Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, Manor By The Lake is the ideal venue if you’re planning a traditional country wedding.
Here are our tips for creating the perfect country wedding in the most beautiful location.
Country Style
The key to a beautiful country wedding is setting the balance between an event that’s suitably rustic, but that still feels special and a little glamorous. There are plenty of ways to embrace this theme, and it’s one that can be as relaxed, or as traditionally formal as you desire.
Flowers
For an English country wedding, choose delicate pastel flowers, and wildflowers for bouquets and centrepieces. For a rustic touch, bunches of blooms in jam jars, glass bottles and even bean cans look stunning or use mismatched vintage china as an alternative to vases.
Floral archways and pillars are a gorgeous way to use your English blooms such as ranunculus, roses and peonies. For bouquets and chair ends, tie your blooms with rustic hessian or romantic lace to keep to your country feel.
Natural Cakes
When it comes to the wedding cake, use the opportunity for something naturally beautiful such as a naked cake liberally covered in fresh seasonal berries, or create a stack of pastel cupcakes for guests to help themselves.
A cheese wedding cake is a lovely alternative to a traditional fruit or sponge cake and the perfect sharing board for your evening reception. Serve with freshly baked loaves, oat crackers and lashings of chutney.
Local Produce
The Cotswolds are famous for producing everything from cheese, eggs and dairy to wonderful fish and meat so whatever takes your fancy, you’ll have no trouble supporting local producers.
If you’re getting married in summer or autumn, there’s an abundance of local produce that can be incorporated into your wedding catering. Fresh berries such as strawberries and raspberries are traditional English country wedding ingredients whether they’re served with lashings of cream as a dessert, or added to flutes of champagne or in seasonal cocktails. Apples, blackberries, plums and pears are all in ready supply to make autumnal desserts that are true crowd-pleasers.
Decor
You can really go to town on your country theme when it comes to the decor. Scatter hay bales around the gardens for guests to perch on. Just make sure you provide some cotton throws to create a comfy seat!
Rustic jugs, lanterns and tea lights and of course, row after row of colourful bunting will all help to create a magical English country setting.
Fill wheelbarrows with bottles, use rustic crates and barrels as side tables for the guest book and drinks stations, and provide chalkboards with handwritten signs that guide guests towards the dance floor.
If you’d like help creating your perfect country wedding, our Manor By The Lake wedding planners would love to hear from you. With stacks of experience and a passion for delivering memorable moments for all our couples, our talented team would love to welcome you to our beautiful wedding venue. Give us a call on 01242 245 071 or email [email protected] to arrange your private tour.
