Outdoor Asian Wedding Guide

Planning an Asian wedding is one of the most exciting, and stressful moments in your life, and choosing the perfect venue for your wedding is just one of all the many other decisions you and your partner will have to make before the big day.  

Over the last few years, outdoor weddings have become the exciting future of marriage ceremonies, as they offer couples a unique and vibrant experience that will last in the minds of all that attend.  

At Ladywood Estate, we are a leading Asian wedding venue in Leicestershire, with a wealth of experience in hosting beautiful Gujarati, Punjabi, Sikh & Muslim weddings. If you love the idea of a wedding al fresco but you are not sure where to even begin, then our handy guide can help you. This guide will answer all your questions and steer you through all the wedding planning stress, so you can enjoy your perfect day under the sun.

History of Outdoor Weddings in the UK

A wedding is one of the most important days in a person’s life and the beginning of a new chapter. Yet, the main law that governs marriage in England and Wales has mostly remained the same since 1836 , making it outdated and restricting to couples planning their day.

How andwhere marriages can take place was tightly regulated and differed depending on the type of wedding taking place. Beforehand, couples were restricted between choosing a religious or a civil ceremony, and with few exceptions, all couples had to have their wedding in a place of worship, a register office, or a venue approved for civil weddings.

As a result, civil ceremonies were restricted to taking place indoors, or within a permanent outdoor structure, preventing couples from having a wider choice in how they celebrate their day. Failure to comply with the legal requirements resulted in the marriage not being legally recognised.

How it all changed

In July 2021, temporary measures were introduced to allow civil weddings and partnerships to take place outside for the first time after the pandemic had stalled weddings throughout the lockdown periods. Due to expire in April 2022, a government consultation found that 96% of respondents backed making the change a permanent measure, while 93% supported extending it to religious weddings.

As a result, in March 2022, the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005 act was revised to allow legal outdoor civil weddings and civil partnership registrations to take place at venues with an indoor civil ceremony licence in England and Wales.  

Under the new revisions, ceremonies are now able to happen fully outdoors or under a partially covered structure, as long as it meets public access and signage requirements.

This grants couples the flexibility and choice to have their whole wedding ceremony outside on a venue’s grounds, with far greater control and personalisation over the venue and how their ceremony will look.

How to plan an outdoor wedding

Start Planning Early

For any wedding, inside or outside, we recommend beginning planning early on. The average Asian wedding can take 350 to 500 hours to prepare, with many events to account for which form part of the celebration.

The earlier you start planning for an outdoor Asian wedding, the better as you can ensure that all the little details are covered and there are no last-minute stresses, which is why we advise couples to start planning at least 12 months in advance.  

This also means you can get your top pick of vendors and the perfect outdoor venue is secured for your desired date. Planning early also means you can account for the type of weather you will expect to see and can make early preparations towards it.  

At Ladywood Estate, we have extensive knowledge and understanding of all aspects of Asian ceremonies, rituals, and traditional customs, which is why we have created a free wedding planner checklist, to help couples plan their upcoming celebration.

The Perfect Seasons for your Asian Wedding

As you might expect, outdoor weddings and the British weather do not always go hand in hand. If you are planning ahead for your Asian wedding and searching for the most suitable season to host it outdoors, then spring or summer weddings are much less likely to disrupt the proceedings.

Springtime is when the flowers and trees have begun to blossom, creating a romantic setting for your outdoor wedding with beautiful spring blossoms and soft colours. At this time, the weather has become slightly warmer, balancing perfectly between being cool enough not to overheat, but warm enough to risk a sleeveless or lighter dress.  

To complement a Spring theme, you can use pastel watercolours in the bouquets, garlands, invitations, wedding signs, and even a beautiful Spring flower wall. You can also invest in seasonal flowers such as daffodils, roses, hyacinths and tulips for your floral arrangements.

During the Summertime, daylight lasts through to the early evening and allows for greater flexibility in the ceremony timings, which can help avoid hotter temperatures earlier in the day. All the flowers are in perfect bloom, creating a beautiful and bold backdrop outdoors, with a greater variety of colours and types of flora along with clear blue skies.

Despite this, Autumn weddings should also be considered for your Asian wedding, even if it is more of a gamble with the elements. The last few years have seen warmer temperatures carry through to late September, which can be the perfect balance between the heat and longer nights.

Vibrant earthy tones and falling leaves can make for a natural, warming backdrop perfect for couples wanting deeper or darker colour schemes, such as shades of burgundy and burnt orange.

Outdoor Asian weddings are beautiful and memorable, but in the UK, no matter the season, they don't come without their challenges.

