E&H’s Traditional English Wedding With Statement Patterned Wedding Tables

Emily and Huw’s beautifully British wedding was a quintessential example of how traditional and modern sometimes combine to make the best celebrations. I would describe the whole day as feel-good, wholesome fun, with the most incredible, statement wedding tables pulled straight out of Emily’s Pinterest board – texture, pattern, colour and detail were everywhere. If you’re envisioning a traditional English wedding with a fashion-forward, on-trend aesthetic, you’re about to find out exactly how we pulled it off.

Traditional English Wedding Meets Modern Design for Emily & Huw

The day started with a lovely church service close to the family home for Emily and Huw, a tradition I’ll always love witnessing. The majority of my couples choose to have ceremonies at their wedding venue, or a symbolic ceremony with the legal wedding taking place before the festivities. A wedding ceremony is always a magical part of any wedding day, and when my couples do opt for church weddings it feels special in a different way.

Emily’s bespoke Phillipa Lepley dress was completely gorgeous (one of my fav dresses of all time, just stunning!) and perfect to walk down the aisle to Huw in his elegant tailcoat, and her all-white bouquet and cathedral length veil finished her traditional ceremony attire beautifully. Bridesmaids wore ice blue dresses in individual styles, giving ‘something blue’ vibes with contemporary style, and it was all-round-all-white bouquets which were classic in colour but structured to feel up to date.

Once the celebrations arrived at Avington Park, their traditional English wedding transformed into a vision of colour, pattern, draping, texture and layering, and Emily’s Pinterest board came to life.

“Ella is a gem that is hard to find and one I certainly would be afraid to share if I wasn’t already married! From our first call with Ella we loved her energy and knew she would make a (somewhat) stressful planning process great fun. She did all that and more, making our special day one we will never forget and greater than we could have dreamed. She understood what we each wanted for the day and combined it perfectly!”

– Emily

Statement Patterned Wedding Tables: The Design

As a wedding planner I take great pride in amplifying my couples’ ideas, looking at a handful of images pinned and saved and translating them into something breathtakingly real. Emily told me that when she walked into the orangery at Avington Park, it was everything she had pictured and more. I love to design tables that are overflowing with detail – textures, layers, colours, patterns, florals, candles…even the glassware and cutlery are thought-out to create a visual treat for your guests when they sit down for dinner.

Emily and Huw’s traditional English wedding in the Orangery at Avington made use of the structure of the space, and we designed two long banquet style tables bookended by smaller rounds. The base of the table design was a subtle blue patterned linen which is so on trend for this year, then we worked up in several visually interesting layers. Wicker charger plates sat beneath white scalloped dinner plates, atop which we laid blue patterned side plates, name cards and an artistically styled napkin in a little wooden ring holder. The wooden accent reappeared in the cutlery handles, and we of course chose plenty of gorgeous candles in ivory and blue to add that romantic glow. 

The florals at this wedding were a huge moment, featuring summery blue hydrangeas and blousy white roses on all of the tables. Along the top table was an abundant river of hydrangeas, flowing from end to end and cascading over the sides to make the bride and groom’s seats a real focal point. 

To further elevate the design and make it feel really dreamy and enchanting  we included ethereal ceiling draping and elegant crystal chandeliers, which works beautifully at a venue like Avington. When the sun set the chandeliers added another level of glowy gorgeousness that really warmed the space wonderfully. 

We don’t have favourites but this wedding styling was certainly one of the most joyous for me to pull together and I absolutely adored seeing it all come together so beautifully for Emily & Huw.

“When we decided fairly last minute that we wanted to add a pianist during the wedding breakfast and a live painter (of which there aren’t many…) she managed to arrange them for us and every supplier and artist she recommended was truly wonderful. There was never a question we had that she didn’t either know the answer to or come back to promptly and she was on top of everything from start to finish.“

– Emily

A Wedding Day Downpour

Emily and Huw’s wedding was a perfect example of not letting rain stop you from having an amazing wedding – couples so often worry about rain on their wedding day, and on this day it was absolutely biblical for about five minutes! The key is to be prepared – we had planned for it and had a structure ready and waiting, so everyone could stay dry and we quickly moved the lawn furniture under cover. 

If we curate a day that has a great atmosphere, amazing food and drinks and keep everyone entertained, even a bit of rain can’t put a dampener on things. We had a brilliant live painter, the place looked gorgeous, and the party was absolutely epic – what more could you ask for?

Choosing the right wedding planner means that even when the unexpected happens, you can relax and know you’re in safe hands. Read my tips for choosing a planner who’s perfect for you, or get in touch to see whether that might be me!

“The day she ran discreetly but seamlessly and as my father said “she always popped up at exactly the right time”, such that we never had to fret and got to enjoy the day ourselves. She also always had a huge smile even when she got drenched in a downpour and had been on her feet non-stop. Her organisation, creative ideas, industry knowledge and joyful personality makes her the PERFECT wedding planner. Thank you so much Ella for creating such a magical day for us that we will forever smile about.”

– Emily

Wedding Tablescape Designs To Inspire Yours

As I mentioned, I love designing tables that have so much ‘wow’ factor when your guests walk into the room. When they sit down and continue discovering new little details, it adds a whole new level of interest and renews the experience for them. If you love Emily and Huw’s patterned wedding tables, you’ll probably also love…

• Cate and Will’s contemporary take on green and white tables
• Selin and Alexander’s indulgent autumnal tables at their Scotland wedding
• This Four Seasons Hampshire wedding with elevated Alice in Wonderland tables
• And the cosy decadence of a winter wedding in London with seasonal tables that don’t scream ‘Christmas’

Are you planning a wedding at Avington Park or another of the UK’s spectacular orangery venues? I’ve collected the 7 best orangeries in the country in this blog, and for more insight into the type of weddings I can design for you at Avington, A&W’s pretty pastel wedding there might pique your interest.