Summer Wedding Tips by Say I Do Wedding Fayres

 After late spring, summer is the most popular time to get married in the UK with its much welcomed warmer weather and sultry light-filled evenings offering prospective couples the opportunity to tie the knot while nature is in full bloom. Attending local wedding fayres in advance can offer you much inspiration for your summer colour theme & wedding dress, not forgetting the great benefits of being able to view your dream venue, all set up and ready as if it were the big day of the wedding.

Location

High on the agenda of must have locations is a place that has extensive grounds with features that will not only occupy & provide talking points for your guests but also act as a backdrop for your wedding album. If possible try and source a venue that can provide accommodation for yourself and your guests that will be staying overnight. In fact if you’re considering booking an all inclusive wedding package at the Abbey Hotel in Malvern, you won’t want to miss the complimentary overnight accommodation offer for the bride and groom.

Indoors & backup plan

No matter what time of year it is in Britain the weather can at any time dampen even the best-planned event, which is why you must have a plan B on hand should the wind whip up, or a thunderstorm role in to ‘try’ and spoil your perfect day.

Ideally, a well researched  photographer will have done their homework in selecting where the wedding pictures will be taken but it’s a good idea to have an indoor backup in place just in case inclement weather comes into play.

Even with the best wedding planning and preparation, no one can predict what the weather is going to be like on the day you decide to get married which is why selecting a reputable venue that is prepared for every eventuality is so important.

The Abbey hotel offers a wide variety of rooms to choose from with seven different suites available and can accommodate large numbers of guests or assist you with a more intimate gathering.

Your specific ideas can be brought to life with a tailormade wedding package, with every detail taken care of from the stunning room decoration to the three course meal, leaving you to enjoy your special day to the full

Outdoors

More than likely your guests will want to spend the majority of the time outdoors during the summer, so be sure to have plenty of attractions on hand to keep your guests occupied, such as beautiful grounds to explore or even games such as boules, croquet, badminton or lawn darts.

As the sun starts to set you can add sparkle to the occasion with candles on the tables and Japanese paper lanterns hanging from the trees to provide a warm, friendly ambience as you celebrate well into the night.

Photos or happy memories captured?

Carefully choose a good  location with your wedding photographs in mind. A venue that has naturally photogenic gardens and surroundings will never be a wasted investment, but will help capture wonderful memories of your special day in a way that you will cherish forever.

Photographs are of course a big part of wedding celebrations and not just the formal ones that were taken by a professional photographer. In today’s digital age everyone has a decent camera embedded in their smartphone capable of taking great photos and video.

Why not send your guests a link to a free app such as WedPics.com and encourage them to upload their photos to your special album on the site or failing that ask them to share with you on social media. Sometimes the best photographs are captured by family or friends in the natural setting.

Refreshments

When holding a summer wedding be sure to have plenty of ice-cold drinks on hand and not just the alcoholic variety. Bottled water is perfect as it allows your guests to keep hydrated both during the ceremony and at the reception.

Champagne, cava and prosecco are all welcoming reception cocktails that will always go down well, and if you want to be a little different perhaps serve a refreshing Pimm’s cup, mint julep or your own favourite summer cocktail to get your guests in the mood to party.

Menu

Use the warm summer weather to your advantage by building a menu around locally sourced produce that is in season.

For appetizers, you cannot fail to be a success by serving chilled shellfish with a lemon mayonnaise, while cold summer soups like Spanish gazpacho can be called upon to help cool your guests down while also refreshing their palates.

Although people often suggest lighter meals to satisfy their appetites during the summer, your guests will still want to be ‘wooed’ by tempting dishes. Instead of a hearty meat-filled mains option, why not choose a less filling alternative such as panfried supreme of chicken served with a wild mushroom and honeyed silver skin onion with a forestiere sauce? Or how does pan-seared fillet of salmon served with sautéed potatoes and sauce vierge cassoulet of butter sound?

Also, do not forget to have a vegetarian selection available for non-meat eaters with a mixed grill of summer veggies which are sure to be a hit.

For side dishes consider grilled vegetables such as corn on the cob or asparagus, together with a chilled mayonnaise based macaroni or potato salad.

Add to this a salad selection with green leafy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, red onion and a variety of dressings and you know you are onto a winner that will satisfy all your friends and family.

As an accompaniment to the wedding cake why not serve a refreshing frozen dessert of ice cream, sorbet or granita. Overall, ensure that you carefully select a venue that will try hard to cater to everyone’s dietary requirements.

Why consider the Abbey Hotel Malvern?

With Manicured lawns and landscape gardens, you and your guests will enjoy a spot of paradise sipping champagne and tasting canapés in the Herb Garden whilst admiring the outstanding views of the Evesham Vales. This luxury four star wedding venue ticks all of the boxes when it comes to satisfying the desires of every dream fairy-tale wedding. To find out more about the Abbey Hotel as a wedding venue, visit their wedding pages or call 01684 879193 or email [email protected].

For top tips on planning a Winter wedding click here to see our last article