How to style an outdoors wedding

Natural, rustic weddings held in the great outdoors are becoming increasingly popular. Here's how you can make yours a spellbinding affair

Louise Hughes, founder of venue styling company One Stylish Day, offers her expert advice to creating an outdoors wedding which harnesses the beauty of nature.

For an outdoor scheme with a sense of oneness with nature, focus on creating a laid-back, unfussy look and feel. Create a balance between wilder elements and irregularities, and a calm softness. An undone quality runs through this scheme; raw wood, dripping candles, casually laid linens and natural floral arrangements.

In the UK, it can be risky and perhaps not worth the weather watching to plan your day outside. A clear roof marquee, an orangery or a palm house are great alternative options. Look for venues with plenty of natural light, and use foliage and even trees to get the outside-inside feel.

Colour palette

Avoid Pantone’s popular Greenery for this look, and opt for softer silver greens or darker leaf greens.  Pantone has produced a complementary palette for Greenery called Forest Floor, and these calming grey greens and mauves work perfectly. Use metallic bronze and pewter in moderation to lift dark forest green, woody browns and soft pinks.

Flowers and foliage

Go big on bouquets with abundant foliage and loose, unstructured, arrangements, which trail off tables and drape from ceilings. Installing a hanging canopy above the dining tables or dance floor creates a statement feature and an intimate outdoor feel.

Choose materials that have the feel of being foraged from hedgerows or swept from the forest floor, like dried twigs, seed heads and bracken. For a fresher interpretation, include fragrant herbs or autumnal fruit.

Décor

Clean lines and minimal embellishments are a great backdrop to this look; layer tones and textures of white. White linen, off-white glazed ceramics, and natural white candles look fresh and delicate and provide the perfect backdrop for other neutral shades such as grey, taupe and even a touch of black.

The warm glow of candlelight always provides the softest and most flattering atmosphere.  The more the better – large collections of pillar candles set the mood while maintaining the natural outdoor feel.  Vary the height and layout, absolutely nothing regimented.

Get the look:

Styling and design: One Stylish Day
Photography: Nicola Dixon Photography
Floristry: Lucy McNichol Flowers
Tablescape stationery: Bureau Design
Other stationery: Georgina Read
Venue: Camp Katur
Cake: Yolk