From a floristry point of view, decorating a wedding marquee with flowers is rather like furnishing a house; the possibilities are endless. A marquee wedding gives you the flexibility to create something that is completely unique and which reflects your tastes and personalities. Get it right and you will have something wonderful, but get it wrong and it can look awful!
The first thing to think about with a marquee is that you are effectively building a venue from scratch. Whatever the style, from the simplest traditional canvas marquee to a state of the art clear span glass structure, it is a big blank box, but one which offers endless possibilities for floral decoration.
If a marquee is in a beautiful garden setting and you can open up the sides, then you can complement this with flowers and decor that gives a sense of bringing the outside in. Equally, in an urban setting you can create something a little more sleek and modern. This is the beauty of having a blank venue space.
Whilst a marquee is a wonderful blank canvas offering so many different style ideas, it really does require a different approach from a conventional venue space. I’ve dressed many marquees in my time, so here my top tips for decorating a wedding marquee with flowers…
Level Floors
If you decide to have tall centrepieces on your tables then you have to make sure the marquee has a properly boarded, level floor, so there is no chance of tall arrangements falling over. It may sound obvious, but you and your guests do not want to get that ‘Titanic’ feeling during dinner, or an Amazonian vase of flowers in your lap! Communicate with your florist during the design process so you can avoid any potential problems. Having a completely boarded floor is an added expense, so to avoid any mishaps I recommend low floral arrangements throughout.
Go for Colour
You’re in big white box so you need to break it up with colour in your floral displays, especially if your furnishings and table linen are white. If you must have white flowers, add plenty of greenery as it will look so much better in your photographs. Also consider your accessories. Add brightly coloured flowers to napkins, posies of flowers for chair decoration, or even coloured glassware; they all make such an impact to the marquee space.
Hanging Installations
I love hanging installations, and they are a fantastic way of decorating a wedding marquee with flowers, adding character to an otherwise featureless structure. Suspended decor creates instant wow factor, and if you are having low table flowers they draw the eye upwards and add a real sense of presence.
Other Areas
Marquees come in so many different shapes and sizes, so there may be other areas for floral decoration. Make a statement with large focal arrangements to greet guests on their arrival, perhaps re-positioning your ceremony flowers for this. If the marquee has a very plain structure then consider dressing the marquee poles with additional flowers and foliage.
Think about these key points when deciding on your wedding marquee flowers, but don’t feel daunted. Think of a marquee as a perfect opportunity to create a space that is uniquely ‘you’, and remember that choosing the flowers is one of the most enjoyable parts of planning a wedding.
Guest post by Simon Nickell
Images from…
Colourful Flowers: Gideon Photography
Tall Centrepieces: Amy Shore Photography
Hanging Installation: Helen Abraham Photography
Marquee Poles with Flowers: Hayley Ruth Photography
