HIGH HOPES . . . Gretna Green had high hopes for the show
Business owners in Gretna Green are not happy with the portrayal of the iconic marriage spot on Channel 4’s Wedding Town series.
Speaking as a collective voice, Gretna Green Ltd this week issued a comment in response to the new show.
It said: “We just want to be clear that at ‘Real Gretna Green’ we don’t need the gimmicks and showbiz that the TV show featured rather a lot during the first week.
“We work with many first class local businesses to make beautiful weddings and memories.”
Worried about the impact of the show, they added: “We’ve had several brides loving their beautiful weddings with us this week saying that if they had seen the programme first they would not have booked their wedding at Gretna Green.”
And stressing just how important the wedding industry is to the village, they said: “We strive tirelessly to offer weddings which are dignified, full of romance and surrounded by the timeless historical settings of the iconic black and white buildings known and beloved by so many.
“There’s an entire community of hard working people who really care and are dedicated to delivering a great experience who feel a bit let down by the TV show so far which has hardly shown ‘Real Gretna Green’.”
The collective admits they regret ‘trusting’ TV producers and added: “Gretna Green has a legacy of over 250 years that Channel 4 are playing around with and to date many feel disheartened by the trust we put in this TV company to deliver an honest portrayal of Gretna Green.
“We have a passion for what we do here and hope that fans of Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop or Smiths Hotel feel strongly too.”
Responding to criticism, a spokesman from Firecracker, producers of the show, said: “Gretna Green has a long and distinguished record of being one of the world’s most iconic wedding venues.
“From the traditional to the quirky, the documentary series showed the diverse range of weddings that happen at Gretna Green.”
