Hello and welcome back to this week's episode of the Wedding Lounge podcast.
Now this week we are talking about seasonality and how to be seasonal and intentional with your
decisions when planning your wedding. I think it's one of those things that over the years with
people trying to be more sustainable and economical and just owning what we've got.
More aware of things. I think it makes huge - I mean the biggest one is obviously flowers.
Flowers only bloom at a certain time of the year don't they? So essentially if a certain type of flower
is important to you you need to get married at a certain time of year. Yes, it's so many times
people come at the wrong season say I want this and you're like well it's all gone. I remember
there was a wedding venue in Sussex that I worked at a few times and they had the most gorgeous
lavender borders everywhere and if you didn't, if you were married in like May the lavender wasn't out
yet and by the end of the summer it was almost going and so you really had to pick that window
for the gardens to get their best. If it's not the flowers that you're physically picking for bouquets
and deck or it's surroundings as well. Yeah, hundreds and I mean there is always alternatives out there
and that is the thing is you need to speak with someone who's knowledgeable and they will be able
to point you in the direction of like if it's peonies that you love they'll find another blousey loose
flower that's something similar. Similar but isn't going to be the same but it's if you want that
specific flower or if you want that aesthetic that's what you need to determine. And it's the same for
food food. Yeah, I think nowadays we're really really looking at the provenance of food and having
local seasonal I mean yes you can import things from over the world much of the year but it's just
making sure that sort of thinking about the food miles as well. Yeah, yeah, 100%. And like the
the kind of food that you want to eat at certain times of the year like I don't know about you
but I love a stew in the winter. Yeah, like that cozy warm those kind of vegetables and that
ruined vegetable vegetables. That is more suited to that time of year whereas obviously you've
got your spring greens in June you've got asparagus things like that like it's contemplating those
decisions carefully if they're important to you. And not just thinking about the food in terms of
season for sort of what produces around but also as you say for like what your guests will want.
Yes, they're not going to want to eat a hot stew with parsnips and Sweden like in July on a
baking hot day. Yeah, like you need to think about your menus for guest enjoyment and for what is
available in that season. Well, one of my couples we had really big discussions over meat choices
and the other interesting one is fish. Yes, yeah, fish is a really light lovely thing to eat but
in the middle of summer it's really quite hot. Yeah, I mean, is that what you want to be serving me?
I mean, I can eat meat, whatever the weather. Fish. Oh, not me. Not good. Oh, right. I don't like fish
with it. I've also gone from one extreme to the other. I'm not a big fish fan.
So I think that fish is quite tricky one to do because people don't like it for a star like you.
Yeah, I mean, they just moaned about fish. But it's the same can be said for
wed meat. Yes, they read me in the height of summer is quite a hard thing. Whereas, you know,
spring lamb I think is really lovely. Yeah, for that spring time meal.
And also with flush thinking about seafood as well. So I've had a few people recently have oyster
sugars and obviously there are seasons like really specific seasons about when it is actually
safe to eat oyster and when it isn't. Yeah, so there's no point deciding you want an oyster
sugar when it's not season because it's just not even safe like you need to do your research first
and if that is something that's really important to you then plan your wedding date around it.
Yeah, exactly. And I think hullas are quite big one as well. Like we know we do.
We would love to give me the color spring summer. Yeah, but I think you should
enjoy the colors of the season that you are choosing to get married in.
Yeah. And again, if it works by first or when you're quite specific about the colors that you want
pick a season or a time of year that's going to suit those colors. I have an example and it's my
brother-in-law. We got married in June. I think you've said. I think I've said that before.
They got married on the 22nd of June. It was one day either side of like the longest day in the
year. And they had everyone in black tie for a midday ceremony. Oh, which black tie is an evening
dress code. But I think in the winter you could possibly get away black tie slightly earlier on
because it's just darker and it's hot as well. Yeah, hot. And then the bridesmaids were in like
crushed green velvet. Not to me velvet in like dark green isn't summer light of June color.
And they have like simple white bokehs which I mean black tie crushed green velvet beautiful,
but I'm thinking that's December. That's the height of summer in June for me like those colors.
So I think you really do have to think about what time of year you'll get to marry. Like Jamie,
and when we got married he was we rocked over wedding and he was wearing tweed and chinos and tweed
but actually a tweed jacket in a July wedding in the sveltering heat. That's right. I've kind of
gone on to the clothing a bit here but you know even just like the style of the look of the tweed
as well that's like a bit of a wintry kind of. I mean lots of colors. Do you find lots of lots
of my clients wear morning coat? Yes, yes. And I have had a few quite interesting ones that in the
summer they've worn morning coat for the ceremony and then they've gone home and got changed into a linen
suit. Oh nice. But I really like. I think that's quite a good way to do it. But I don't have all this
summer who he's just wearing a linen like linen suit. Yeah, in the height of summer. Yes, that's
why I didn't know it's a July wedding so yeah it's perfect. Have you got a spare jacket? I don't know if
he does that. Interestingly because it wrinkles quite quickly. Oh I think we're sweat. Oh no,
sweat patches. I always tell people to have to share. Yeah, maybe or maybe if he can take it off for
a period after he's steamed in the middle of the day. Just give you more work. No, but you've also got
to think about it. We've kind of gone from colors to fabrics here but it makes an impact. You don't
want to wear the wrong fabrics in the wrong season. Mm-hmm. You're likewise with you know it's
rides choosing her gown. Like I do think some fabrics lend themselves to a wintry event. Didn't
your sister-in-law or your brother-in-law's wife have a fur? Yeah, in May. That's another one. Oh that's
another one. In the other one. Not the same. Not the same brother-in-law. Yes, another brother-in-law.
