How to create a relaxing, sociable wedding dining experience!

Cool pastels

To create the look we used accents of lavender, lilac, dusty blue and dove grey for a calming and relaxing colour palette brought to life with lots of fresh mixed foliage. These colours are known for their mood enhancing properties and you’re going to be seeing a lot of these muted pastel shades coming through into styling over the next couple of years.

Break the boundaries of traditional wedding styling

We wanted to create a look that was a step away from the norm and push the boundaries of the traditional wedding reception room layout.. Now more than ever before, our clients are looking for creative ways in which to make a space truly feel their own. One of the ways in which to do this is to look at the flow of the room and at Ambience Venue Styling, we’ve been working with our couples to explore new options that offer a unique, sociable and inviting dining experience.

Unique dining spaces

As we move into 2022 and 2023 we’re seeing more couples work with their wedding venue and wedding coordinator to discuss options for the layout of the room. At the back end of 2019 we saw banquet dining start to make it’s mark within the industry and this is continuing to grow in popularity. If however banquet dining is not for you, then maybe this new concept for 2022 and 2023 weddings will be! Say hello to the square formation allowing more space for guests and delivering a contemporary, linear feel that doesn’t compromise on the sociability factor!

Coordinated with a centrally positioned banquet table posing as the top table, this dining formation makes sure every guest is part of the celebration. To subtly define the top table from the guest tables, we used alternating coloured table linen, mixing and matching with a soft dove grey and white for a sophisticated contrast.

Throw in a taste of the Mediterranean!

With travel having being put on hold for many this summer, it’s fair to say we’re all craving a taste of the Mediterranean. For this spring/summer collaboration at Thicket Priory, we wanted to capture the essence of the Mediterranean whilst still remaining in keeping with the natural surroundings of the venue. Inspired by Mediterranean gardens, Laura from Mint & Moose Floral Design created fabulous fresh, textured arrangements with pops of pastels and stems of olive for the centrepieces. Teamed with potted living plants to add interest at lower levels, we then incorporated delicate candlelight to enhance and injected complimenting coloured taper candles to complete.

The olive branch is a symbol of peace and victory associated with customs of ancient Greece and is found in most cultures of the Mediterranean. It’s now often associated with peace in the modern world so what better way to incorporate olive into your wedding day than with simple stems on your place settings, using olive branches within your bouquets and buttonholes or to style out the bride and groom chairs!

Banaganoush Catering handcrafted Mediterranean sharing platters that almost looked too good to eat! The rectangular shape of the platters sat amongst the square formation and banquet design perfectly. Sharing platters are a great option for couples that are looking for a more relaxed and sociable style of dining.

Wedding details

Dominique from Poppy Pickering designed three different wedding cakes with the most incredible iced flowers, each petal individually handmade and positioned to make you question whether or not they’re real! Styled in the window bay on dove grey table linen to soften the look, providing the perfect backdrop to the reception.

Jane from JB Creatives designed a bespoke stationery suite to compliment the concept with custom made pieces featuring vellum paper and wax seals for a high end finish. Romantic floral details drew out the colour palette and personalised each place setting.

The Bride and Groom

Our beautiful Bride and Groom, Eloise and Tom brought the romance of the shoot alive! Being a real life married couple, their energy was genuine and authentic which was really important to us. Hair and makeup was styled by the talented Chrys Chapman who opted for a natural, glowing look that showcased the incredible wedding dresses from Little Pearl Bridal at their very best.

Credits:

Venue: @thicketpriory
Styling and concept: @ambienceyork
Photography: @janebeadnellphotography
Floristry: @laura.mintandmoose
Bridal Boutique: @littlepearlbridal
Cake: @poppypickeringcakes
HMUA: @mua_chrys.chapman
Stationery: @jbcweddingstationery
Jewellery: @svbridaljewellery
Models: Eloise & Tom @thehollandhares
Food platters and plates: @babaganoushyork