of the waves was nothing short of breathtaking.

The rustic beams, twinkling fairy lights, panoramic views of the sea and mountains, delicious food, beautiful floral arrangements, a stunning cake, and the presence of our loved ones, was everything we needed to be wholly immersed in our moment.

The intimacy of The Boathouse was the perfect for our celebration. Your amazing team was warm, supportive and we were able to put our total faith in your organisation of the day.

It was evident that you all understood our vision and the atmosphere we aimed for, making our day an everlasting treasure.

From the depths of our hearts, thank you for making our wedding day a cherished memory.

With love and gratitude,

Melanie & Richard ❤️

We were lucky enough to have a private dinner for 20 at The Boathouse on 24th August 2023. The setting is stunning with beautiful sea views, and the venue has been done up to the highest standard with the original vaulted ceilings and plenty of space. It was a magical night and I can totally understand why it is such a popular wedding venue - exceptional and unique!

An absolutely stunning setting. A really special location. It felt like you had your own private part of the island. The sea view is so beautiful. The lady who runs it really went the extra mile to make sure we had an incredible time - all our needs were taken care of so we could have fun and enjoy ourselves. Everyone in our party loved it and came home saying they can’t wait to go back.

An absolutely stunning venue and location. Our private dining experience was exceptional. The views and private location made for an evening we’ll never forget. Only wish we could have stayed longer!

This is the most incredible venue. Right on the water, with stunning views. The service was amazing and I can’t think of a better place to get together with friend and family. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!

A magical venue. Every detail is well thought through from the perfectly manicured garden to the finishing touches inside the house to the bar and patio on the sea. It’s like one of those places you only see online but it’s real. If you haven’t seen Dougarie Boat House in person, I can’t recommend it highly enough.