Your Sussex Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 79)

How can we style our marquee wedding reception in the best possible way? Annabel says: It’s important to add a colour or greenery to your marquee as they’re supplied in plain ivory or white, although you can have a coloured swag added to the walls. At the entrance blossom or bay trees line the path for your guests and look great decorated with a soft organza bow and lights for the evening. Bespoke fresh flower garlands and large heart-shaped displays, brimming with roses and seasonal flowers, also look great for entrance walkways. Table centres are vital. Tall vases or martini glasses filled with large blooms immediately bring the space to life, with little else required except for a table mirror and some petals or crystals. If you’re looking at lower table versions, then the addition of lanterns or string lights hung from the ceiling will help fill that space. For an unusual twist, suspend a flower hoop from above. For the top table, a larger floral arrangement packed full of blooms with only a small amount of greenery tumbling over the front of the table looks striking against the stark walls of the marquee. Larger pedestal arrangements either side of the top table finish off the look. With a free-flowing softer style, these can be used for the ceremony first. For the evening, strategically placed uplighters create a colour wash along the walls and make a cosy atmosphere. Also, LED light strings in nearby trees and bushes give a pretty evening feel – as do glass balls with LED lights inside hung from branches. Finally, don’t be afraid of embracing a theme. They work really well on such a blank canvas. Plus, there’ll be plenty of space to add props or larger bespoke designs in corner areas. Annabel Grange, butterfliesandbows.co.uk Our festival-themed wedding will be pretty spread out across a large area from our woodland vows to the wedding breakfast in a tipi. How can we be sure to capture everything that’s going on throughout the day? Morgan says: I’d recommend a well-organised crew of at least two camera operators. Our team use in-ear radio mics to coordinate themselves so they can follow a tight plan and react quickly to capture those wonderfully random moments of magic. You’ll want a team that has small and light yet well-stabilised cameras. This means that they can cover a lot of ground on foot without getting fatigued, and the footage will always be steady. A drone is the next piece of essential kit for capturing the scale of a festival wedding. Make sure the pilots all hold valid PfCO certificates issued by the CAA to show they operate safely and within the law. Imagery aside, sound is one thing that many fail to consider when having a wedding film produced, and it can make or break your keepsake. We’ve developed a system that delivers crisp, clear vows and speeches without tangled wires that’s so small it won’t ruin the line of a suit. The same goes for any live music. We would recommend that whoever shoots your big day gets chummy with the AV team so they can patch into the live feed for distortion-free audio. Morgan Andrews, thefilmingco.com Our nuptials will take place in our venue’s grounds against the beautiful backdrop of the sea. What can you suggest in terms of flowers to style the area?  Bella says: When your wedding venue’s grounds are already stunning, it’s sometimes hard to know how you can add to it. When choosing flowers for a wedding, I always take into consideration the choices of the bride and groom but also look at what’s to be found at the venue’s location. For a wedding near the sea, I would think about adding flora like roses, dahlias, daisies, calla lilies, eryngium, succulents, grasses and hypericum berries. The palette being blue, grey, white and green, foliage choices could include eucalyptus, senecio, pittosporum and herbs like sage, lavender and rosemary. It might be worth asking your venue whether your florist can forage for foliage in their grounds – a lot of the greenery for Harry and Meghan’s wedding came from the grounds of Windsor. Outside, floral arches and moongates can give you a good focal point for your nuptials, while floral aisles and hanging flowers can add to a dreamy ceremony. Bella Timbrell, arabellafloral.com 98