Outdoor weddings can be absolutely gorgeous if the weather is right, which is why of course most people hold them in summer. However, if you have the protective roof of an event tent or marquee over your head, you can hold a fabulous outdoor celebration in any weather.
The vintage theme and outdoor weddings go hand-in-hand, calling to mind afternoon garden parties and post-war street parties. There are lots of little touches you can use to really add charm, style and personality to your own vintage-style wedding – here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Bunting! No British garden party is complete without some cute and classic bunting. You can even make or design it yourself to match your wedding colour scheme, and you can hang it everywhere from wedding arches to the roof of your event tent.
- Food and drink vans. Forget about greasy burger vans – we’re talking about one of the many speciality vintage-style mobile catering businesses which specialise in quirky weddings. You can hire ice cream vans, traditional sweet shops or donut and coffee carts – it’s up to you!
- Unusual transport. Think outside of the box when it comes to your transport – depending on the distance and the weather, you can arrive at your wedding on anything from a decorated bicycle (and leave together on a tandem?) to a classic car or a vintage-style bus.
- Colourful wedding cakes. If you don’t fancy a traditional-style wedding cake, mix things up a bit with one of 2015’s biggest wedding trends – colourful cakes! Great vintage looks include pastels, edible patterns such as lace, and oversized floral decorations on top.
- Cocktail bars. If your wedding is more Great Gatsby than classic afternoon tea, pop up a cocktail bar in your event tent to really get the party started! Venues like SaddleSpan tents have plenty of room for a bar of any size or configuration – you could even make it the centrepiece of the layout. All you need then are some expert mixologists and some yummy recipes to try out on your guests – make sure you have the right glassware too, to complete the effect.
- Beautiful blooms. As well as decorating your marquee with some gorgeous vintage bunting, don’t forget to choose some colourful vintage-style flowers too. A key look of the year for weddings is for bright, bold, cheerful colours, but paler pastels and more old-fashioned flowers (i.e. carnations, peonies, heritage roses, dahlias and sunflowers) are all lovely choices too.
- Personalised tables. The key to the charm of a vintage wedding is personalisation, adding your own touch to everything from invitations and favours to table decorations. If you have lots of space in your event tent, go for large tables with dramatic flower arrangements – the flowers matching the vintage-style bouquets you’ve decorated the rest of the space with.