Shining a light on fairytale weddings

25 April 2013

Brides-to-be are being guaranteed a fairytale wedding at stunning Scottish racecourse – after it invested in furlongs of fairy lights

Hospitality bosses at Hamilton Park racecourse say thousands of twinkling bulbs transform their popular Parade Ring Marquee into a romantic wonderland.

Now they hope the whopping 432m long string of lights – close to two furlongs in racing terms - will help them build further on the venue’s reputation as one of the most popular wedding settings in Lanarkshire.

Kathryn Jones, general manager with Sodexo Prestige at Hamilton Park Racecourse, said: “We already welcome around 40 weddings a year and bridal parties love having the run of the entire grounds.

“But the centre of the big day is on the Parade Ring Marquee and we want to make sure that as special as possible for couples who are tying the knot and their guests.

“We’d actually had quite a few wedding parties request fairly lights in the past but we had to hire them in specially and it cost well over £1000 a time, which is a huge additional expense. Now we can offer them at no extra cost.

“The new lights cover the entire ceiling of the marquee and the effects are magical and make the setting really romantic. We’re delighted with the results and feel sure this will make Hamilton Park Racecourse even more popular as a wedding destination.”
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The Parade Ring Marquee is Hamilton Park’s main suite for wedding celebrations and can play host for up to 250 guests. It is a permanent, paneled and fully heated structure boasting its own kitchen facilities.

On booking this venue for private events, guests can be given exclusive access to the extensive grounds which include beautifully manicured lawns for memorable photo opportunities.

Aside from weddings Hamilton Park Racecourse has an array of suites including the Club Lawn marquee, executive boxes and the grandstand overlooking the race track, which are used for a wide variety of events.

Sodexo Prestige is the corporate dining, hospitality and events division of Sodexo and partners with 17 top class venues in Scotland – and 50 across the UK – including Hamilton Park.

Other partners include Hampden Park Stadium, Perth Racecourse and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sodexo Prestige also provides catering hospitality for The Open Championship, one of the world’s biggest golfing events.

As well as providing race day hospitality at Hamilton Park, Sodexo Prestige has helped build up a thriving business in non race day meetings and events including conferences, exhibitions, weddings and private parties across the UK.