Garden weddings are the most reliably beautiful and the most weather- dependent. Plan for the second and the first takes care of itself.
In this guide
- Work with the garden's own timing
- Ceremony placement
- Styling that suits a garden
- The practical hires
- Weather, decided in advance
- Nature, uninvited
Work with the garden's own timing
Visit the venue in the same month as your wedding, not in July for a September date. Ask what is in bloom, what has gone over, and where the sun sits at your ceremony time. A garden in its second week of peak looks entirely different from the same garden a month later.
Ceremony placement
Never seat guests facing into the sun. Use a tree, a hedge or an arch as a backdrop so the photographs have depth. Check the ground is level enough for chairs and for heels, and lay matting on the aisle if the lawn is soft.
Keep the ceremony under 30 minutes if there is no shade.
Styling that suits a garden
- Let the planting be the decor; add only candles and linen
- Long tables with low arrangements so the garden stays visible
- Potted plants down the aisle, replanted afterwards
- Hurricane lanterns along paths for the evening
- Festoon lights between trees rather than a marquee ceiling
- Blankets and a fire pit for when it cools
The practical hires
Marquee or sailcloth with sides available. Level flooring for dining and dancing. Bathrooms if the house cannot cope. Power for catering and music. Heaters for the evening — even in summer, gardens get cold after ten.
Weather, decided in advance
Set a decision time and a named person. Have tent sides on standby regardless of forecast. Keep paper signage and place cards under cover until the tables are dressed, and order anything outdoors in acrylic. Clear umbrellas in a basket by the entrance cost little and save the photographs.
Nature, uninvited
Wasps in late summer, midges near water at dusk, and birds in trees above the dining tables. Deal with nests early, provide citronella or repellent discreetly, and do not place the top table under a generous canopy of anything that nests.
From Sagevow
Pick a palette once and every piece — signage, menus, numbers, place cards — arrives matched to it.
0 comments