Vibrant, Colourful Marquee Wedding in Essex – The Design

Continuing our report on Nicky and Toms wedding, part one can be found here

What inspired you to style your day the way you did?
I had a very clear vision from the start about how I wanted the day to feel.  I wanted the day to reflect my husband and my personalities.  We wanted to create a fun vibrant look, which made people smile.  For me it was all about the smaller details, I left Bernadette to sort the rest! My sister had had her wedding a couple of years before and with so many of the same guests it was really important for me to make the marquee look and feel very different.

My husband’s favourite colour is blue, and he really wanted a navy suit, so we thought if he loves the colour so much, let’s run with it!  By giving him his blue, I could have my way with the other colours. I wanted bright and vibrant and boy did I get it! Brightly coloured furniture, vibrant coloured ribbons and beautiful flowers.

In the marquee, we opted for different tables to my sister, not a roundtable in sight.  We had quite a nightmare trying to figure out a configuration of tables that would work in the space.  After several hundred CAD drawings, we opted for a combination of square and long tables.  All long tables felt a bit like an army barracks canteen (to create space there had to be lots of different long tables).  All square tables meant I had to cull guests… who hadn’t sent us a Christmas card? Finally, we cracked it. A combination of both, which actually worked perfectly.

The tables were decorated with gorgeous navy and white striped runners, which we had made by hand.  The lights were adorned with bright ribbons, again which we had decorated ourselves and the ceiling was decorated with navy blue ribbons and twinkling lights.  Working all together with the different suppliers we created a style and feel that matched our feeling perfectly…

How did you find the process of designing your stationery? 

I absolutely loved designing the stationery myself.  It may have taken a while and necessitated copious trips to Hobbycraft and Paperchase. It also left the house looking like a Blue Peter set but it made the whole process feel so much more personal.  If you’re thinking about designing your own stationery, then don’t hesitate, just do it!  It’s great fun. Giving you the freedom to play around with ideas, fonts, colours and is an amazing outlet for all those creative juices!  Plus, what could be more exciting than seeing your own designs come to life in your hands.  By designing them yourself it allows you to set the scene for your wedding in a uniquely personal way and with so many companies out there able to make those designs take shape, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

My little secret, which no one would have known, was that even the font had a personal touch. I chose ‘At Last’ – because at last I was getting married, or…’at last’ someone was crazy enough to ask me and ‘Champagne & Limousines’ I‘m quite sure that needs no explanation!

How did flowers fit into the design?

Flowers were part of the design, although I didn’t share this little tidbit with my husband as he was anti-flowers, so it was really important to get them right.  My sister’s flowers had been spectacular and they are always being pinned on Pinterest, so it was no surprise that I used Jades Flowers.  Beverley is a genius!  I knew that by using her I was in a safe pair of hands and I wasn’t wrong.  We had several meetings, emails pinging back and forth and pictures being messaged, but when we went to look at the flowers she had sampled I knew that it was all going to work beautifully.  She talked me through the flowers, the colours, what was in season, budget, everything.  Once we had decided on colours, as many as I could without the bouquets looking like they had been hit with a rainbow stick, I left everything to her, as I knew she would work wonders, which she did. Amazingly guess who the first person was to comment on how gorgeous the flowers were…Mr Anti-Flowers!  I think that says it all.

How important were the flowers?

The flowers were one of the most important aspects of the wedding, second to my husband of course.  They set the tone perfectly, creating the drama and feel.  I absolutely loved them. They were in your face, bright and gorgeous, but most importantly made me smile.  I felt happy just looking at them bursting with texture and colour.  I know that flowers can be expensive and that not everyone wants to spend money on flowers, but I’m so glad we did.

If you could offer any words of wisdom to a bride-to-be, what would that be?

I’m not sure I am wise enough to offer words of wisdom, but I’m never short of a few words so I’ll say this. Enjoy the whole process, remember why you’re organising the wedding and who it’s for…YOU.  I know it can be stressful, I know you want everything to be perfect but trust me, things will go wrong; people will have accidents and be taken to A & E, guests may almost choke to death on the beef, toilets will get blocked, people will fall into hedges and get drunk, but you cannot control these things!  Cheesy as it may sound, as long as you surround yourself with people that love you and that you love, you’ll have an amazing day!

Photo Credits:
Marquee Company: American Marquees // Photographer: Simon Carr Simon Carr // Florist: Jades Flower Design // Lighting: Wedding Creative