No sooner had Andy Murray and Kim Sears announced that their venue of choice for their upcoming wedding would be the Wimbledon champion's luxury Scottish Cromlix House Hotel, than several other couples decided to follow in their footsteps, snapping up the exclusive retreat for their big day. A source said: "There is still some availability at Cromlix into September but it's going fast. Interest has really rocketed since Andy announced he was getting married there."
Experts are now predicting that the publicity surrounding the Andy and Kim's wedding is likely to put the hotel in the same league as other famous venues such as Skibo Castle, near Dornock, where Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie in December 2000. Andy, 27, bought the five-star hotel, which sits amid 34 acres of secluded woodland, beautiful gardens and tennis courts, in 2013 for £1.8 million. Its doors were opened last year after a refurbishment the elegant Victorian Perthshire mansion now boasts 10 bedrooms and five luxury suites - each of which is named after a great Scot, including Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Robert Burns and even fellow sporting legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Chris Hoy.
French chef Albert Roux, whose son is Michel Roux Jr, overseas the hotel's restaurant and has personally selected much of the wine list. As well as tucking into delights carefully crafted by the kitchen's famous chef, wedding guests will get to make the most of luxury suites, which come with a price tag of up to £600 a night and feature hand-painted freestanding gold, silver and copper baths and 32-inch televisions screens disguised as mirrors.
The hotel's very own private chapel will also be perfect for the privacy conscious couple, who will be able to say "I do" away from prying eyes. Andy won't be the first Murray to tie the knot in the luxurious residence, which is located close to his home town of Dunblane – the star's older brother, Jamie, wed his Colombian girlfriend Alejandra Guitierrez in a 2010 ceremony, in which Andy acted as best man.
Andy proposed to his girlfriend of nine years with a three-carat diamond engagement ring, believed to be worth around £200,000, in November. The pair have reportedly decided upon Saturday 11 April as the date for their nuptials.
