How To Have A Festival Wedding, According To A Leading Wedding Planner

5 months ago

From intimate gatherings to blowout affairs, festival weddings are trending

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Live music, street food, and colour galore: summer festivals are filled with magic, and millions of Brits flock to them every summer (in 2022, a whopping 6.5 million music fans attended UK festivals). If you’re one of them and your nuptials are approaching, you might be drawn to having a festival wedding: an outdoor, informal, fun-filled day designed exactly to your liking (say goodbye to the stinky toilets and hello to chic glamping tents). Wondering where to start? We asked Matthew Shaw – founder and creative director of luxury events planner Sauveur – for his expert insight.

How To Have A Festival Wedding

‘Every summer, we are inundated with glorious colourful photos of festival season. A staple in the UK and around the world, it’s no wonder people are looking to festivals to inspire their wedding celebrations,’ says Matthew. ‘At Sauveur, we’ve seen an increase in people breaking with tradition and becoming more creative with their nuptials. There are so many elements of a festival that you can inject into your wedding plans for a creative, colourful and, of course, musical celebration.’

Festival Scale, Intimate Celebration

‘A good place to start is thinking about how you distil a festival into a personal celebration,’ Matthew suggests. ‘I would imagine that you are likely trying to avoid a 10,000-person guest list, so you will want to think about how to create the sense of scale you get from a music festival but with a personal experience.

‘Festivals have many iconic accessories and symbols that you can use to start setting the tone,’ Matthew recommends. ‘Thinking of your invitations and wedding stationery, why not go full festival and send your guests fabric wristbands as invitations? These are very simple to create and are a great way to immerse your guests into the festival spirit from the start.

‘There is a lot of information you often need to communicate to your wedding guests both in advance and at your celebration,’ he adds. ‘A good way to do this in your festival wedding universe is to take inspiration from a festival map booklet to let guests know timings and locations of everything. If you are having a larger celebration with a few different areas, then a map can be both a beautiful memento but also helpful and exciting for your guests!’

Must-Have Marquees

‘Most weddings in the UK require the use of a marquee and I would suggest that, if you are looking to recreate the festival atmosphere, you prioritise exterior venues and marquees,’ Matthew suggests. ‘Whilst any tented structure will help with the festival look and feel, there is a lot of fun to be had with marquees. Think circus tents and vintage marquees! There are suppliers across the UK that hire these out, and they are often competitively priced and will do a lot of the design and dressing work for you. They also look wonderful in photos – and can help your wedding really stand out and appear unique against other traditional outdoor weddings.

Festival Details

‘Once your setting is sorted, you can start getting stuck into all the smaller details across your wedding to really give it that festival feel,’ Matthew says. ‘There is so much art, colour, and creativity at festivals and, with a little bit of preparation in advance, this can be quite easily implemented.

‘A good hunt on Etsy or at your local haberdashers will yield all types of ribbon, fabric, and tassels which you can hang across trees or through the marquee,’ Matthew suggests. ‘You can top these up with some large mirror balls hung from the trees for a great photo backdrop. If you want to go down the full festival community route, you could give out some canvases or stretch fabric across the marquee poles for your guests to draw or graffiti on. This can be really fun if you have some artistic guests who can help lead this. We’ve created some fantastic art at events which has later been framed for the couple to keep.’

Taking To The Stage

‘Music and entertainment is, of course, the centrepiece of any festival, and should certainly be a priority for any festival-style wedding!’ Matthew says. ‘Now, you won’t need to be programming lots of different stages – otherwise you’d land up with five guests at each! – but you will want to ensure you have plenty of variety. If your budget stretches to a couple of different performers, you will want to ensure you have something for everyone. Discovering new artists and music is a key part of the festival experience, so think about throwing in a couple of wild cards!

‘This does not mean you need to book lots of different expensive wedding bands and DJs,’ Matthew adds. ‘I would always suggest a mix of styles and sizes, and why not see if there are any local performers or buskers based near your venue who would like a set? If you have any musically talented friends, it is always worth asking if they would like to perform a song or two, or do a DJ set…’

Additional Entertainment

‘It’s important to remember that festivals are a 360-degree experience,’ Matthew recommends. ‘It’s not just about what is on stage, but everything else. Think wandering performers, inflatables thrown onto the dancefloor, fun midnight cocktail shots and a confetti moment. Whilst simple to arrange, these can be truly special moments. Nothing confirms a good party like your guests waking up and saying to themselves “did that really happen?!”

‘If you have the space (and a willing venue!), then it can always be fun to explore some fairground rides,’ Matthew suggests. ‘They look fantastic and are always popular. Do bear in mind, however, that these do need some proper planning and logistics to ensure they are installed in the right place – and safely.’

Festival Garms Meet Wedding Dress Code

‘We’ve loved seeing couples get creative with their wedding dress codes,’ Matthew says. ‘This has become more of a trend recently, and it’s always fun to see people getting creative with formalwear. Festival fashion is arguably some of the most fun and most liberating around. This really is the moment to inject some festival spirit into your dress code and let your guests have some fun with their wedding outfits. From festival formalwear to full boho chic, this is a good way to let your guests know that you will be going true festival for your celebration.

‘One way to help inspire your guests, especially if some may be less familiar with festival fits, is to share a look book with your invitation,’ Matthew recommends. ‘You can have some fun and style this like a seasonal “trend watch” and share some suggested looks and accessories for your guests. I always think it’s helpful to guide your guests if you’re going for a slightly whacky dress code.’

Food & Casual Dining

‘Your food and drinks will likely take a bit of thought for your festival style nuptials,’ Matthew says. ‘While you may opt to stick to a slightly more formal sit-down dinner to mark the occasion, you may also want to shake everything up and do it differently. This may also help you with your schedule and how to cram in lots of entertainment and experiences around a long dinner.

‘Now, personally, I’ve grown slightly tired of food trucks at parties and weddings.’ Matthew says. ‘While these are a regular on the festival food scene, there are many other ways to create an exciting food offering at your wedding. The joy of food at festivals is that there are so many options and cuisines to discover. One way to do this is to opt for some fun and creative food stations during your drinks reception to allow guests to try lots of different options. If you really want to break with tradition, you could do away with a formal seated dinner and table plan entirely and have lots of tables and chairs dotted around. Allowing guests to grab a bite to eat whenever they want will help give some flexibility to your schedule, but it’s also a lovely way for guests to mingle throughout the evening.

‘There are lots of smaller food and drinks elements you can be inspired by and recreate,’ Matthew says. ‘The possibilities are endless: think handing out ice lollies, late night snacks, roaming beer service, or even giving each guest a personalised cup to use throughout the day and then take home (which is both environmentally friendly and a nice keepsake!)

‘You will want to discuss all this with your prospective caterer to ensure they are onboard and comfortable with your ideas,’ Matthew recommends.

‘Everyone has their own experiences and memories from festivals and embracing the festival approach is a great licence to get creative and have some fun with existing wedding customs or to create something completely new,’ he says. ‘One of my favourite festival experiences is the intrigue and discovery. You could have so much fun with a hidden bar, unmarked signs leading to a special surprise area, or purely creating a completely new wedding experience. It’s completely up to you!’

Matthew Shaw is founder & creative director of Sauveur.