Dairse Castle, Fife

Wanted to share my experience of this venue.

Its a small castle that is hired out as a whole building for people to use as they wish. It has two halls large enough for small parties.

The 1st floor hall is accessible via an external set of stairs, through the kitchen and into the hall, no big deal.

The second hall is 5 flights up, using tight spiral stairs that are very narrow and in places dangerous.

The wedding we were booked to do had chosen to have the reception in the higher, second hall. For the first time in 22 years, im afraid I refused to setup as requested. I was concerned about the safety of myself, partner & our equipment. while going up carrying heavy equipment would have been bad enough, coming down the spiral stairs carrying speakers etc would have been dangerous.

It took a while, but the bride and groom eventually agreed to move the party to the lower hall. Some male guests moved a couple of tables down from the higher hall and everything was setup in less than 30 minutes.

other than the hall issue we had a good night, even getting a small tip at the end.

If anyone takes a booking for Dairse Castle, make sure the client is aware the party will have to be held in the lower hall.

Dave

Thanks for the advice Dave. I received an enquiry for the 3rd floor hall in Dairsie Castle today.

You did the right thing, by the sound of it. That sounds like it could have been a nightmare at the end of the night, with guests blocking the staircase. Were the bride and groom alright about it? It could have been a little uncomfortable if they kept pushing for it, but as I said, you absolutely did the right thing.