Royal weddings are in the news again with the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement. Just a few months ago in May 2017 The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa also tied the knot. But whereas her sister Kate was married to Prince William in the dark interior of Westminster Abbey and brother in law Harry will wed at Windsor Castle, Pippa got married in a rural church and then had a reception at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Despite that sounding like it might have been a bit of a budget affair, the choices that Pippa and her fiancée James Matthews made added up to a truly spectacular wedding.
The key choice was the venue. Bucklebury is set in spectacular countryside and the couple wanted the location to be a key element of their wedding. But how to accommodate hundreds of guests when you are planning to have your reception at home?
The solution was to hire a modern ‘glass marquee’ for the Middleton’s garden. This wonderful innovation provided them with a huge covered area that kept everyone safe from the elements but didn’t impede the view of the beautiful surroundings.
Although called glass marquees, the temporary structures of this type are usually glazed with clear acrylic for safety. They have become an enormously popular alternative to traditional canvas marquees in recent years and Pippa’s wedding will only boost the trend.
Marquees these days are modular so they can be reshaped in an almost infinite variety of configurations to fit the available space. If your dream wedding reception location happens to be on a steep hillside, no problem. A modern marquee comes with a self supported floor so guests can dance on a smooth flat floor, no matter how undulating the ground beneath might be.
The key benefit of glass marquees for event planners is that they allow the grounds around the marquee to be lit with spectacular colour displays. With the right lights you can achieve a true ‘wonderland’ look that only improves as the night begins to fall. In a traditional tent or indoor wedding all that effort of lighting the garden would be wasted because nobody would see much of it, but in a transparent marquee a beautifully lit garden remains on display throughout the evening.
Whether Meghan and Harry opt for a glass marquee in the private gardens of Windsor Castle remains to be seen, but with Her Majesty the Queen’s famously beautiful trees and stunning flower beds lit to perfection, a glass marquee at Windsor really would provide a wedding venue fit for a princess.
Should you be planning your own wedding and wish to give it the royal touch, Marquees and Pavilions can help. We offer a wide range of wedding marquees that can be configured to suit any type of venue. For more information about our wedding marquees for hire please feel free to drop us a line with your requirements or call 01844 208 371 to request a free quote.
