Your Kent Wedding - May/Jun 2019 (Issue 84)

Local experts offer stellar advice on creating an idyllic outdoor wedding  HOT TOPIC AL FRESCO STYLING How can we use styling to really bring our outdoor wedding to life? Holly says: An outdoor wedding is not without its challenges! Having a stylist on board can help with many of the practicalities while helping to ensure your vision is bought to life. Here are a few tips… ❤ If you’re thinking of a ceremony backdrop, it should frame the bride and groom and encourage the eye to travel through into the view beyond, complementing rather than distracting from the natural environment. ❤ We’ve noticed a steady rise in the popularity of relaxed catering, especially grazing tables. Look for tables and chairs that are attractive without tablecloths and can be arranged in any number of ways. ❤ Continue the outdoors theme through your table decorations. Remember to incorporate earthy tones or bright pops of colour, lots of texture, height variations and textiles. Think clay pots, bark-covered tea light holders, moss and lush greenery. Couple these with vintage objects to create both interest and functionality. ❤ Every outdoor wedding needs seating so guests can relax. Turn this necessity into a feature using vintage pieces that create an eclectic and relaxed style. Or how about a chill-out zone? ❤ Consider taking the inside out. Weather permitting, try lining your ceremony aisle with a selection of layered vintage rugs. ❤ Because of the temperamental British weather, it’s always good to have areas of cover, and consider nominating someone to move hired items inside should it start to rain. Holly Dallison | locatetocreate.com bymichaelangelo.co.uk GARDENER’S WORLD We’d love to host our wedding in our back garden. What do we need to think about? Simon says: When you’re holding a wedding in your own outdoor space, it can add to your own garden’s romance. Other than the obvious considerations, such as whether your garden is big enough to hold a marquee and whether there’s adequate parking available, you should also give the following areas some thought… ❤ How does the sun travel through your garden? This may determine where your photographer will take your important photos. ❤ Is there adequate hardstanding for outdoor seating, the ceremony or arrival drinks? ❤ Are there shady areas, such as a pergolas, for a hot day? ❤ What walkways are there to direct guests to different places, such as the marquee or toilets. ❤ What flowers or shrubs will be in bloom? Will they need pruning or weeding? ❤ Which scenic backdrop will be used for photographs? Does it need any special preparation or additions? ❤ What’s the condition of the lawn? Can this be used for entertainment? ❤ Ponds need to be covered or cordoned off. ❤ Does any additional planting need to be put in place or hired if you have a themed or coloured wedding? ❤ What preparations need to be made for any disabled guests – e.g., matting or ramps? Simon Pollard | simplelifeltd.co.uk BARBECUE BONANZA Our reception will be in a tipi in the family’s field. What would be the best food to serve our guests for the wedding breakfast? Kristi says: Weddings in temporary spaces such as tipis are perfect places to move away from the constraint of formal dining and add your own style to a blank canvas. By nature, a tipi wedding connects you with the outside, so if the weather allows, make the most of it and go for either picnic style or a barbecue depending on whether you prefer hot or cold. Picnics offer an element of surprise and delight guests as they decant packages of deliciousness. Tartlets, open sandwiches, pastries, pies and salads offer joyous little morsels of celebration food. From a practical perspective, food can be served cold and at your leisure, so there’s no issue if timings run over, and the abundance of choice makes it easy for guests to make selections according to their dietary requirements or tastes. If you prefer something hot, there’s little more celebratory than the theatre of an outside fire and the smell of chargrilling. To me, there’s also a certain authenticity to pairing barbecue food with your tipi venue. Whether it’s the luxury of lobster tails and T-bones or a more casual cook-out, the sights and smells will evoke feelings of recreation, relaxation and liberation, all adding a relaxed and fun, festival style wedding vibe. Kristi Collins | seasonswildandfree.com EXPERT ADVICE 87