To celebrate its upcoming 20th anniversary, this Fife wedding venue has built ten new cabins and created a Weddings for the Wild package.
Just south of St Andrews sits Kinkell Byre, a farm which turned into a wedding venue in 2003.
In the beginning, the byre hosted birthday parties and ceilidhs before weddings took off two years later.
Owner Rory Fyfe, who grew up on the farm, remembers the venue’s breakthrough.
“We put in a dance floor and the next big thing was putting in a toilet block,” he recalls.
“It’s not the sexiest thing, but it persuaded mothers of the bride that it was good enough for their daughters to get married in.
“That’s really what helped it take off.”
Unique and characterful venue
The converted barn offers a large dance floor and dining area, space for a drinks reception and bar, as well as two ceremony areas.
Staying true to its authentic and rustic roots is the key to Kinkell Byre’s success, according to Rory.
He says: “We’ve just rode the wave, as there’s been a shift away from soulless weddings in big hotels where you can’t choose much.
“This is something unique and characterful, and a blank canvas where brides and grooms can do what they want.
“That’s been really popular in the wedding market and it’s really taken off, especially in the last five years.”
While Covid put a stopper on weddings over lockdowns, the venue caught up with all the postponed events this summer.
The books are full going forward and Kinkell Byre hosts over 70 weddings a year now.
Kinkell Byre new accommodation
To make the old farm an even more attractive venue, 10 self-catered cabins now sit a few minutes away from the byre.
Made from Scottish larch and birch plywood, the cabins are suitable for two people and come equipped with a kitchenette and an ensuite shower room.
While they are designed for wedding guests, the cabins are available to book for a seaside getaway.
Manager Claire Grant says guests have been pleased with the new offering.
She continues: “It’s good for the couples to have an easy place for their guests to stay, so it takes a bit of pressure off them.
“Since they’re not just for weddings, it opens up the promotion of the Byre as well.”
The cabins have made Kinkell Byre more of a destination venue, with couples traveling from London, Australia and Singapore to get married next year.
Plans for the next two decades
Kinkell Byre has recently launched Weddings for the Wild, which allows couples to offset the carbon impact of their wedding.
This links up with an ambitious rewilding project that Rory is spearheading.
In the next 20 years of the business, he hopes the new accommodation and rewilding will help it grow.
“The cabins bring people on site and they spend time here. That gives us the opportunity to start offering more food, opening a café and creating a hub,” he says.
“I want to work the wedding and event side of the business into the rewilding to generate produce from the land.
“We’ve got plans to make sparkling apple wine using the traditional champagne method from our orchards.
“To use apples that we’ve grown here to make apple champagne that we can then sell in the venue will be really amazing.”
Conversation