British weather

The British weather is fairly unpredictable, which is why for any outdoor wedding, we recommend couples have a backup plan. Having a backup plan doesn’t necessarily have to include a total change of setting entirely, as there are many alternatives that couples can go with.

At Ladywood Estate, we only host one wedding per weekend, which offers complete exclusivity and enables our couples a wider choice of locations for civil ceremonies, each with its own unique offerings.

Our Manor House is perfect for a more intimate setting of 50 guests and provides the perfect setting for the bride and groom to have regal photos taken in the grand hall, library, and drawing room.

Our Wedding Pavilion can seat 200 guests and offers a stunning setting with open views over the Estate parkland and gardens. With underfloor heating, it makes it an attractive option for Autumn and Winter weddings.

The Orangery can easily seat up to 400 guests, and is perfect for that combination of outside and inside setting with its full-length south-facing glass wall, with glass doors which open to an outdoor terrace.

Couples can also choose our luxurious Portico & Pavilion Terraces as the perfect outside setting, as the terraces serve 200 guests, overlooking the stunning views of the countryside and lakes.

Finally, we are excited to announce that our new Italian Loggia will be ready for the Spring 2023 wedding period. Couples will be able to hold memorable weddings amid a backdrop of stunning stone features for a truly idyllic setting.

Outdoor Wedding Etiquette

To help guide you through the process, we have collated the most popular questions asked when planning an outdoor wedding, so that you can have the wedding of your dreams.

How do we Cater for an Outdoor Asian Wedding?

Once the wedding date is chosen and the venue booked, preparations can begin towards choosing the right caterer who can provide you with the best outdoor catering. Depending on the weather season, you might be facing different challenges which can affect your requirements for your catering.

Before engaging the services of a caterer, ensure that the caterer is available for various discussions regarding the menu and timings, and is prompt with their communications. This can help you to avoid any surprises on the wedding day itself.

When building the menu, you might consider food which compliments the outdoor setting of your wedding. The setting can allow you to get inspired with the food options, and can be used to reflect the season.

For example, you might consider traditional Asian street-food ideas which can make your day feel personal and memorable with flavourful and exciting cuisines. In recent years, we have seen the rise of many food trucks operating in renovated rickshaws, providing a real Indian street food vibe.

Dessert-wise, summer weddings are the perfect time to treat your guests with an ice cream van, or you can look to hire a mobile cocktail or mocktail bar. As a great way to treat your guests, a mobile bar can easily be set up at the Ladywood Estate, and is a great feature for any outdoor reception.  

How do we Style an Outdoor Wedding?

Every outdoor setting will have its own natural beauty and styling, and the unique backdrop can be used to enhance your chosen wedding style. A theme can help you to narrow down decisions on the venue, decorations, food menu, and music choices.

Most importantly, remember to take advantage of the natural scenery, using clever and simple lighting tricks to highlight the surroundings, such as fairy lights hung around bushes and trees. Similarly, lean into the natural surroundings by using natural materials and decorations for your aisle and seating.  

Once you have a chosen theme, be sure to keep in mind how the decorations for it will handle the weather and ensure that the decorations are carefully secured on the day.    

Going with a Grand, Exuberant Style

Outdoor weddings can be as formal or as informal as you prefer, so a grand and exuberant style of wedding is not out of the question for outdoor weddings. For a more formal, grand style of wedding, couples might consider going with elegant chairs and linen fabrics to dress tables, and adorning the Mandaps with beautiful and seasonal floral arrangements. Similarly, your lighting choices might revolve around elegant chandeliers, or bistro lighting options to add a touch of opulence.

Using natural textures like linen and silks can work together amid the outdoor setting for a grand and stunning visual that will impress your guests. Elevate the decor with gorgeous centrepieces and arrangements using seasonal flowers, and incorporate tasteful adornments or garnishes to drinks being served.      

At Ladywood Estate, our new Italian Loggia can be adorned with huge floral arrangements and stylised with natural linens to create an effortlessly luxurious outdoor setting. These are just some of the easy tips that couples can utilise, which can enhance the natural beauty of a structure for an idyllic and exuberant setting.

Mentionable Tips

Prepare for the Weather

Each weather season has its own pros and cons for weddings, which can change how you will need to prepare for them.

For a summer wedding, be prepared for the weather to be hot and ensure that you have plenty of refreshing drinks and water available. Look to include materials which are more heat-resistant and covered in a lightweight fabric and notify guests to dress in more lightweight options.

For an autumn or spring wedding when temperatures are much cooler, consider having blankets and coverings available for guests to wrap up in. These could be done to match your theme and become part of your decor, or can even be custom-made as mementoes from your special day. If you think that rain might be a concern, have some umbrellas ready at hand to help protect your guests and your own wedding attire.  

