Kames Hotel

Colin & Gemma - 14th May 2011

Review

Kames Hotel was our perfect wedding venue. The draw for us was its beautiful yet informal setting and the flexibility to make it "our day", not a wedding factory output. It was fantasitc value for money; we were only charged for what we consumed, food, rooms wine etc and because of numbers we hired the village hall, 5 minutes walk away for our ceilidh. The wedding organiser, Shelley, and her team did a fantastic job in making our weekend as special as it was.

Kames Hotel is a location we both visited as children with our families by boat and this is exactly whow we arrived for our wedding weekend, mooring up in view of the Hotel.

The ceremony itself was held at Kilbride Bay, just a 15 minute drive away on the other shore of the Cowal Peninsula; an incredibly dramatic location with beatiful white sand and views out to the Isle of Arran. Had the weather not been in our favour we were prepared to hold the ceremony in the dining room at the Kames Hotel; this is also a beautiful location with huge windows all round, tall ceilings and a romantic fireplace.

We chose to have a buffet for our reception as we preferred a less formal dining experience however we were keen that this didn't mean the quality of food was compromised. After a-lot of patience from Shelley and her team we came up with a menu which was perfect for us. We went for lots of local produce; seafood, sirloin of beef and lovely salads. Many people enjoyed trying oysters for the first time!

Things to be aware of when considering this venue are that although the dining room and hall way can be decorated however you wish and will be the property of the wedding party for the whole day, the public bar must be kept open for business. For us, this added to the day and helped us to relax by keeping aninformal atmosphere. Some guests preffered to escape to the bar for a pint and a stool to perch on- why not!

For the ceilidh we hired the village hall for about £250 plus the band. The Kames Hotel ran a bar for us at no extra cost and they also provided bacon rolls and cake at just the right time! The band we used were called the Chittery Bites and they were fantastic.

In the lead up to the day we met with Shelley a few times and there were a few occassions we were awaiting an email reply longer than she had promised and so we felt we were chasing her at times. This made us a little nervous but we remember one of the first things she said to us was that she always dedicated the final fortnight before a wedding to organisation. On the weekend of the wedding Shelley and her team were outstanding and were clearly well prepared. The only time I felt a little pressure on the day was when we were running late with speeches and looking back Shelley was right to be forceful in reminding me the food was ready; the Sirloin was cooked to perfection- some guest commented it was the best they had ever tasted!

In summary; if you are looking for a beautiful setting, 5 star food, friendly & efficient staff, great value for money and flexibility to do it "your way" then this is the venue for you!

 

Wedding Details

• Ceremony venue: Kilbride Bay Beach
• Reception venue: Kames Hotel
• Number of guests: 85
• Evening Entertainment: Ceilidh band
• Venue support rating: 4 stars
• Overall venue rating: 5 stars