Take your wedding outdoors

Outdoor weddings have long been popular amongst couples, but with lockdown restrictions gradually lifting throughout 2021, there’s no doubt that their popularity is skyrocketing. Marble Private’s event planners have demystified outdoor celebrations – no matter what the British weather might throw at you! Take a look at our top tips below.

#1 Picking a venue

First and foremost, we need to talk about the venue for your special day. At this stage it might feel like any old field will do, but you need to consider accessibility – selecting a quiet and secluded location on the periphery of a city or town, and close to a train station or main road. With outdoor celebrations, you have more flexibility on venue – so don’t be daunted by the fact that a field doesn’t look like much when you visit it.

#2 Taking cover

Following this, there is the matter of tents. Now we’ve seen everything from bell tents to stretch tents, tipis to domes. In fact, tents really are our bread and butter at Marble Private. Our sister agency, Elusive Locations, have stunning tents rigged at locations in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, so check them out for some tent inspiration

Ultimately, the tent should emulate the style of wedding you’re going for; if it’s a festival, boho style – then tipi all the way. If you’re going for countryside chic with a splash of elegance, try a stretch tent and line with flower installations. You need somewhere to double up as a reception and dance floor, so bear in mind your number of guests – or get in touch with our team if you have any questions.

#3 Styling your natural surroundings

Reason 4,590 why we love outdoor weddings: the trees! Oh the trees. Our favourite ways to style natural surroundings are to hang discoballs in the branches, fibre optic snakelike designs, with uplighters around the base of the tree to project beautiful sparkles onto the woodland backdrop. Another really effective tip is to hang tambourines from branches, creating the perfect entrance for guests who are walking to the outdoor ceremony. 

If you’re looking to take on Glasto with your festival-chic wedding, then use simple festoon to light the way and lead guests to different areas in the venue, and don’t be afraid to incorporate flags and installations to draw the eye up and show pops of colour in the landscape.

#4 Taking your guests on a journey

Lastly, you want to consider how your outdoor wedding will lead guests on a journey. The devil is in the details, and that’s certainly true, but have you considered the space as a whole? In some of our previous work, we’ve taken guests through a fibre-optic tunnel to another field, where they had a secret rave in the forest until the early hours. 

Some of our couples also like to include themes throughout the event, like using tambourines as name places (yes, we do have an obsession with tambourines!) and then making guests play them all together during a live music performance in the evening. It’s small details like this that add to the whole experience, making your wedding day memorable and jaw-dropping for everyone involved. 

Our wedding planners love the freedom of taking celebrations outdoors; it gives us the opportunity to use all the space to create impact and drama. Something as simple as styling the trees provides the perfect backdrop for all your wedding photos and creates an enchanted wonderland for guests to explore – all without worrying as much about Covid restrictions!

If you have a vision to take your wedding outdoors, get in touch with us here. 

Photo by Marble Private Weddings, Words by Hattie Creese