Planning A Wedding at Home – Planning your own wedding event can touch upon all parts of the emotional scale, from extreme excitement to uncontrollable panic. This is to be expected, as it is an important occasion and one you and your guests wish to remember for all the right reasons, for years to come.
Preplanning and putting some basic preparations in place will help your day run more smoothly. We look at numerous ways to help organise your time and finances, ranging from the all-important wedding dress down to your wedding party requirements, catering needs with a food warmer and table decorations to ‘wow’ your guests for the day.
Are weddings at home legal? At the moment in England and Wales,
venues must hold a marriage licence in order for the wedding ceremony to be legally binding. So, if you choose to hold your ceremony at home you will need to visit a registry office at some point beforehand to sign your wedding paperwork.
A Garden Venue. Potentially your garden will be your main area for hosting your guests. With British weather being so unreliable you may wish to consider hiring a marquee. Being an essential component for your garden wedding it is vital that you do your research when it comes to choosing a marquee company. Google, ask friends and family for recommendations, read reviews, browse Instagram feeds and online galleries. It’s vital to get an understanding of the marquee company’s style and reputation, and whether they will be able to bring your vision to life.
Decorations. Carry your theme from the front of the house through to your garden and reception area. If you have the time, homemade bunting and streamers always add colour and a celebratory feel. Balloons, handpicked foliage and multicoloured flowers add to great décor especially if you have a specific colour or theme to your event.
Twinkling nightlights, solar lights, candles, fireworks all add to a memorable occasion and shouldn’t be overlooked.
The smaller details like the table place names can be fun to create, as can the invitations if you have a creative eye. Go online as there are many companies who can help with printing services.
Traditional dress or not? Unless it was your ultimate dream there are some amazing outfits just as fitting to grace your walk down the aisle, breaking away from the traditional wedding dress style. You can purchase stunning attire off the peg these days and if you have your eye on the ball, with some thoughtful planning you may be able to pick something up in the sale season.
Alternatively, look at the shopping outlets as they could have just what you are looking for with a designer label too.
The Menu – If you were hoping for a three-course dinner, there are plenty of food caterers to choose from.
Alternatively, get your friends and families involved and work together in producing the perfect buffet or ask your guests to all bring a dish. This makes everyone feel part of your day and there are commercial tools available to purchase and hire than can be a great help for your catering needs. A Gas Bain Marie is perfect for keeping food hot, maintaining it at the right temperature for long periods of time and a hot water dispenser is ideal for a continual flow of teas and coffees.
It is also a nice idea to look at working with your local companies and farmers to reduce your carbon footprint.
Wedding cake – It is not completely necessary to have a traditional handmade, tiered cake. You can be creative with a mountain of cupcakes or doughnuts instead. Buy from the supermarket or even ask a friend to make one for you.
Flowers – if your creative skills are limited, with the right choice of flowers, foliage, clever containers there’s lots you can do to create a memorable wedding in full bloom.
There are no rules when it comes to colour. You could stick with just one shade or opt for a mixture. The key is to keep your style running throughout the wedding from buttonholes to table décor.
Jam jars make lovely table centrepieces and it’s always good to recycle, but why not try empty bottles instead, or collect together vases and china of a similar design or colour from charity shops and boot fairs which look especially effective arranged in a line down a long table.
Grasses, ferns and ivy can also be foraged from fields and woods, just make sure you give them a gentle wash and allow them to dry somewhere cool and dark to ensure there are no insects in them. You can also hunt for foliage and branches to make wreaths and table arrangements; twisting branches together to use as a runner down the centre of tables will create a striking look for minimum spend.
Poppy Watt