Oh I can’t express just how much we love to see an Upthorpe Wood Woodland Feast. It's something which we've become renowned for. My heart genuinely skips a beat when couples mention that this is their preferred choice for seating and eating. It’s something which will never fail to wow your wedding guests, what an absolutely amazing way to spend your wedding breakfast with all your special family and friends.
So, to help all our couples in the woodland feast planning stages, here are a couple of pointers to getting it right, after all, this is going to take a bit of extra planning.
Firstly, please remember that this is entirely weather dependant, not only will rain put a dampener on this but also its a possibility of high wind putting pay to you outdoor feasting...Don't let this put you off... our Cartlodge was installed with this in mind, an outdoor barn... intrigued... come and visit us and we can explain fully!!!
Ok, so next, you'll need to consider the type of meal you’d like to be served. Are you thinking about a full on feast with three courses and silver service or are you opting for a more relaxed style, possibly grazing tables or food platters served to your tables for everyone to muck in and help themselves.
Once you’ve made your decision regarding style, next you’ll need to choose your caterers. All have very different styles and each company will offer something different with regards to staffing your feast and to what services they will provide. Some will supply absolutely everything from tableware, cutlery and glassware, these caterers will take all the hard work out of the planning stages, they will be there to organise your guests, timings, serving drinks throughout. Others will just provide the basics. We’d recommend choosing a catering company who will, at the very least, provide you with staff to set up their tableware, serve and clear away.
If it’s a caterer who hasn’t worked at Upthorpe Wood previously, we would require them to come and visit, to see for themselves the scale of the logistics involved. Caterers are to provide their own power source for cooking in the woodland.
As you can imagine, a woodland feast isn’t the easiest way to cater for your wedding guests. Behind the scenes, your caterer will have lots to consider, ovens, electric, catering tents, refrigeration units, keeping food hot..
Another consideration will be furniture for your woodland feast. The table and benches supplied as part of your venue hire, by ourselves, will be too narrow for feasting from, they are more suited to your laid back, perch at a table whilst eating food from a food truck kind of meal. There are lots of fab furniture hire companies around, just ask us for our recommendations. This leads to another point, bring as many helpers as you can with you, on your Friday set up. Carrying tables and chairs for up to 100 people, into the woodland is certainly a job for the boys! Otherwise consider asking your furniture company if they will quote you to carry and collect the furniture from this area. Please don’t assume that all hire companies will deliver/carry/collect the furniture to/from your preferred area at the venue.
If the unpredictable English weather is frightening you off of planning a woodland feast and you have your heart set on eating in the woodland, then it’s worth considering a stretch tent. We have a company who can cover this whole woodland area with a stretch tent. It will need to be booked in advance rather than the week before but it will give you peace of mind that your woodland feast can go ahead regardless.
If you are sure that your day will have fine sunny weather then set up can happen the day before, leaving you plenty of time on the wedding morning to arrange any last minute table decor such as flowers. Ask your caterer what they will be prepared to do for you, such as laying up the tables with glasses etc. Your florist may need these jobs finished before she begins her work.
We hope this has given you a few pointers in the right direction as well as advising on things that yourselves and caterers will need to be aware of with regards to setting up.
There is no doubt that this will all be worth it when you see the reaction of your guests. What a unique experience, something to talk about for years to come!
Don’t forget, the garden reception area is also a great space for outdoor feasting.
A woodland feast at Upthorpe Wood is great at any time during your wedding day but how about making it even more special and timing it just as the sun goes down!
If you’d like further advice regarding an Upthorpe Wood Woodland Feast please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Photos by the fantastic www.camillandrea.com
Furniture as above: www.anthologyvintagehire.com