I am so excited to tell you all about the most gorgeous new marquee venue in the walled gardens of the historic Claydon Estate which is located in the beautiful countryside in Buckinghamshire. The Estate has been the ancestral home of the Verney family for over 400 years, with links back through marriage to Florence Nightingale. I was first invited to come and have a look at the walled gardens towards the end of 2020. I was blown away by the beauty of the gardens and in my eyes the perfect space for a marquee wedding. My imagination went into overdrive picturing a midsummer’s evening in these magical gardens. The Kitchen Garden is the main part of the walled garden with small arched gateways leading to the smaller Pool Garden, with the most divine Moon Hole in the wall, and the Florence Nightingale Garden which is a mass of colour provided by borders surrounding the heart of the garden’s circular lawn. In addition you have the use of the Woodland Garden, Yew Tree Walk and Bowling Green. The Estate request that all weddings are managed through a wedding planner. The advantage of a wedding planner is that they will stage manage the event for you, overseeing the suppliers and being on hand to ensure everything is in place, and the day runs smoothly. I love nothing better than a marquee wedding so do check my website https://joannawilfordweddings.co.uk/weddings/
I felt so strongly after my visit that the walled gardens of the Claydon Estate are the perfect marquee venue that I wanted to showcase them in a styled shoot. So in May of this year I assembled a team of talented suppliers to do just that. The day was very hot, the first after weeks of rain. The theme for the shoot was romantic, timeless and elegant and the colour scheme soft pink, rose pink and ivory. The most heavenly floral arrangements were created by the super talented Sarah Harper Floral Design and her stunning showpiece was a floral arch between the Pool Garden and Florence Nightingale Garden.
We set up our tablescape in the heart of the Florence Nightingale Garden and laid it up with vintage English and French bone china and cut glass, all provided by Amanda from Vintage Gold China. Amanda has such flair and her collection of vintage china and glassware is exceptional. To enhance the table we added pink silk ribbon and table runner by Lancaster and Cornish and exquisite stationery from Lynda Athey at Lynda Loves. Quite literally the icing on the cake was the beautiful cake provided by the Marble Cake Company, set up beneath one of the garden arches and surrounded by more of Sarah’s glorious flowers.
Suzy from Suzy Elizabeth Photography was in charge of capturing the images for the day which she did so beautifully. Suzy is always so professional and our next task was to show off the rest of the gardens. We had two fabulous models – Tamara wearing two separate dresses supplied by Steph from White Lace and Butterflies. The first dress was a Cinderella style dress from Stephanie Allin paired perfectly with shoes by Di Hassall and headpiece by Rachel Chaprunne. Tamara’s second dress was also by Stephanie Allin but more of the soft romantic look. Elliott was the handsome groom kitted out by Alex from the Cotswold Tailor. Tamara’s flawless look, both hair and make-up was created by the lovely Lucy Beesley Bridal – one of my favourite hair and make-up artists. And not forgetting the exquisite rings provided by BWR London
The day was so magical we didn’t want to leave, the gardens are really quite enchanting. I cannot go without saying that as well as the beauty of the gardens, the reasons why I feel that the walled gardens of the Claydon Estate are perfect for marquee weddings:
- It is a dry hire venue
- It is exclusive
- Good access for supplier deliveries – so no headaches for marquee companies, caterers and bands to name but a few.
- There is a cottage on the estate for bridal prep or for the bride and groom to stay
- The most beautiful backdrops for photographs
- A church in the grounds that can be used for wedding ceremonies by special arrangement with the vicar
- Plenty of parking
- Suitable for different styles of marquee
I would strongly recommend that if you are looking for an exclusive, quintessential English garden to hold your marquee wedding then do go and have a look at the beautiful walled gardens of the Claydon Estate.
I would love to know what you think.
Joanna
Credits:
Hair & Make-up – Lucy Beesley Bridal
Cake – Marble Cake Company
Bridal Gowns – White Lace and Butterflies
Grooms Wear – The Cotswold Tailor
Stationery – Lynda Loves
Table & glassware – Vintage Gold China
Bridal headpieces – Rachel Chaprunne
Shoes – Di Hassall
Rings – BWR London
Furniture – Cotswold Marquees