Gretna Green is renowned as the home of runaway marriages, and now visitors can step into the world’s greatest love story at the Gretna Green Experience!
The Gretna Green Experience is a story of romance, rebellion, and unstoppable love since 1754, and is still being written today.
Following the introduction of the 1754 Marriage Act in England, which meant couples had to be 21 years of age to marry without the consent of their parents - previously no consent was required if you were above the age of 16.
In Scotland, a couple over the age of 16 only had to declare their intentions to be husband and wife in the presence of two witnesses, so many young couples fled over the border to be married at the first place they encountered, the blacksmith’s shop in Gretna Green.
Gretna Green has been welcoming weddings for over
years
The Gretna Green Experience showcases the extraordinary love stories of those who wed at Gretna Green. Visitors will enter the pages and illustrations of a storybook and watch as it unravels and tells the incredible history of the Famous Blacksmiths Shop.
A beautiful, engaging timeline showcases the iconic history of marriage at Gretna Green – dating back to 1200.
In addition to the brand-new experience, visitors will be able to have a wander around the historic rooms of the original Famous Blacksmiths Shop – when weddings aren’t taking place of course.
The Experience allows visitors to get up close to original objects including marriage registers, furniture, and the wedding dress of Dorothy Bell (grandmother of the owner). In the centre of the experience, visitors are immersed in a 360-degree audio-visual film, ‘The Unbreakable Bond’, that brings the history of the site to life around the original anvil.
There are thirteen audio-visual experiences in total for visitors at the home of romance.
