Wedding Picnic
Open-air wedding
Outdoor weddings are growing in popularity. Wedding vows taken outdoors seem extra special and a wedding picnic, even if under some shelter, makes the event much more memorable. |
I’ve attended numerous weddings in my time (including two of my own!) and the ones that stand out in my mind were those held in the open air.
With an ocean backdrop, one couple tied the knot under a canopy of gauze and flowers.
The reception was held just a few feet away on a patio - no formal meal but tall bar tables to stand or sit around, while a stunning variety of canapés and exquisite finger food was served continuously from trays.
As dusk fell, we danced in a room opening wide onto this patio, and which was decorated with thousands of tiny fairy lights, twinkling behind muslin drapes.
Magic.
Admittedly outdoor weddings in the UK are a little difficult to plan because we can never rely on the weather. However a building (your own or rented/borrowed house, barn or large shed for example) or a marquee can provide shelter if necessary.
If your own garden isn’t big enough for a marquee, think about asking a friend or using a village green or garden in a stately home as the picnic venue. These are often available for weddings and provide a perfect romantic setting.
Naturally the number of guests and your budget will determine much of the wedding picnic but with a little planning and organisation, you’ll be amazed at how much you can do for a little money.
For instance, if you can't afford fireworks but would love something special to light up the sky at the end of the evening, and to create an aaaah moment then see if you can use flying lanterns.
These elegant lanterns fly as far as 1000 feet up into the sky and make a beautiful ending to a magic day.
(picture taken by Peter Burrell at our daughter's wedding)
Presentation and colour co-ordination are important. As well as being a picnic feast, the whole event, including the food, should be a feast for the eyes. Use lots of flowers, even though you’re outside, and mood lighting as dusk falls.
Set the right tone with music too. Decoration and lighting are very important but this is one picnic where you also need music. Of course live music would be fabulous but if your budget is smaller, load your musical selections on a CD player and spend some time programming the playing order to keep pace with the event.
Champagne
or champagne cocktails can be served as people arrive but have soft alternatives available, such as a pretty fruit punch. Later on you can switch to wine – a red and a white. It will be easier to organise if you don’t give people too many choices.A cold buffet table is the most practical way of entertaining at a wedding picnic, so that guests can help themselves and return to their tables set out around the garden or marquee.
I also like the waiter-served canapé idea. If you want to serve canapés before the main meal, allow for approximately 10 – 12 small ones per guest. However, if you choose to serve them as the main meal, then you need to make each one more substantial as well as serving more of them.
Some canapé suggestions:
- Huge prawns sitting on the edge of tiny glasses filled with gazpacho
- skewers of glazed chicken pieces, satay for instance
- three different cocktail sausages together on a stick
- smoked salmon rolled with cream cheese into cigar shapes
- bread sticks wrapped in parma ham and a swirl of parmesan
- dates wrapped in bacon and baked until crisp on the outside, squishy and sweet in the middle
- blinis with salmon and crème fraiche
- tiny tartlets and filo parcels
- manchego cheese & quince bites on sticks
- various sushi
- bite-size squares of tortilla or frittata
Don’t mix too many types of canapés on one plate. You’ll make more of an impact with just two or three – and it’s easier to replenish the plates too. For a wedding buffet table, keep it simple, as always with a picnic. Remember to feast the eyes! Serve large bowls and platters of a few stunning foods, rather than a huge array of little confusing plates.
Even if people are sharing the preparation of the wedding picnic, pair them up to make a few spectacular dishes and you won’t end up with a mish-mash of potluck recipes.
A roast joint or two of meat and/or poultry, a few stunning salads, including a pasta or couscous salad, should suffice. Plus of course a few divine deserts!
Browse around this site for recipe inspiration. I’ll be adding more recipes all the time.
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