By Georgina Clatworthy

A garden makes for a beautiful venue for a summer wedding and it is worth being creative with the way in which you plan your garden wedding reception to help you make the most of it.  Gardens can lend themselves to a number of potential wedding themes or use them to create a stylish and memorable backdrop to your wedding day.

Your first consideration needs to be the venue itself.  Private and public gardens are all available for weddings or just for a reception site, the tricky part for you is knowing whether or not a potential site is big enough to accommodate your guests, tables, chairs and any entertainment you want put on.  Finding garden venues which regularly host wedding receptions will give you some idea as to the numbers that can be accommodated and the size you will need to enable all your plans!

Next you will need to think about having a marquee or whether you will chance the weather and have an open air reception.  A combination of both is the ideal scenario and you could have your wedding breakfast out in the open air and use the marquee as a retreat when the cooler evening sets in.  Marquee’s are a cost effective alternative to a traditional bricks and mortar venue and can give you the best of both worlds should find a beautiful garden venue.

Location will be another key factor in your decision making.  As with any reception venue it shouldn’t be located too far from your ceremony venue and should be easily accessible for your guests, particularly any who are elderly or disabled.  A location which is difficult to find could see you short on many of your wedding guests when you arrive at the reception!

You will also need to consider other practicalities, such as bathroom facilities, electric, water and noise from other sources.  Think about where to site your marquee (if having one), where your caterers will set up and serve the food from, where your evening entertainment will be and how you will arrange your tables, chairs and other furniture.

You may also be able to have your wedding ceremony at a garden venue which can save you time and money by having both your ceremony and reception in one location.  However, with your venue set up for the ceremony, you will need somewhere for you and your guests to retreat to so that the reception can be set up ready for the wedding breakfast.  It is therefore important that you find a venue which is large enough to be ’separated’ into various areas where you and your guests can go as each element of the wedding day is being set up.

A garden wedding reception is a wonderful way to celebrate your wedding but you will need to think carefully about the logistics and practicalities of any venue before making a final decision.  There are many garden venues available that regularly play host to weddings or you could take a leap of faith and choose a site that has never played to host to such an occasion. 

One final consideration is the time of year of your wedding.  One particular feature of gardens is the foliage – plants and flowers which grown in it.  Find out how the garden will look on your wedding day – will it be in full bloom, and awash with color or will the flowering season be over and the plants be looking decidedly past their best?  Formal flower gardens will work best for a late spring and summer wedding; whilst tree lined parks create a wonderful backdrop for fall and winter weddings.