Garden Party Essentials | Stressfree Venue Transformers

Everyone loves a garden party!

And with the current situation we find ourselves in, outdoor events are even more popular than usual.

In this blog post, Stressfree | The Venue Transformers looks at some of the key decorative elements you may like to consider when designing and styling your perfect garden party.

1.A little pretty goes a long way …

There are so many ways to dress your garden party.

Think about how the space is going to be used and also the time of day.

To provide seating in the gorgeous walled garden at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, our vintage-style garden furniture complements the surroundings perfectly.

For the reception area at this wedding, simple floral centrepieces in gin bottles, coupled with votive-holders, looked stunning against the atmospheric lighting in the gardens.

For this VIP event at Chewton Glen Hotel, Hampshire to promote the newly designed kitchen garden, fairy lights lined the pergola in a contemporary style and lanterns dotted the flower beds.

Fairy lights draped in the shrubs really liven up this Sussex courtyard as night falls.

2.Make an Entrance

Set the scene as soon as your guests arrive.

This may be as simple as deploying some lanterns and fairy lights – used here to define the entrance and lead guests from the car park into an evening wedding reception at Northbrook Park, Farnham, Surrey.

This shows a much more dramatic effect for this birthday party held in our client’s own home. A colourwash lights up the walls of the house and fairy lights dress the bushes and trees outside.

For a simpler approach, but no less dramatic, we used paper bag lanterns and paraffin torches to dress the approach to Botley’s Mansion in Surrey, for this event.

This was such a stunning garden setting for a party, and our gas flambeaux added a sense of theatre to the occasion. Brass lanterns on crooks lined the pathway through the gardens, with a pretty archway dressed with fairy lights at the entrance to the marquee.

3.Create a set piece or statement installation

This is a great idea if you are working to a budget, but works equally well to zone or theme your event.

This stunning floral tablescape was displayed under our canopy of hanging lanterns, providing a beautiful set piece which doubled as a floral table plan for this pretty Surrey wedding (photo credit Marianne Taylor).

For this Ibiza themed pool party at Chewton Glen, our large illuminated LOVE letters, framed with a sheer drape, provided the perfect backdrop to the pool.

This whimsical set piece, comprising deer, rabbits, fairy lights and lighting effects, was glimpsed through the clear walls of the marquee for this Midsummer Night’s Dream birthday party in this fabulous Surrey garden.

For this VIP garden party at the Hurlingham Club London, vintage-style lanterns were hung in a cluster overhead to provide a focal point to the event space. Storm lantern clusters and fairy lights completed the look, creating a truly magical environment.

A simple statement installation of pastel ribbons floating in the breeze from this tree, tie in beautifully with the vintage theme for this garden wedding.

4.Be creative with your venue choice

Remember, your perfect garden party doesn’t necessarily have to take place in a garden!

Be creative and think outside the box, when sourcing your perfect venue.

This pool party for an 18th birthday had such a fun feel. The gazebos were dressed with fabric purchased in Morocco, and supplemented with fairy lights and ceiling lanterns. Inside each gazebo, tables were dressed with coloured cloths and vibrant china, glassware and flowers completed the picture.

For this modern wedding at Devonshire Terrace, London, the urban warehouse space was dressed with an overhead canopy of wisteria, under which guests dined.

The contemporary architecture of the Royal Festival Hall may not seem the obvious choice for a festival theme, but the iconic building and far reaching views appealed to this couple.

The internal and external areas were dressed with festoons, coloured bunting and rustic furniture, whilst inside a carpet of real grass provided the finishing touch.