A quintessentially British marquee wedding of Emma & Ned

Written By Amanda Whiston

Set in the heart of the beautiful Derbyshire countryside, Emma and Ned’s September wedding was the perfect blend of elegance, personal touches and quintessential British touches. What began as a vision and a Pinterest board turned into a family celebration that incorporated meaningful traditions and fun unique elements.

Bespoke wedding colour scheme

Green and blue were Emma’s favourite colours so we let those tones lead the way when crafting their floral moodboard and tablescape. The soft greens and dusky blues brought in a softness that suited the marquee perfectly and worked well with the natural textures of the landscape and church ceremony. It was a lovely example of how a couple’s style can feel organic and natural while reflecting the venue spaces. 

Home grown florals

The florals at this wedding were particularly special because of the meaning behind them. With the couple's strong connection to their local area, we chose to work with a local florist and flower grower to support British grown blooms and local talent. The arrangements felt fresh and romantic without being overly styled, just natural enough to echo the setting while still feeling elevated. It was such a thoughtful decision and one that gave the whole celebration a personal, grounded feel.

Navigating the charming British weather

As any who has attended a UK wedding will know, you can’t predict the weather - so planning for rain wasn’t optional; it’s essential. And with a rainy back up plan in place we had to use this during the day. 

The original plan was to host the drinks reception on the terrace, but as the rain started to roll in, we made the call to move everything under cover. The main marquee became the new home for the next few hours and the stretch tent we’d secured as part of our contingency came into its own in housing the Land Rover beer keg, which ended up being a real guest favourite.

We had to make decisions quickly, reshuffle layouts, and brief the suppliers behind the scenes without disturbing the guests. We even caught a perfectly timed break in the rain for Emma & Ned’s confetti moment just after the ceremony, which felt like such a gift! 

This wedding really showed the value of having a wedding planner to ensure nothing felt rushed or thrown together because the weather changed. 

Thoughtful details

This wedding was all about considered details and personal touches that reflected the couple. 

We knew that Emma & Ned wanted their stationery to feel personal and unique, so we sourced a talented artist to design their bespoke stationery to include a beautiful illustration of their dog Truffle. She made an appearance throughout the day being featured on the order of service booklets and table numbers which was such a lovely way to include her.

Another part of our pre-wedding prep was to arrange wedding photos for the couples parents and grandparents to sit in their family’s vintage kitchen dresser which brought a sense of home to the space and a beautiful reminder of all the past marriages in their families. 

The wicker shades hanging in the marquee suited the aesthetic perfectly and were picked up by the bride's mum from a trip to Provence while she was sourcing wine for the wedding.

I love seeing how my couples incorporate meaningful elements into their wedding design and create talking points and memories. 

“Amanda is the best wedding planner ever! She was recommended to us by a friend for our daughter’s wedding at home. From the very start she was so helpful, suggesting suppliers and helping us to create our ideas and visions. We had regular meetings and zoom calls. She was so organised and never pushy. Holding a wedding at home throws up more challenges than at a wedding venue and Amanda was a constant support. On the day itself she had worked out timelines and kept us all on track. We had some electrical issues on the night due to adverse weather and she dealt with everything calmly and efficiently allowing us to enjoy our time with our guests! I would recommend Amanda to anyone planning a wedding and would love to work with her again in the future.”

Mother of the bride

Wedding transport 

In true country wedding fashion, the vintage Land Rovers were a perfect fit for the setting. One served as a beer station during the drinks reception while the other was a chauffeured vehicle that brought Emma and her dad to the church, then returned with the newlyweds to the marquee. It honestly couldn’t have been any other vehicle! The Landy was just another nod to their British countryside roots and suited the vibe of the whole day. 

Marquee reception

The evening really came to life with a brilliant live band with a stand out moment being the saxophonist playing as Emma and Ned made their entrance into the wedding breakfast. It was a fun and elevated way for guests to enjoy their entrance and kick off the evening celebrations.

For the dancefloor Emma changed into a second look of a more relaxed cotton ensemble with white trainers so she could dance all evening! From her beautiful chiffon ceremony dress paired with her mothers wedding shoes to a fun reception look - Emma was such a stunning bride.  


A wedding that felt like them

Emma and Ned’s day was a perfect example of how a wedding can feel elegant and considered in all the right ways.

It’s always a privilege to plan a celebration where meaningful details are woven throughout, and where unexpected changes are managed calmly and professionally to ensure a beautiful day for the couple and guest. 

“We don’t quite know where to begin! We cannot thank Amanda more for everything she did to ensure we had the best day of our lives!

From the very outset she was so organised and calm. She helped with ideas along the way and gave us loads of advice when it came to finding all the suppliers and working out all the little bits you don’t realise are involved in a wedding. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and she just went through it all step by step with us to ensure it was all how we wanted.

On the day she was more invaluable than ever. She ensured the day went by on time with everyone in the right place at the right time. We had the most joyous day and it is a testament to everything she did to ensure that was the case. It must be incredibly hard to do what she does but she makes it look so effortless.

She is the kindest and most lovely person to work with and we genuinely miss her. We cannot wait to see her again as we will be recommending her to everyone we know.

Unbelievable! Thank you Amanda!”

Emma & Ned (the couple)

Amanda Whiston
Next

Megan & Austin’s Creative & Fun Wedding at Sudbury Gasworks