Fife wedding venue Balbirnie House has enjoyed a return to profit after experiencing its busiest ever year.
Annual accounts show the company had a pre-tax profit of more than £122,000 to the end of April 2024.
This is compared to a loss posted the year previously of around £187,000.
The Markinch venue has been named the world’s best wedding venue for five consecutive years by Haute Grandeur Global Awards.
Directors Nicholas and Gaynor Russell hailed the work of their team, who they said had refocussed efforts on procurement and purchasing to pass value on to customers.
And the venue has been inundated with bookings, with 500 happy couples tying the knot at Balbirnie House in the last three years.
Balbirnie House returns to profit
Revenues published in the company’s annual accounts exceeded £4.1m.
Nicholas said: “Despite all ongoing challenges combined, and having previously experienced very significant pandemic-related losses at Balbirnie House, it is great to see our accounts now return to delivering a marginal profit.
“This is as a result of a monumental effort and much focus from our company management team.
“We have needed to shift to new levels of contemplation for all purchasing and procurement, so that we can continue to keep passing on as much value as possible for all guests.
“And we have also needed to re-think how the entire hotel brigade is deployed, without in any way comprising on providing our absolute best warmth of welcome of Scotland hospitality.
“Throughout this cost-of-living crisis we have also retained a focus on providing great starting points for value-for money, and it has been wonderful to see such strong ongoing support from our local community.”
“The costing differentials can be truly profound, the savings that couples can make by having their wedding here, when compared for example to some standalone barn venues, can equate to a very significant deposit on a house, and the rest.
“A further differential is also in relation to the nature of historic properties.
“There’s a big difference between having a wedding ceremony inside a historic property and then being assigned the rest of the occasion outside and into a garden marquee.
“Everything we have at Balbirnie provides for internal celebrations in entirety inside the Category A listed house for up to 250 guests.
“And we are not shy of partying either. Per square foot, since opening as a hotel back in 1999, Balbirnie House has partied harder than any other hotel in the land.”
Conversation