Create good lighting for your photography

Having an outside venue brings with it a beautiful natural setting for your wedding, but it can also be susceptible to the type of weather and light available.

Our recommendation is that you ensure your photographer and videographer are well-equipped with extra lighting so that you can enjoy photos throughout the day and well into the night. Our tip is to also plan for your photography to happen during the golden hour for some ethereal results!

Take advantage of the scenery

An outdoor venue means that you can have fun with the scenery and take full advantage of the setting. You could look to have caterers outside set up with live food stations, where guests can enjoy themselves throughout the wedding, while the aroma and atmosphere can create an enjoyable and warming reception.  

You could also look to delight your guests by organising some outdoor games on the lawns for them to enjoy. As the perfect ice-breaker for guests, offering classic outdoor games can entertain friends and family, and help get everyone involved in the fun, as well as making for some memorable and delightful photo opportunities.

Meanwhile, the outdoor space provides plenty of room for your own set of Dhol Drummers, who can give your guests an exhilarating performance at your wedding reception and get your guests up and dancing.

At Ladywood Estate, our couples can also host our venue for two days, where they could look to do more intimate events with family and close friends. From our experience, couples have previously enjoyed hosting guests for breakfast the day after the wedding festivities, or having an informal BBQ for wider friends and family.

Your Wedding at Ladywood Estate

Planning an Outdoor Asian Wedding in Leicestershire

Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting and enjoyable elements to the event, but it can also be a fairly stressful experience, especially if you are unsure about where to start. Here at Ladywood Estate, we have years of experience in the wedding industry, and we have hosted weddings of various religions and backgrounds.

Our aim is to provide couples with a fantastic resource to help them plan their weddings,our guides, acting as your own wedding planner to help you have the perfect day.

Ladywood Estate is also one of the leading wedding venues in Leicestershire and the East Midlands. Our various areas within our venue make us the perfect location for your wedding, especially with our new outdoor Italian Loggia.  

At a Glance

Nestled in lush countryside, the stunning Ladywood Estate is perfect for your Fairytale wedding. Each event can have exclusive use of the entire Estate, featuring lakes, woodland, formal gardens, and parkland. You can choose from hiring the venue for one day, two days, or three days, the choice is yours.

We also have two exquisite options for accommodation, including The Bridal Suite, as well as The Boat House, which is the perfect honeymoon spot right by our lakes.

Brand-new Italian Loggia

At Ladywood Estate, we have specially built a gorgeous outdoor Italian Loggia which is due to be ready for our upcoming Spring period.

This beautiful structure, built entirely out of stone, with intricate details carved by Ladywood's very own stone mason, is perfect for those looking for an outdoor wedding that makes a statement. Our entire estate is set on 100 acres of parkland and gardens, featuring two lakes and 22 acres of woodland, for the perfect setting for your outdoor wedding.

The WOW Factor

For any wedding, the arrival of the bride and groom is a well-awaited moment and we pride ourselves on providing a luxurious venue for our guests, allowing our happy couples to create their own personal and unique weddings for the perfect big day.

For instance, some popular methods of arrival by the groom include using a horse, or helicopter. Meanwhile, Kanya Aagaman is a monumental moment in any Asian wedding, and some brides choose to arrive by being carried in on a doli, or walked in with uncles carrying a phoolon ki chaadar.

At Ladywood Estate, we offer a unique wow experience for our couples, which sets our wedding venue apart from the rest. Our couples can hire helicopters, white stallions, and vintage motor cars, which are all guaranteed to provide a grand arrival for your entrance at Ladywood.

Decor

At Ladywood Estate, we are highly experienced in running weddings which have vastly different requirements, including Asian, African and English styles.

Our venue already has a baseline level of great decor that couples can choose to add to or alter for a personalised dream wedding venue. We also provide a recommended list of wedding interior designers to choose from for a bespoke design which surpasses your expectations.

Working with your Suppliers

The hire of Ladywood Estate is not inclusive of catering, however, we have the pleasure of recommending the country’s finest catering companies who will provide some of the country’s finest foods and exquisite catering solutions for various events. These suppliers can provide sample menus and create bespoke menus to suit your requirements and tastes once you have visited Ladywood.

Your Perfect Outdoor Wedding Venue

We wish all our couples the happiest of marriages and thank them deeply for allowing us to be part of their special wedding days.

If you are searching for the perfect outdoor wedding venue for your Asian wedding, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today and find out more about how we can help make your day all that more special for you.  

We also have our beautiful wedding brochure available for couples to consider, which you can have specially sent to you by enquiring with us

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