Laura and Roddy’s celebration at Laura’s family home in Wiltshire was warm, gorgeous and very special. As a Wiltshire wedding planner, it’s always a privilege to help couples create their perfect wedding, and this wedding at home combined the tradition of a church ceremony with the personal touch of a marquee reception in the family garden.
This wasn’t just any wedding at home, it brought together thoughtful details and the family comforts in a place that already full of happy memories.
The joy of a wedding at home – waking up
The day began with Laura getting ready at her family home with her closest family and best girlfriends, which was such a lovely way to start the morning. It was really relaxed as everyone arrived, with hair and makeup, cups of tea and a lot of excitement. Laura could look out the window of her bedroom and see the marquee all being set up.
This is one of the magical moments of a wedding at home. Waking up in your own house (or in Laura’s case, the house where she grew up), looking out the window and seeing the transformation happening. It creates anticipation and excitement that you simply don’t get when you’re getting ready in a hotel.
A church wedding ceremony in the village with champagne at home
Laura and Roddy chose to marry at St Mary’s Church in Great Bedwyn, their local village church. It’s a beautiful building and it felt special and traditional for them to get married somewhere that was part of their local community and so close to home.
After the ceremony, guests travelled the short distance to Laura’s family home for the reception. This combination of a church ceremony with a marquee wedding at home gave them the best of both worlds – tradition mixed with relaxing and celebrating.
Back at the house, guests arrived to a champagne and canapés reception in the garden, which gave everyone time to relax and enjoy the countryside setting while Laura and Roddy took a few photos. The young bridesmaids and pageboys loved this time, whizzing around amongst the guests.
This relaxed drinks reception is one of my favourite parts of any Wiltshire marquee wedding. It gives guests time to mingle, enjoy the beautiful surroundings and ease into the celebration before moving into the marquee for dinner.
A powder blue wedding palette with a love of Audrey Hepburn
Laura and Roddy’s wedding style was classic but relaxed with a soft powder blue palette with touches of white and natural greenery. This tied in beautifully with the countryside setting and early autumn time of year.
Blue was the thread that ran through everything. From the bridesmaids’ details and ribbons on the napkins to the pale blue table runners, candles, hanging lanterns and the blue hydrangea in the flowers. It created a cohesive, elegant look without feeling overly formal.
Alongside the colour scheme, they also had a subtle classic film theme inspired by Audrey Hepburn, who Laura has always loved. Their tables were named after Audrey Hepburn films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday and My Fair Lady, and the stationery included little illustrations that reflected that vintage Hollywood style.
They even carried the theme through to the guest facilities, where the luxury loo cubicles were decorated with iconic black-and-white images of classic film stars including Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. It was something a bit unexpected that guests really enjoyed and talked about throughout the evening.
Other personal touches included illustrations of their dogs on the menus and stationery, which was really special as they are such a big part of their lives, alongside subtle nods to their love of sport, particularly hockey.
These thoughtful details made the wedding feel completely theirs. When planning a wedding at home, you have the freedom to include these kinds of personal touches without any venue restrictions, which is one of the real joys of this style of celebration.
Blue wedding flowers & a semi-naked wedding cake
The flowers, beautifully created by Wendy Lewis Flowers, followed the same soft blue and natural palette as the rest of the wedding.
Laura’s bouquet featured blue hydrangea, white roses, lisianthus and gypsophila, with delicate greenery to keep it light and romantic. Throughout the reception they used planted arrangements rather than traditional cut centrepieces, with wooden boxes filled with white heather, rosemary, silver foliage such as dusty miller, trailing greenery and moss to give a natural, garden-inspired feel.
Small touches of gypsophila and white flowers were also used around the cake and in other details, tying everything together beautifully.
The three-tier semi-naked cake had a soft ivory buttercream finish, which kept it looking natural rather than overly formal. The cake was decorated simply with fresh flowers, including white roses and lisianthus, so it tied in perfectly with the rest of the floral styling.
Inside the marquee, blue and white lanterns hung overhead and soft blue details ran through the tables. The space looked elegant and cohesive, creating that perfect balance between sophisticated and relaxed that Laura and Roddy wanted.
Steak and chips – just what the couple wanted
Dinner was served at long tables in the marquee with incredible food from Aundi Mason. The menu felt generous and delicious rather than overly formal. Guests were served Mediterranean breads to start, followed by steak and chips with French beans and tenderstem broccoli, with béarnaise and peppercorn sauces. For dessert they had their wedding cake served with raspberry macarons and blackberry sorbet, followed by late night food of a selection of local cheeses served with crackers, chutneys, figs and grapes.
