This is the second time I've used Ralph for a big event, on each occasion several kilts were rented, some were bought. It's a huge testament to Ralph that he was able to please all the people all the time! In May Ralph provided most of the kilts for my wedding, being from Scotland and having my own kilt I know what I'm looking for. Ralph was able to provide exactly what we needed and gave as untold options to choose from. Any glitches with sizing were corrected in plenty of time and all went smoothly.

In short, if you tell Ralph what you need and when you need it, you will not be disappointed. I can't recommend Ralph and Scottishclansman.com highly enough. Next time I need kilts Ralph is the only call I will make.

We rented kilts for the men through these guys. UPS lost all the kilts the day before the wedding, and Clansman was able to get us 6 kilts with jackets by the next morning.

I first contacted Ralph in July 3, 2013. I still have all of our email exchanges. I asked him if this was enough time in advance for a 9/21/13 wedding, he said it was plenty. I was renting kits for my 3 groomsmen, my father-in-law, and my 2 year old son. I was purchasing a custom kilt in the tartan of my Welsh ancestors. The prices he quoted be beat all the others I had seen for both rentals and purchase. That day he took a deposit from me for my groomsmen and my son. My father-in-law would handle his separately. I also had a nice long conversation with him and he explained to me the whole process and how he was able to produce quality items for less. It sounded legit and I felt very comfortable.

Flash forward to about a week before the wedding, this is when he initially told me that the kilts would arrive just in case there were any that needed to be corrected for size. They did not arrive and I called and left a message and sent an email. I did not get a response so I called and emailed again. Finally 4 days before the wedding he called me and said that the following day I would be receiving the first shipment, with a second on the following day. But he was not sure if my kilt would make it in time for the wedding. To make up for this he sent an extra black watch kilt (what my groomsmen were wearing) just in case it didn't make it. He said it was being held up in UK customs.

The next day kilts, vests, and jackets arrived, (all but mine). We tried my son's on him. It was far too big. The next day I called and he was able to overnight a more appropriately sized kilt for my son. The additional black watch kilt for me also arrived. It was looking less likely that my kilt was going to arrive. This time he was blaming FedEx. On the wedding day I wore black watch. We all looked fantastic. I was happy and was not going to let the fact that I was not wearing my kilt bring me down.

To sum up, okay to rent from him, but don't buy

The most unprofessional kilt rental ever! I had a scottish themed wedding with two groomsmen and a nine year old ring bearer. I rented kilts, Prince Charlie jackets, knee high socks, flashers, sporrans, the works from this company. I gave detailed measurements for each person, the groomsmen were well over six feet tall so it was clear by measurements and verbal communication that they would wear size Large. Two days before my wedding ( which I felt was cutting it too close but the owner Ralph was insistent that all would be fine) a box is delivered and here is where the nightmare begins. All the Prince Charlie jackets were sent in size Small!!! They were way too short, hitting above the belly button, sleeves ending a couple inches below the elbow! I called the owner, Ralph Neilson begging him to fed ex the correct sizes but he would take no responsibility, insisting he sent the correct sizes in Large, and that my groomsmen must have “strange bodies”! The tags in both groomsmen jackets said Small so there was no mistaking he sent the wrong sizes. There were no socks, the ring bearers vest was too small ( I had to go to a tuxedo shop and buy a replacement) and his kilt was too large and had to be pinned to stay on. Everything was thrown in the box sloppily, wrinkled and covered in lint and dust. Ralph was rude, and refused all my desperate phone calls asking him to make it right. The best man had to drive out to San Francisco to a Scottish shop to rent the correct sized jackets and purchase socks. All of this the day before my wedding that I had planned carefully over the year. I disputed all of the charges Ralph made to my credit card and won! This guy should be put out of business, he is a crook!

The website provided is incorrect. It is www.scottishclansman.com.

This review is written by the groom. I decided to wear a Kilt, given the setting of our wedding and my ancestry, it seemed a good idea. Be forwarned...

The first conversation I had with Ralph Neilson, the owner and manager of the small rental company, was informative and put me at ease over the tricky idea of renting 13 kilts and buying 2. I purchased a formal kilt in my family tartan for a reasonable price after researching several sites. I purchased the kilt in March for a June wedding. My father purchased his separately a month later. Next came a month of rounding up sizes and measurements, not too bad. I was able to choose from 4 popular tartan styles and sizes were accommodating for just $105. The problems began when I placed the rental order. Ralph had some kid helping him who he blamed for most of the disaster that followed. No contract was ever mailed or e-mailed to me, a bad sign.
My kilt, which I bought in advance, never came. Neither did my father's. Neither did the rentals, not when they were supposed to, 2 days before the wedding. No, after a dozen frantic phone calls and e-mails that went unanswered, I finally spoke to Ralph who informed me his assistant had shipped them and they should have arrived, I told him they had not. He double checked, and golly gee, they had not been shipped.
It was a Saturday. He supposedly looked at several shipping options but finally decided he would fly the kilts out himself. I was touched by the gesture, not realizing it was cheaper for him to eat a plane ticket from LA to Baltimore than to ship the two heavy boxes of 16 kilts overnight. Oh, and my and my father's kilt, we were stuck with rentals. Ours, he said, were held up in customs in NY. Too bad they waited so long to ship them.
So, the night before the wedding, a groomsman takes me to meet him at the air port and he hands them off. When I get home, I open two large boxes to find a jumble of kilts vests jackets and accessories, some of the jackets were terribly wrinkled, some of them dirty. There was no list of contents, manifest, return shipping instructions, just the mess.
Day of we get them distributed we all look great, even if I'm wearing the wrong tartan. Great wedding, then its off to our honeymoon. He ended up cutting me a 30% discount for all the hassle. I found that fair.
I had asked my sister to take care of returning the kilts, but there were no instructions, just the address Ralph had slapped on with a sharpee. I get back from a wonderful honeymoon to hear a frantic Ralph threatening legal action on my voicemail for missing kilts. After much arguing and planning, I finally get them shipped. It cost me almost $200 and he claimed they arrived late enough to charge me the full value of the kilts plus damages for loss of business since he missed a whole other wedding. He then charged an additional $500 without authorization. I threatened to sue small claims, he threatened larger claims which would force me to fly to LA. I would have won since there was never a signed nor written contract, plus the fact that he failed to deliver my kilt. Oh, it did come, post marked 3 days after my wedding date.
Basically, the guy is a scumbag. The website looks great, but after talking to a local woman who was my backup in case Clansman fell through, I learned you should shop local. Find a person you can speak to who is in driving distance, not some smooth talking Scott with a fancy website and ramshackle operation that doesn't even include return shipping.