For this month's Feature Wedding, I took inspiration from the nice weather we have been experiencing over the last couple of months. For me, Afternoon Tea is something that rather suits the Summer sunshine better than the Winter climate and with this in mind, I have designed this Feature Wedding. This feature draws upon traditions of old, some glamour, and yet remains a relaxed ambiance for your guests to enjoy throughout your big day. Matte Gold's, Mirrored Glass, Pinks, Oranges and Yellow will create a striking effect that is soft rather than harsh but still bright.
The Venue
Hire a gorgeous Marquee complete with all the fittings and linings of your choice. Many marquee suppliers give you the option to select from a variety of carpet fittings, linings, sizes and shapes and even have fairy lights for you to string up! Best Intent marquees can provide you with a Marquee with all of the important fittings, furniture and loo's suited to 100 guests from £3,500 + VAT. Pop the marquee up at almost any venue you like – from your own back garden (Advisable only if it is fairly level!) to the beautiful grounds of a stately home. Steph, of Best Intent says "People expect marquees to be expensive, but we have had more interest than ever during the recession", "A marquee offers complete choice and flexibility, and as such a marquee package can be tailored to meet any budget". To view a selection of the gorgeous marquees and fittings available from Best Intent, click here.
The Food
Of course you'll be eating Afternoon Tea. Organise for your Caterer to have a buffet style Afternoon Tea, displaying scrumptious sandwiches, yummy scones and huge homemade cakes in their masses will have more of a Wow effect on your guests and will leave the centerpiece space on each table free for you to get creative with. Be sure to ask about including some classics on the Menu – like Tunnocks Tea cakes (Less than £1 for six in supermarkets) and Caramel Wafers. Look into all the lovely variations of Tea (and don't forget coffee's!) to serve up to your guests along with their traditional delicacies – Fruity Teas, Herbal Teas, English Breakfast and Earl Gray are all bound to go down well! Overall, this afternoon fine dining option should work out to be somewhat cheaper than a traditional 3 or 4 course meal, and it will also leave your guests with some steam to head into the evening with – Just be sure they don't go hungry later by serving up some Homemade soup and Rolls (And I'm sure they wouldn't mind if any leftover Sandwiches or Cakes appear either!).
The Dress
The Venue
Hire a gorgeous Marquee complete with all the fittings and linings of your choice. Many marquee suppliers give you the option to select from a variety of carpet fittings, linings, sizes and shapes and even have fairy lights for you to string up! Best Intent marquees can provide you with a Marquee with all of the important fittings, furniture and loo's suited to 100 guests from £3,500 + VAT. Pop the marquee up at almost any venue you like – from your own back garden (Advisable only if it is fairly level!) to the beautiful grounds of a stately home. Steph, of Best Intent says "People expect marquees to be expensive, but we have had more interest than ever during the recession", "A marquee offers complete choice and flexibility, and as such a marquee package can be tailored to meet any budget". To view a selection of the gorgeous marquees and fittings available from Best Intent, click here. The Food
Of course you'll be eating Afternoon Tea. Organise for your Caterer to have a buffet style Afternoon Tea, displaying scrumptious sandwiches, yummy scones and huge homemade cakes in their masses will have more of a Wow effect on your guests and will leave the centerpiece space on each table free for you to get creative with. Be sure to ask about including some classics on the Menu – like Tunnocks Tea cakes (Less than £1 for six in supermarkets) and Caramel Wafers. Look into all the lovely variations of Tea (and don't forget coffee's!) to serve up to your guests along with their traditional delicacies – Fruity Teas, Herbal Teas, English Breakfast and Earl Gray are all bound to go down well! Overall, this afternoon fine dining option should work out to be somewhat cheaper than a traditional 3 or 4 course meal, and it will also leave your guests with some steam to head into the evening with – Just be sure they don't go hungry later by serving up some Homemade soup and Rolls (And I'm sure they wouldn't mind if any leftover Sandwiches or Cakes appear either!).
The Dress
Keeping in mind the vintage but classic style and the relaxed atmosphere you'll have by serving a gorgeous buffet, opt for something simple but classic that leaves you with some room to breathe and that won't leave you feeling too hot in the heat! We love this Vera Wang number (right) from the 2009 collection but if that's a little out of your budget (£4000+), opt for something similar like this Atelier Aimee dress, £1257 exclusively available from the International Room at Caroline 
Castigliano in Knightsbridge, London (A good excuse for a Girly shopping spree with your Mum or Maid of Honor!). Additionally, many of Jenny Packham's designs would suit the day also – you can try on several of her styles at Perfect Bridal Rooms in Aberdeen, Anne Priscilla in Glasgow and the gorgeous Pan Pan in Edinburgh.
Castigliano in Knightsbridge, London (A good excuse for a Girly shopping spree with your Mum or Maid of Honor!). Additionally, many of Jenny Packham's designs would suit the day also – you can try on several of her styles at Perfect Bridal Rooms in Aberdeen, Anne Priscilla in Glasgow and the gorgeous Pan Pan in Edinburgh.The Ceremony
Host it outdoors at a licensed premises, perhaps in a venue like the David Welch Winter Gardens in Aberdeen's Duthie Park, or the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. If you are planning on hosting your Wedding at a Stately home, you can be almost certain that they will have a space in which you can be married outdoors. Cover your aisle with petals for an enchanting effect to walk down the aisle – place some Hurricane lamps at eit
her side to add to the ambiance in the space. You can buy a pint of Petals for roughly £10 from many Wedding favour and confetti suppliers and can hire some gorgeous gold detail hurricane lamps from 88 Events. Though be sure to check that this is in line with the policies of your selected venue as many disallow confetti/petals and naked flames.The Details
Sleek some gorgeous Duchess Satin tablecloths in Timeless Ivory over your tables from 88 Events for a sumptuous sheen, top these with the gold lined crockery available to draw on the gold tones and add an interesting contrast between the crockery and the
centerpieces. For your bouquet and centerpieces, bring the Summer sunshine indoors, make the most of the Summer blooms and use Pinks, Yellows and Oranges to brighten up your marquee. Place cake stands on round mirrored plates in the centre of your tables and fill them with Rose heads and petals, finish by placing 4-6 tealights around the centre to provide some ambience (Provided your marquee supplier allows naked flames inside the structure). Place your table names or numbers in shining mirrored photo frames for added effect. You can purchase Cake stands fairly in-expensively, especially if you aren't too bothered about them being brand new – EBay have a fantastic selection. You can also get some lovely and unusual designs from here
That's all for this post, however if you have any questions or would like to contact me, please do here.
With love, TW x
(Images from; Bestintentmarquees.co.uk, Bridesmagazine.co.uk, Marthastewartweddings.com and EBay)
