Over the last couple of weekends I’ve had the pleasure of filming two of the most relaxed and fun weddings I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of, each taking place in genuinely unique and incredibly special venues – the couple’s family homes.
Both receptions took place in open marquee style structures over the gardens and despite the weather bringing heavy downpours at opposite ends of the day on both occasions the intimacy of the space meant that the rain was never a problem for either. Whilst admittedly accommodating so many guests means the necessity of a reasonably sized space it’s perhaps surprising how much room there really can be with temporary structures like these, with neither garden feeling on the face of it particularly huge despite providing plenty of space.
There are of course amazing wedding venues up and down the country and even abroad, but there’s just something so personal about holding a wedding at the place where you grew up, the place where together you came for all those family meals, the place that holds so many life-shaping memories for you. It may not sound as glamorous as having your wedding at a castle or stately home or at an exclusive hotel, but for me a wedding is all about personality and revealing something of yourselves in your choices, and it doesn’t get much more personal than your own home!
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Image by York Place Studios
There are other advantages too; one of the biggest obstacles to having your wedding day exactly the way you want it, with every last handpicked detail arranged just as you’d dreamed is time. Hiring a venue is expensive and, whilst some venues do offer a certain amount of flexibility, chances are (unless perhaps you pay a significant extra fee) that you’re only going to have access from either the night before or even the morning of the wedding. Those time limits generally mean that unless you have an extremely well organised team ready to work through the night to have everything just perfect that you may not be able to do quite as much as you might have hoped to really make the venue your own. When the wedding is in your back garden however, apart from perhaps a comparatively small additional cost for hiring a marquee for a few extra days, you have all the time in the world to get everything just right.
Without the cost of hiring a venue as such you might also have a little more to spend on putting together the most kick-ass team of suppliers to help you along the way, from an amazing catering team to hiring a lighting and sound company to light up the garden and make it extra-spectacular for the evening. With a little imagination even the simplest of lawns can become an incredible sight and having your wedding at home gives you the level of control over events to see your vision through from start to finish, (with a little special help from some helpful family members!)
So if you’re thinking of having a garden-party style wedding then make it the real thing – a relaxed affair in familiar surroundings allowing everyone to share in where you’ve come from as they witness the next important chapter of your lives.
