The wedding of Take That star Mark Owen and his fiancee Emma Ferguson is to get under way with a booze-up for guests in giant teepees.

Staff at the historic Cawdor Castle, between Inverness and Nairn in the Highlands, are making final preparations for the nuptials tomorrow.

The main centre of activity is at the estate’s Drynachan Lodge, which sleeps up to 22 people and is surrounded by five cottages where wedding guests will also be staying.

Two Native American-style teepees, which can hold up to 60 people, have been erected behind the lodge overlooking the river Findhorn.

Sources say festivities will start some hours before the ceremony begins at 4.30pm at Cawdor Parish Church.

Industrial heaters will keep the guests warm and a van-load of flowers has been delivered from Nairn-based Seedhouse Flowers.

Yesterday a fleet of Range Rovers with blacked-out windows ferried guests into the lodge via the single-track road.

Three police officers, including Chief Inspector Donald Henderson from Nairn, were seen driving into the castle, where the couple’s wedding organiser was based with host Lady Cawdor.

Owen and his fiancee, who were engaged in 2006, arrived on Thursday and had a dress rehearsal of the journey to the church.

A few lucky villagers who saw the couple and the wedding party got a surprise when the groom came over to speak to them and shake their hands.

The marriage is the biggest celebrity wedding to hit the Highlands since Madonna wed Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle nine years ago.

Only 50 guests – including Take That members Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald, and the couple’s children, Elwood, three, and one-year-old Willow Rose – will witness the low-key ceremony.

It is believed Robbie Williams – who went to Owen’s stag party in New York two months ago and is currently in the UK promoting his new single – will also attend.

Hundreds of people are expected to descend on the quiet village in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple, who visited Cawdor in April to view the venue.

Arlene Lapham, manageress at Cawdor Tavern, said: “I think the wedding will put Cawdor on the map. It is hard to saw what we expect because Cawdor is a quiet village.”

Take That fan Andreen MacDonald, 31, of Inverness, said: “I think there will be lots of mad fans looking to see if they can catch of glimpse of anyone on the day.

“Take That appeal to a wide spectrum of age groups and there might even be some grannies amongst the fans who turn up.”

However, Cawdor pensioner Alasdair MacLeod had some concerns about where the fans and the media pack would park. He said: “The biggest difficulty is parking, and the fanatics could be quite a problem.”

The couple, who have turned down glossy magazine offers to cover the ceremony, have told friends the venue is their dream location.

The party afterwards will take place at Cawdor Castle, popularised in Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth and one of the most popular privately run attractions in Scotland.

The location has previously had visits from the Beckhams, Elton John and Sarah Ferguson.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news....d=false

The couple are due to tie the knot in Scotland after keeping the wedding location a secret - even from their families.

Guests including Mark's bandmates Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald have been told they will be collected and whisked off to the mystery castle.

Robbie Williams was invited, too!

Sadly for Emma, the honeymoon is on hold so Mark can sing at Gary's Children In Need bash on Thursday.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs....1803867

MARK Owen's Take That pals flew into Scotland yesterday ahead of his fairytale wedding tomorrow.

Heart-throbs Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald landed at Inverness airport as celebrations for the singer's big day got under way.

They touched down in a luxury private 17-seater Lear jet but went to great lengths to keep their arrival secret.

The aircraft was turned around on the Tarmac to keep them away from the glare of adoring fans.

The group - whose many hits include Greatest Day - were then whisked away in a people-carrier to their luxury accommodation six miles away at Cawdor Castle, near Nairn, to kick off the wedding celebrations.

A source said: "They tried their best to keep their visit low-key.

"Mark wants to keep this wedding very private and away from public eyes.

"However, it is the worst-kept secret in the world."

It was rumoured former bandmate Robbie Williams would be on the same flight.

But it's believed he is still expected to turn up to watch Mark, 37, marry his sweetheart Emma Ferguson, 33.

They will tie the knot at the tiny Cawdor Church of Scotland - in front of their two children Elwood, three, and nine-month-old Willow Rose.

Around 60 guests are expected, including family and stars including Coldplay's Chris Martin and his actress wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

The bash kicks off today with the male guests expected to take part in clay pigeon shooting and off-roading. The female guests and the bride-to-be are believed to be having a pampering day.

A pre-marriage booze-up has also been organised in two teepees, erected in the grounds overlooking the River Findhorn at Drynachan.

It was also revealed the couple will walk half a mile from the church to their wedding reception in the castle.

A huge knees-up has been organised in the castle, where they have converted the gift shop into a disco. An old kitchen has also been transformed into a bar.

Mark, who won the second series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2002, has been engaged to Emma since 2006.

The couple, who have turned down magazine offers to cover the ceremony, have told friends the venue is their dream location.

The castle sits on 49,400-acre Cawdor Estate, which covers half the county of Nairnshire.

There will be plenty of accommodation for the wedding party, with the estate's Drynachan Lodge sleeping up to 22 people, and a further five cottages available.

The location, which has hosted visits by David and Victoria Beckham and Elton John, is favoured by the stars for its privacy.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol....nd.html

CAWDOR Castle will provide a fairytale setting for the wedding of Take That star Mark Owen and his fiancée Emma Ferguson this weekend.
Staff at the historic castle between Inverness and Nairn in the Highlands have been busy making final preparations for the celebrity nuptials tomorrow afternoon.

Guests will be staying at the Cawdor Estate's Drynachan Lodge, which sleeps up to
22, and five other cottages in the grounds.

Two giant beige teepees, which can hold up to 60 people, have been erected on the grass behind the lodge, overlooking the river Findhorn.

Sources say festivities will get under way some hours before the ceremony begins at 4:30pm at Cawdor Parish Church.

Industrial heaters were being offloaded at the site yesterday and a van-load of flowers was delivered.

A fleet of Range Rovers with blacked-out windows ferried guests into the lodge.

Three police officers, including Chief Inspector Donald Henderson from Nairn, were seen driving into the castle.

The celebrity couple arrived on Thursday, and rehearsed the journey to the church.

Owen spoke to a few villagers who stopped to watch the preparations.

The marriage is the biggest celebrity wedding to hit the Highlands since Madonna wed Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle in 2000.

Only 50 guests, including fellow band members Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald, and the couple's children, Elwood, three, and Willow Rose, one, will witness the low-key ceremony.

It is believed former Take That member Robbie Williams, who is currently in the UK promoting his new single, will also attend.

The couple, who have turned down glossy magazine offers to cover the ceremony, have spent romantic times in the Highlands before, and have told friends the venue is their dream location.

Excited fans are expected to descend on the normally quiet village in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple.

However, Cawdor pensioner Alasdair MacLeod was concerned about the impact the fans and the media pack would have on the village.

He said: "The biggest difficulty is parking, and all of the fanatics could be quite a problem."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotlan....4076.jp

Staff at the historic Cawdor Castle, between Inverness and Nairn in the Highlands, were yesterday making final preparations for tomorrow’s nuptials.

Two giant beige teepees, which can hold up to 60 people, overlook the river.

Sources say festivities will begin several hours before the ceremony at 4.30pm at nearby Cawdor Parish Church.

Industrial heaters were being offloaded at the site, plus a van-load of flowers.

Mark, 37, and Emma arrived on Thursday for a dress rehearsal.

Just 50 guests, including the rest of the band, the couple’s kids Elwood, three, and Willow Rose, one – plus old mate Robbie Williams, 35 – are expected to witness the wedding.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/107152/Mark-s-in-tent-on-love/