Festival Weddings in Norfolk: East Anglia

For those who find the simplicity of a forest setting to be as enchanting as that of an ornately decorated marquee, the Festival wedding may perhaps be the ideal venue for your wedding celebrations. The festival wedding is all about the effortless charms — so often found in nature. For this reason, the decor itself should appear to be an extension of the natural setting of choice.

Selecting the venue for such an aesthetic should reflect this intent. A rustic barn, or tipi style marquee, for example, make ideal foundations from which creativity can spring forth. Pursuing a festival themed wedding also offers financial liberty as a tipi can often be rented for lower cost. Barn space can be acquired through the lending hand of a friend; albeit, some of the more niche grounds offer exclusive wedding venue services should you choose a more tailor-made setting.

 

The decor must be a reflection of the natural setting itself. To achieve the rustic flare that is essential to the festival wedding’s aesthetic, trestle tables with long length table checked table cloths or another fitfully patterned cloth of choice act as hallmarks of country fete prints. Surround the table with long wooden benches to harmonise the arrangement. To add an element of comfort and style, seating pads may be added.  

 

Table arrangements should exude the pastoral appeal of a country picnic. Recycled mason jars, for example, are valuable for their quality of versatility. They can be used for decorative purposes: as candle or flower holders, or a repurposed gift “basket” — stuffs with creams, sweets, or vintage photographs. They can also be used for utility’s sake — as drinking glasses, or to hold individually packaged desserts. The main course should follow suit with the rest of the picnic theme — most like to do a cafeteria style, with an incorporation of festival style fun. One idea: use a long wooden table with large picnic baskets lining the surface. Place pots of food inside, or rather, design the baskets around a pre arranged banquet. Of course, when selecting your caterer, ensure that you are sourcing a local company that produces their own authentic cuisine. Sourcing local wines and beers provide an array of delightful flavours for your guests to savour with their wedding breakfast meal. Not only will you be supporting local, organic,  businesses, but going local often enhances the aesthetic of the “festival” theme.

 

No design scheme is complete without the warmth and unifying effect that quality lighting lends to a space. Most festival themed weddings are best complemented by fairy lights; they truly add a fairy-tale aura to any wedding. Luckily, they are also friendly on the budget. For an added flare, loop flower kissing balls along the lines to add a touch of colour to the space.

To avoid taking away from the relaxing ambience, the main intent behind festival wedding planning, offer a quiet space for guests to relax. Too much structure mitigates the overall intent of the festival wedding: to exude an  aura of care-free fun and harmony with the natural space itself. Luckily, creating one such place is not as difficult as one would presume it to be. Simply use a hodgepodge of different cushions, or, in ultimate festival fashion, use troughs of hay bales to form a semicircle around a grassy space. Cover these bales of hay with picnic blankets, and dot the area with tiki torches or an extension of fairy lights. With these simple touches, you have created a space that effortlessly brings guests together. Of course, the relaxed seating area is not your only option. As an added flare, add a vintage photo booth station to the mix of arrangements. The Boho Booth based in Newmarket offers self-operated camper photo booth with instant high quality studio finish photographs.

 

Of course, to arrive to your idyllic venue, guests must have a mode of transport. The Little Vintage Car Company offers the ideal solutions to escort you there.  With commodes varying from decades throughout the course of the 20th century, transporting guests to your venue may in fact also transport guests back to a certain period in time.

 

Whether you choose the tailor-made, refurbished barn, or the more naturally derived clearing in the forest, the key to the festival wedding is to ensure that your design scheme complements the place itself. The charm of an organic setting is best reflected when adorned by effortless embellishments.  

 

Written by: Meghan E. Ingraham