Having the freedom to work with their caterer and choose exactly what they wanted was something Laura and Roddy really valued. When planning a wedding at home, you’re not restricted to set menus or limited options. You can create something that feels completely right for you and your guests.
The speeches were one of their favourite parts of the day, with lots of laughter and a few emotional moments as well. After dinner the evening celebrations began, with cake cutting, lots of music and plenty of dancing into the early hours.
Why they chose to work with a wedding planner
Because they were hosting a marquee wedding at Laura’s parents’ house, Laura and Roddy knew there would be quite a lot of logistics involved, from coordinating suppliers to setting everything up in the marquee and making sure the day ran smoothly.
But the most important reason for hiring a planner was so their families could enjoy the day. Laura’s mother is incredibly capable and absolutely could have organised and run everything herself, but they didn’t want her to spend the whole day working or worrying about whether everything was happening on time. They wanted her to be able to enjoy the celebration as the mother of the bride rather than feeling responsible for running the event.
This is such an important consideration when planning a wedding at home. Often, family members naturally want to help and get involved, but that can mean they miss out on actually enjoying the celebration. Having a planner there meant everything was taken care of behind the scenes, which allowed all of them, including their families, to simply relax and enjoy the day together.
As Laura and Roddy said: “In the final couple of weeks leading up to our wedding, Antonia became an enormous support. Up until that point we had felt quite confident managing the planning ourselves, but as the day approached we realised just how many details there were to coordinate, and how emotional that time can be. Antonia stepped in and was absolutely brilliant. She contacted all of the suppliers, helped finalise the plans and kept everything running smoothly. On the wedding day itself she took over completely behind the scenes so we could simply enjoy the celebration with our family and friends.”
Find out more about ways to work with me here.
FAQ: Planning a Wedding at Home
How do you plan a wedding at your family home? Start by assessing your space and what infrastructure you’ll need (marquee, power, toilets, catering facilities). Book suppliers early, particularly marquee companies and caterers who have experience with home weddings. Consider hiring a planner to coordinate logistics so family can enjoy the day.
Do I need a planner for a marquee wedding at parents’ house? While not essential, a planner is incredibly valuable for home weddings. They coordinate suppliers, manage logistics and handle everything on the day so you and your family can relax and enjoy the celebration rather than worrying about timings and coordination. Read my guide on how to plan a marquee wedding.
Can you have a church wedding with a marquee reception? Absolutely. This combination is very popular and works beautifully. You get the tradition and formality of a church ceremony followed by the freedom and personal touch of a reception at home. Just make sure the two locations aren’t too far apart for guest convenience.
What does a Wiltshire marquee wedding cost? Costs vary depending on guest numbers and what you want to include, but budget for marquee hire, furniture, lighting, catering, power supply, luxury toilets and all the styling elements. Working with a planner helps keep costs on track. Read my wedding budget guide for more details.
How far in advance should I book suppliers for a wedding at home? Ideally 12-18 months for popular marquee companies, caterers and other key suppliers, especially for summer weddings. However, shorter timelines can work—always worth checking availability.
What are the advantages of a wedding at home? Complete creative freedom, personal meaningful setting, ability to extend celebrations over a whole weekend, no venue restrictions on timing or suppliers, and the comfort of being somewhere familiar. For more on this, read: Planning a Wedding in Your Home.
Planning Your Own Wedding at Home in Wiltshire?
If you’re dreaming of a wedding at home, whether at your family home, your parents’ house or your own property, I’d love to help you create something as beautiful and personal as Laura and Roddy’s celebration.
As a Wiltshire wedding planner specialising in marquee weddings and home-based celebrations, I bring local knowledge, trusted supplier relationships and calm, experienced coordination to every wedding I plan.
From full planning support through to on-the-day coordination, I tailor my services to what you actually need. Most importantly, I make sure you and your family can relax and enjoy every moment while I handle the logistics behind the scenes.
Ready to start planning? Get in touch to discuss your wedding at home.
Antonia x
Wedding Suppliers:
Photography: Greenlys Photography
Flowers: Wendy Lewis Flowers
Catering: Aundi Mason
Planning & Styling: Honour and Pop
You Might Also Enjoy:
Planning a Wedding in Your Home
How to Choose Your Marquee Company
Common Marquee Wedding Mistakes
On-the-Day Wedding Coordination
