This month, we're delighted that top UK Wedding Planner Aimee Dunne is sharing her top tips for how to have a chic marquee wedding. Aimee is an industry expert creating spectacular wedding celebrations and events in London.
Marquees are a popular option for weddings and as a planner I’ve organised celebrations in all manner of structures from beautiful white canvas tents, more traditional framed marquees, tipis, and lots in between. There are so many options available to couples nowadays, and with so much choice on offer it’s easy to see why they are such a popular option. They really do allow flexibility over the wedding with a blank canvas to design the day exactly as you want it. It’s often difficult for couples to know where to start and how to create the vision they have when using a marquee. When planning luxury weddings it’s my job to transform the space into something truly special. Here are my top 5 tips on how to plan a chic marquee wedding.
Lighting can make such a difference to a space, no matter how big or small. Marquees are such a blank canvas that using the right lighting to suit the design and style of your wedding, and to create the mood you want, can make a real difference. You might want to change the lighting at different times to suit the mood and time of day. Lanterns can work really well with a marquee especially by the entrance, they can help lead the way and create some real impact for when guests arrive. It’s also worth considering more practical lighting outside, especially if the marquee is in a rural location, but you can do this alongside softer lighting so design and the mood isn’t compromised.
Flowers are always a key element of wedding design. With a wedding venue such as a hotel you might chose flowers to complement the venue and décor, but with a marquee you have few limitations. If you’re having a larger marquee you might want to have taller arrangements to really fill the room and add some height, or a mix of tall and lower arrangements. Hanging installations are so on trend this year, as is the pantone colour of the year greenery, and these work really well with marquees to create some real impact. Think foliage, with soft white accent flowers, delicate lighting and some trees for a chic and on trend look.
Scent can make a real impact in marquees. It can help add to the mood of the day and make guests feel welcome and relaxed, with different scents evoking different moods. Flowers can of course play a huge part, using flowers such as scented roses and freesia. Scented candles can also be used; I often light large candles hours before guests arrive so there is a beautiful scent when they enter the marquee. Of course always be careful when lighting candles in marquees and check with the marquee company. Also, don’t let the scent be too over powering, especially when using scented flowers.
Don’t forget the practicalities. You can plan the stylish and chicest of weddings but if the basics aren’t considered, your wedding might be remembered for all the wrong reasons. It’s great to have a blank canvas but that also means you need to consider all the more practical aspects such as flooring, heating, power and toilets. It’s worth getting a professional on board to ensure everything is covered or speak to your marquee company. It’s not worth spending loads of your budget on beautiful flowers, then having no heating (or air conditioning as marquees can get very hot and very cold) or guests getting their heels stuck in the mud trying to find the toilet…definitely not chic!
Know your space. You can never plan too much with a marquee and you really need to know the exact size and set up of the marquee you’re using. This will ensure everything runs smoothly, and everything is planned out perfectly to suit the size and layout of the space. You might want to have a super chic cocktail bar but you will need to make sure it fits, and works for the space with everything else that’s planned. If guests are uncomfortable or squeezed onto tables next to each other because they don’t fit, they’ll remember the wedding for all the wrong reasons. A beautiful and memorable wedding is one that makes the most of the space so that the day runs seamlessly. This is all down to good planning.
