Garden wedding ideas for the big day

Co-founder of Togather.com, Hugo Campbell, unveils garden wedding ideas for the big day. As wedding trends evolve, couples may be seeking unique ways to celebrate their special day. For those looking to embrace a laid-back atmosphere and the shabby chic aesthetic, from Ottolenghi-style dining and Aperol carts, to enchanting fairylights and the perfect venue.

A festival theme
Many couples are looking for maximum flexibility and the ability to perfectly match their food to the vibe of the day. This summer Togather.com is seeing many couples opting for a festival feel for their food, hiring multiple different street food trucks and allowing their guests a choice of handheld food rather than a sit-down meal. This means they can cater to all sorts of dietary requirements and preferences as well as give their guests a more relaxed feel.

Venue
If you aren't able to hire a big piece of land or don't have a family member or distant relative with an unfeasibly large garden, don't worry, you can still have an outdoor wedding! Many wedding venues, especially rural ones and local pubs, will let you jazz up their beer garden for your wedding. If you've found the outdoor space, why not stretch your nuptials over a weekend and have your guests camp on site, dancing around their yurts until the sun comes up.

Ottolenghi style dining
Couples this summer are also looking for big sharing-style plates with plenty of fresh produce and bright colours. Salads are taking centre stage, and even when couples are opting for meat dishes, they are still looking to serve them "family style" alongside plenty of vibrant sides.

Custom menu items
Couples have been looking for very specific menu items that are personal to their relationships - for example, Togather.com had one couple looking for an orange and rosemary sorbet as it's a special flavour combo for them from the day they got engaged. The great thing about booking via Togather is that customers can chat directly with suppliers before booking to ensure that these requests are possible, unlike booking via a preferred supplier at a venue.

Aperol carts
Move over champagne trays: Aperol carts are taking over. They make a great option for drinks receptions as they double as a photo opp, and that distinctive orange provides a perfect pop of colour for a summer wedding.

Decor
If you're working with a big space, then hiring tents, tipis and marquees is a great idea and offers the perfect place for speeches, meals and your first dance, not to mention somewhere for your guests to take shelter should the heavens open. Once you've got these structures set up, it's really easy to decorate and make them totally your own. For a shabby chic festival wedding, think oversized pastel coloured balloons, bunting, bright ribbons tied into trees, festival flags, enormous wooden lettering for your guests to take photos in front of, and lots and lots of flowers! Lighting is the absolute key and bad lighting will really make itself known when the evening comes. It needs to be moody and atmospheric, created using fairy lights and lanterns... no industrial lighting allowed.