An abundant wedding marquee Reception
A + L first approached me last year to discuss their wedding flowers. They knew that they wanted a natural and wild look for their wedding but were unsure of what to choose as their reception was to be held in a marquee. I knew as soon as I started to talking to them that they needed to concentrate their budget and the flowers in the marquee as this was where the majority of the reception would be held.
Their wedding was held at Treberfydd House, a beautiful gothic revival house overlooking Langorse Lake, in Brecon, South Wales. For large weddings a marquee created by the talented Roland from Bespoke Tents is used for receptions at the house. A + L were married on the formal lawn underneath a canopy also made by Roland. It was important for A + L to have as many locally grown Welsh flowers in their wedding as possible and to use only sustainable floristry methods and mechanics.
There are several options when decorating a marquee but we decided that the poles should be wrapped with flowers, as there were only two of these we could fully cover them to create the most impact. Fairy lights were to be strung across the marquee ceiling so we decorated these with wispy and trailing foliage to give an intimate feel to the marquee. The covered fairy lights allowed for light to fill the marquee from the ceiling as well as lowering the height of the marquee.
As with all my designs no floral foam or wool bricks were used, these are incredibly bad for the environment and are completely unnecessary in the flower industry. I had to make a robust design that could withstand the heat (if it turned out that we had some sunshine over the summer!) and not wilt. Each pole was decorated with foliage and then the flowers were carefully chosen and placed into the design. I was lucky enough to have been offered an amazing selection of flowers from local growers, including sweet peas, garden roses and delicate ammi majus. Stepping into the marquee awoke the senses, engulfing the guests in a beautiful summer aroma in a secret garden.
We decided to keep the wedding ceremony decor simple and not detract from the beautiful surroundings of the formal lawn and garden at the house. Silver birch trees were potted in statement baskets and positioned at either end of the structure. These were repurposed at the reception afterwards, flanking the entrance to the marquee. Two large flower meadows were created for the ceremony as a backdrop for A + L and these were moved to the marquee to sit at the end of each table.
Finally we used glass bud vases filled with ferns, mint, rosemary and the wedding flowers to decorate the banquet tables. These complimented the bride’s choice of coloured tapered candles and added colour and interest to the tables.