PRIVATE ESTATE MARQUEE WEDDING : CHARLOTTE & PATRICK
At the beginning of our journey together, Charlotte’s main worry was ‘ensuring their guests have the time of their lives’. She also had a great eye for detail and a huge priority was ensuring that their clearspan marquee felt like an exclusive members club after dark, to transport their guests to Ibiza for sunset, and to end the evening with an unforgettable bang. This private estate marquee build was at the foot of a lake on the groom’s family grounds which brought a greater sentimental feel to the entire occasion; especially as the couple had spent months in lockdown exploring the gardens, swimming in the lake, and quad biking around the marquee pitch together during that time.
Overall the design boasted sophistication and elegance. The florals were wholly and truly inspired by the land that surrounded the glasshouse structure. The ceiling of foliage derived from a huge floral urn in the centre of the bar (having the bar as a centre point was also important as a lot of cocktails were being served to guests by flair bartenders later on in the evening!). The wild urn grew from floor to ceiling and the foliage spread across the dining area of the marquee weaving in and out of the draping and glass chandeliers. It created a huge focal point and broke up the clear panels in the roof whilst still looking as natural as the garden.
We sectioned off a third of the marquee and built a nightclub by placing the dance floor and stage under a black star cloth ceiling and building in a truss central to the dancefloor filled with empire chandeliers, glass chandeliers, and a 3m disco ball all hanging at a variety of levels. This really gave the marquee a completely new look for guests in the evening. The huge urn being in the centre of the space broke up the black during the day and we also placed a voile cream satin curtain around the edges to soften the contrasting spaces.
Charlotte & Patrick love to travel and lots of their amazing memories together consist of going on holidays and spending quality time away. The guest’s place names were luggage tags and the side and dessert plates had a cerulean Mediterranean pattern; contrary to tradition C&P cut their Sicilian lemon cake at the beginning of their wedding breakfast after an amazing napkin-twirling entrance this was then served to guests for dessert on those contrasting blue plates.
The mixture of round and long tables really added diversity to the room. We kept everything quite neutral and really let the oranges and blues stand out. I also designed a logo for the couple that we had made onto a flag flying over the lake and on all of their stationery and bars for an extra level of personalisation.
Golden hour had always been one of their favourite times of day, especially watching the sunset at Cafe Mambo in Ibiza. After dinner, guests were invited outside to enjoy a variety of cocktails from a bespoke menu comprised of the couple’s favourite drinks. We placed pockets of lounge furniture and poseur tables on the lawn so they could break out into smaller groups to watch the sunset over the lake. A house DJ and trumpet player played until dark in front of the huge wild floral arch on the raised veranda of the marquee. As the light dappled the dancing began and the atmosphere was electric. This was not only a great experience for guests, but it also meant that when they stepped back into the marquee to begin dancing the space had completely transformed after dark.
C&P hosted their first dance played by a 12-piece band. They partied all night until everyone was invited outside for a 20-minute firework display to the couple’s favourite songs, it was a wow moment end to a celebration that I will never forget.
WE COULDN’T HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES WITHOUT YOU!
‘I’m an organised person who has a very keen eye for attention to detail, some may say I obsess over it until it’s perfect and this is where Emily solved all my problems. From the moment we spoke, Emily made every effort to delve into our ideas and dreams for our big day. The support and guidance we received was second to none as we navigated our way in an industry we did not know, but my goodness did she! We couldn’t have experienced the best day of our lives without Emily and we will be eternally grateful for her delivering the most special service for us. We will miss you, thank you! ‘
