Wedding DJ at Melville Castle, Midlothian — Lisa & Tim
Melville Castle in Midlothian was the stunning setting for the wedding reception of Lisa and Tim Blunn — a couple whose guest list brought together family from Italy, friends from London, and a crowd who were absolutely ready to celebrate all night. Set just seven miles south of Edinburgh city centre on 54 acres of private estate, Melville Castle is one of Scotland’s most beautiful castle wedding venues, and this October evening showed it at its best.
Premier Disco has performed at weddings across Midlothian many times over, and Melville Castle is a venue we know and love. If you’re considering it for your own wedding, the practical section at the bottom of this page should help.
Setting Up at Melville Castle
Setup began in the early afternoon, well ahead of the guests arriving. The marquee at Melville Castle is the ideal space for a wedding reception — the stage area to the far left gives the DJ a clear view of the room while keeping the sound focused on the dancefloor rather than washing over the dining tables. Easy loading access and genuinely helpful staff made the setup straightforward.
The First Dance
Lisa and Tim chose John Legend’s All Of Me — a perfect choice for a first dance that draws the whole room in. As the couple took to the floor surrounded by their guests, it was immediately clear this was a close, warm group of people who were going to make the most of every minute. It set exactly the right tone for the rest of the evening.
The Wedding Shoe Game
Before the party proper got underway, the Wedding Shoe Game made an appearance — with a twist. Rather than the usual pre-set questions, the guests wrote the questions themselves. It started innocently enough, then took a turn. Lisa and Tim played along brilliantly, getting some wonderful reactions from their families. A great ice-breaker for a room full of guests from different countries who were meeting each other for the first time.
An International Dancefloor
The music request from Lisa and Tim was genuinely eclectic — and wonderfully so. Lisa’s family had travelled from Italy, bringing their own musical tastes with them, and the playlist ranged from Italian songs to Spanish, hip hop, R&B, dance and classic disco. It’s exactly the kind of variety that keeps a dancefloor interesting all evening, and the crowd delivered in kind — dancing from the first song to the last, with requests still coming in as the night wound down.
Getting Married at Melville Castle?
Melville Castle is one of the finest wedding venues in Midlothian — a grade II listed Neo-Gothic castle dating back to 1786, set in 54 acres of private woodland and parkland with a mile-long driveway that makes an unforgettable first impression on guests. The venue holds up to 200 guests in its contemporary marquee, or up to 150 in the elegant ballroom. It operates an exclusive one-wedding-per-day policy, so you always have the full attention of the venue team.
The marquee has a sound limiter in place — something worth knowing when planning your entertainment. Melville Castle’s limiter works by monitoring the overall sound level in the room, and if the threshold is exceeded it cuts the power to the DJ equipment momentarily. This is worth being aware of not just because of the obvious interruption, but because of a specific feature of the marquee: there are speakers mounted above the dancefloor in the ceiling of the marquee. This means that even at sensible volume levels, the cumulative effect of music plus a lively crowd directly underneath those speakers can occasionally trip the limiter. It doesn’t mean the evening is compromised — it simply means your DJ needs to be experienced with the room and manage levels proactively rather than reactively.
Having performed at Melville Castle on multiple occasions, I know exactly how to work with the room. Setup positioning matters, level management throughout the night matters, and understanding the difference between a quiet moment and the peak of the evening matters. With the right experience behind the decks, a sound limiter is a non-issue. The dancefloor still fills, the energy still builds, and your guests still have a brilliant night — it just requires a DJ who has been there before and knows what they’re doing.
Melville Castle is located on Gilmerton Road, Lasswade, EH18 1AP — around 20 minutes from Edinburgh city centre and easily accessible from across Midlothian, East Lothian, and the Scottish Borders. The venue has 33 bedrooms accommodating up to 72 guests overnight, making it a natural choice for couples who want a full weekend wedding experience.
If you’re planning your wedding at Melville Castle and looking for a DJ who knows the venue inside out, get in touch to check availability for your date. You can also explore our full wedding DJ service and wedding consultation process to see how we plan every detail with you in advance.
Wedding DJ at Melville Castle — FAQs
Yes — the marquee at Melville Castle has a sound limiter in place. This is common at many Scottish castle venues and doesn’t have to affect the atmosphere. As a DJ who has performed there multiple times, I know how to set up and manage levels to keep the dancefloor going all evening without triggering the limiter.
In the marquee, the DJ position is to the far left of the stage area. This gives a clear sightline across the full dancefloor and keeps the sound focused where it should be — on the guests dancing — rather than washing over the dining tables. Setup access is straightforward with easy loading to the marquee.
The contemporary marquee can accommodate up to 200 guests for a wedding breakfast or reception. The castle ballroom holds up to 150. For smaller, more intimate weddings there are several rooms within the castle itself including the Arniston Room for up to 26 guests.
Melville Castle is located on Gilmerton Road, Lasswade, Midlothian, EH18 1AP — approximately seven miles south of Edinburgh city centre, around 20 minutes by car. It’s easily accessible from across Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian, and the Scottish Borders.
Yes — the castle has 33 individually designed bedrooms sleeping up to 72 guests, making it ideal for couples who want a full weekend wedding with guests staying on site. Many rooms feature four-poster beds and have been individually restored.
Yes — we’ve performed at Melville Castle on multiple occasions and know the venue well. We’re fully PAT tested, carry public liability insurance, and can handle every musical element of your day from ceremony and wedding breakfast through to the last dance of the evening. Get in touch to check availability for your date.
Popular add-ons for Melville Castle weddings include a ceilidh set to kick off the evening, a silent disco for a late-night extension past the sound curfew, and the Wedding Shoe Game as an evening entertainment segment. We can build whatever combination works best for your evening.
See more of our work at weddings across Midlothian, or browse our wedding gallery for a broader look at the events we cover across Scotland.
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