If you’re planning any wedding, it can be stressful. Whether you’re a bride, groom or professional wedding planner, there will always be new obstacles and difficulties to overcome on your journey to creating the perfect day.
Add the pressure of a themed wedding and you’ll be ready to reach boiling point. To ease your planning process just a touch, here are Juicy Jackets’ seven essential tips on planning the perfect festival wedding.
Perfect the invites
The first hint of your wedding day your friends and family will get will arrive through their letterbox in the form of your wedding invite.
To get off to a good start and to set the tone for the rest of the wedding, create an invite that you feel perfectly reflects the theme and feel of your day. If you’re particularly creative, you may want to craft your own invites, which will leave you with a flurry of different ideas you can test and try before picking your favourite.
However, if you’re looking to buy your invites, opt for a bespoke creator rather than a store-bought version. This way, you’ll portray a unique and individual theme, and be able to make the invite your own.
Wellies or heels?
On the invites, it’s a good idea for you to set a dress code for your guests.
Otherwise, many will wonder whether they’re expected to come dressed for the theme, or just wear normal occasionwear. So you don’t end up with an odd mix, and any ruined wedding photos, specify what you’d like your guests to show up in. As long as it’s nothing too outlandish, we’re sure they’ll be excited to keep the theme going!
Work the venue around you
All too often when couples are planning themed weddings, they try to plan every aspect of their day around the theme. Unfortunately, this rarely works out well and simply ends up in an over the top wedding where the bride and groom are almost lost in amongst it all.
Find the right venue for your wedding, rather than the right venue for a ‘festival wedding’. You can always work the festival wedding theme into pretty much any venue, so don’t be scared to book the village church you’ve always dreamt of getting married in!
Outdoors vs indoors
Speaking of venues, probably one of the first decisions you’ll make (or will have already made) is whether you’re going to have an outdoor or an indoor wedding.
This really depends on your location. For example, if you’re in Scotland and you’re planning on an October wedding, outdoors probably isn’t the best way to go. As noted above, your theme should fit around the day you want, so don’t be scared to go with what feels right, and plan the day around you and your partner.
Tipi vs Marquee
If you do opt for an outdoor wedding, you’ll want some kind of cover in case of bad weather. The two main choices you have are between a tipi and a marquee.
Each vary in price, so you’ll need to do a bit of research first and find one which suits your budget. Once this is out of the way, choose the one that feels right!
A tipi can add an extra festival feeling – especially if you’re used to glamping when you go. On the other hand, marquees can offer more space at a cheaper rate, and coupled with some bunting and clever decoration, you can easily vamp up the festival feeling in no time.
Pay attention to the detail
The decoration will be a huge part of your wedding, because unless you’re having your wedding at Glastonbury, you’ll want to create the festival feel as much as you possibly can. You won’t be surprised to know that attention to detail goes a long way.
Adding a bit of bunting, festival signs, wrist bands or passes and a line up (what’s happening in the day) can help bring that theme home, and will make your wedding day your own – the more creative you get, the better!
Food vans beat a buffet
Festivals are famous for their great array of food vans. Rather than going for a traditional wedding buffet or sit down meal, why not try out a food van for the real festival feel?
Wherever you are in the UK, there are food vans located up and down the country serving the most delicious and exotic foods you could imagine. Get online and check where the closest ones to you are so you can promise your guests a delicious feast.
Bring the festival music
And finally, the most important aspect of any festival – the music! If you’re promising a festival theme, your guests will expect you to deliver with some great music they can dance to, so make sure you don’t disappoint.
The age-old question of DJ or band will always rear its ugly head, and here is no different. Live music goes hand in hand with the festival vibe, so unless you really love DJs, try to find a musician who will fit the bill.
Have you got more top tips for planning a festival wedding? Get in touch with us on our Twitter and Facebook!