A Summer Marquee Wedding at a Family Home in Cheshire: Apple Trees, an Oyster Bar and a Wall of Roses
Inside Jo and Sean’s marquee, apple trees and rose bushes stood among the long tables, and crystal chandeliers hung over clear ghost chairs. One whole side was an old brick wall covered in climbing roses. It had been put together at Jo’s parents’ house in Cheshire, and from the moment we arrived that morning, we knew this wedding was destined for the blog.
A family home marquee wedding in Cheshire
The house itself is red brick, with a deep bay window, a gravel drive and a garden full of roses. On the day, festoon lights were strung over the drive and guests in kilts and summer hats spilled out across the lawn.
The fantastic Tent and Garden marquee company arrived two weeks before the wedding to start getting everything ready, and the finished product completely blew us away. As well as the trees, there was an oyster bar resting on laser-levelled decking and a whisky and cigar bar. The dance floor came complete with a cocktail bar that looked like it had come straight out of a London club. We could rave about it all day, so we’ll let the photos do most of the talking.
It’s the couples that excite us
We first met Jo and Sean early that year, when we visited the house for their engagement shoot. On the way home we both agreed theirs would be a fantastic wedding, and it exceeded all our expectations. Don’t get us wrong, every photographer relishes a beautiful venue, but it’s the couples who get us really excited: the kind you just look forward to seeing again.
A sandstone church and a vintage car
The morning at the house was full of laughter, with make-up by the window, big hugs, and bridesmaids in soft green dresses kneeling to help with Jo’s shoes. Sean, in a grey check suit, waited outside a sandstone church with a tall pinnacled tower. Jo arrived in a vintage car with a chauffeur in a peaked cap.
Inside, under red sandstone arches and stained glass, they made their vows. Afterwards we found a quiet minute for the two of them in an old stable block, with saddles hanging on the stall doors.
Oysters, speeches and a dance floor from a London club
Back at the house, drinks flowed on the gravel and the lawn, where a little girl in a purple polka-dot dress knelt to hug a small boy in a kilt. In the marquee the details were spot on: roses in glass bud vases hung on twine, cocktail cards for Tom Collins, and oysters on ice with Tabasco and lemons. A tiered cake stood surrounded by flowers.
The speeches had Jo in fits of laughter and Sean with his head in his hands. Then came the first dance under giant pink paper lanterns, on a black and white floor, before the cocktail bar and dance floor took over for the night.
Everyone made us feel right at home. The guests, who had travelled from all over, were as entertaining and down to earth as we could hope for. With everyone so clearly happy to be there for Jo and Sean, blending in was easy. By the time we left, we felt as though we’d been guests ourselves. Driving back over the M62, we were just over the moon that everything had gone perfectly and that Jo and Sean had enjoyed their day so much.
Why we love a marquee wedding at home
If you’re thinking about a marquee at a family home, here’s our honest take after Jo and Sean’s day:
- A marquee can be anything. Trees, decking, an oyster bar and a full cocktail bar all fitted inside this one.
- Build around what’s there. Setting the marquee against an old rose-covered wall gave it a backdrop no fabric lining could match.
- Give it time. A build this ambitious took two weeks, so talk to your marquee company early.
- Use the whole property. The drive, the lawn and the stables gave us quiet corners for portraits a few steps from the party.
Planning a marquee wedding at home in Cheshire?
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