Fancy planning a music-focused festival wedding? Read on to find out how you can create our very own mini-Glastonbury.
If you’re wedding planning or even just doing some initial research, you’ll probably have a pretty good idea about the sort of feel you would like your big day to have. But what if a traditional wedding just won’t create the atmosphere in which you want to celebrate one of the biggest days of your life? What if a grand manor, classical music and extravagant centrepieces aren’t really your thing and what you really want is an outdoor, rustic wedding that focuses on entertainment, fun, good food and drink? What if you want your wedding day to last all weekend not just a few hours, with you and your guests making the most of the great outdoors, without compromising on luxury? If this is the case, then a festival themed, glamping wedding is for you!
Sound intriguing? We thought so! So how do you plan a wedding with a festival theme? Here’s our wedding planning checklist to your perfect day.
Find the perfect venue
When planning a festival-themed wedding, you’ll need to carefully consider the venue to make sure it has got everything you need to pull off the event of the year. You’ll want an outdoor, secluded location with onsite accommodation – like glamping pods, luxury lodges or cottages – or somewhere that will allow you to hire and set up your own tents / yurts / tipis. Make sure the venue’s licensing laws permit outdoor music and remember to check that the venue has sufficient outdoor lighting as well as those all important loos. We’ve had the pleasure of performing at some amazing places like Comrie Croft, Bachilton Barn, The Cow Shed and Kinkell Byre – all of which would make the ideal setting for a festival wedding.
If you want to be in a town or village rather than in the great outdoors though, a pub with large garden can also work well for this type of event – the beer is already on tap and the facilities geared up to accommodate a crowd.
Book your entertainment
Making the right decision about your wedding entertainment is crucial and deciding on this part of your big day early is imperative if you want to secure the best possible live band or DJ. When having a festival-style wedding, music will obviously be a huge part of the overall theme so research the musicians, attend a live wedding band showcase or two and book the band as soon as you can.
Live wedding bands that keep the party going all night and get the guests up on that dance floor are highly sought after so wedding entertainment should be one of the first things you sort out – after the venue. You’ll need to think not only about the style of music you and your partner like but also the sort of music your guests will enjoy. Heavy metal is all very well and good but will all of your relatives get involved in the mosh pit? Choose a band with a versatile playlist, that matches your style but also keeps your guests dancing all night long. And if you want to have a ceilidh, make sure the band you hire has a professional caller included as part of the package.
Here are some of our top wedding bands in Scotland to help you achieve that festival feel:
- Giant
- The Sleekit Beasties
- Pork Pie
- Ceilidhonia
- Juniper
- Franco
- The Apollos
- The Jets
- Casio
- The New Waves
Set the theme
Now that the venue is sorted, this bit is fun! You can really go for it and commit to the concept by setting up a Glastonbury-style wedding website where, you can get your guests to “register” their attendance instead of the traditional save the date cards. You can also detail all of the information your guests will need to know well in advance of the big day. Invitations can take the form of festival tickets or even festival armbands (doubling as favours?), with the date of the event embossed on them. The bridal party can be given “backstage passes” and you can make signs, pointing your guests to the food, beverage, camping and ceremony areas to channel that big event feel. Decorations can be budget friendly and simple – you’re in the great outdoors, nature’s doing the work for you – with bunting, paper lanterns, fairy lights and maybe even some potted flowers in welly boot planters dotted around the place. Let your imagination run wild!
Plan your outfits
You can still have the big white dress but stilettos and fascinators are probably out. The whole point of a festival wedding is for everyone to be relaxed and comfortable so make sure you and your guests dress appropriately for a day that will largely be spent outdoors. Wellies are a must and layers are a good idea too. If it’s raining – no problem. Eden Leisure Village has plenty of places to shelter and providing some sturdy brollies for your guests will keep them dry if they want to have a look around the venue or make a trip to the luxury loos!
Decide where to hold your ceremony
The beauty of having a wedding in Scotland is that Scottish law allows couples to marry anywhere, even outdoors, as long as the ceremony is conducted by an official celebrant / registrar. So, the only decision you have to make is where to hold the ceremony - inside or outside? If you want to get married in the fresh air, have a plan B in case the Scottish weather turns a bit temperamental. You can carry on the festival theme regardless of where you say your I do’s, with hay bales, flowers and bunting decorations outside, in the stunning scenery or in the newly refurbished barn.
Choose your catering
Having a festival themed wedding has the advantage of giving you more freedom when it comes to what you and your guests eat and drink throughout the day. Can’t decide between a vegetarian feast or pulled pork? Hire catering vans that can provide a variety of meals, creating a foodie-fest atmosphere and insuring there’s something for everyone. Keep the cake simple by opting for a naked cake or an extravagant cheese tower to provide that wow-factor centrepiece. Using local businesses and ingredients will certainly make your wedding into a gourmet event to remember.
If you want to plan your own mini-Glastonbury and are looking for wedding bands in Glasgow, Edinburgh or anywhere else in Scotland, come along to our frequent, FREE live wedding band showcases or just listen to our bands in HD and submit a booking enquiry. You can’t have a festival without a band and our guys get snapped up fast so don’t delay, get auditioning today.