I think your family's just in the wrong year. Oh Jamie's family. Sorry. Yeah and she had a
thirst all to cover on a rough tattoo I believe. I didn't actually know Jamie then but yeah
in May I just think she's doing it with fur in May. You can always put something lighter on. You say
that. I mean it hailed on our wedding day in May. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Like a lawn halted it down.
We got stuck inside the church doors and everyone else that's going to shelter under a giant tree
outside. Oh my goodness. We're horrendous for about ten minutes. Yeah. Just Gloucestown was the
most bizarre thing ever but it might be good luck. Yeah, it runged a lot as well. But yes, yeah, yeah.
You're doing a whole episode on seasonality but with the British weather if you're getting married in
England. Yes. It is one of those things factor into it so much. And you choose your wedding date
for a reason. You want everything to blend with what you're doing. So it's all well and good. It's
sustainable to choosing seasonally. Yeah. But it also it marries, it ties up marries hard. Yeah.
Marries everything together. Yeah. Effortlessly. Yeah. I think I just you saying that I think I chose
October because it was also our anniversary of our first date. But I do love like I am actually like
an autumn colour. You are. And I like the autumn. I like the sort of warmth of it with the lighting
and not the like brightness of the sun so much. So everything got my food choices as well. Yeah.
Whole roast and everything went with that season like even for the reception drinks we had bubbles
but the other option was like a sparkling apple with cinnamon in like with it was a sparkling
apple gin with like cinnamon like trying to do like a winter you know not a pins as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
I went for like sort of a wintery spice kind of for the for the drink. So even you know you can
bring seasonality into everything. I mean the other thing that is a massive point of the seasons
is the daylight. Yes. Yeah. And I it fascinates me and I try and bring it up quite early on with my
couples when we're talking about marquees especially like in a venue it's easier to in the lighting.
In the height of summer it doesn't get dark till about ten o'clock at night so you will be dancing
in the daylight like us in our black tie. Yeah. Ten o'clock at night still. Yeah. And it's just
it's marrying those things together and it's using those to your advantage. Yeah. And thinking
about them rather than it being like an afterthought and yeah. And if you think about it everything
then we'll just you'll have to put less effort in for the he said yeah which is if you're thinking
about what's in season and the colours and everything then half the work of like choosing your design
is kind of already done so and like your menu and stuff you're not going to choose yeah like a light
chicken dish in the middle of winter you will go for something so thinking about it actually should
help you guide your and just make it slightly more effortless really because it can be a stressful
thing as we've said in the past like you want to try and make it as fun and enjoyable as you
possibly can planning something so lean into what you've got definitely but it I think it depends
doesn't it like you need to kind of go into it and be like right I want my wedding to be this style
with these kind of colours what time of year is going to suit that's yeah or you need to go into it
and go I want to get married in May what works well with me yeah yeah what yeah what's more important to
the the actual season or the date kind of and then yeah bring because even just thinking like about
what we had a bath and I just think like the woods fairy lights that worked in the autumn they got dark
yeah sooner or as it's cozy yeah whereas I've done bar weddings before on the height of summer
and they're so dark in cycling and outside yeah yeah and everyone wants to spend the time outside
yeah whereas I just feel like a barn the wood it just feels all cozy there is marquee
obviously you can get beautiful marquees in the winter like heating everything yeah but
if you're having a summer wedding a marquee is beautiful because if the sides are
yeah one of my favourite weddings I have attended was a December wedding in a marquee
it was black tie yeah and they ran an ice company oh wow so they had these amazing ice sculptures with
mowers inside then ice bar yeah I'm remembering that correctly yeah so the bar was made of ice
and they they had used it was just so different and so lovely and so magical in comparison to
everything else that I'd seen and it was because her sister got married in the height of summer and
she was like I want to be totally different on the other interesting thing they said and I think
you know whether it's such a huge thing that people worry about is she said well it's December
the weather's going to be bad so we plan for it and if it's good it's a brucey bonus that's literally
like my thoughts over the pessimist over here but we forget my day in October I was expecting rain
miserable cold and in the end we actually had a beautiful like really balmy October
you can't guarantee it no but I think so many people in their hopes on July beautiful sunshine
gee yeah and then obviously hailed in May yeah hailed in May I think April's a lovely time to get
married that is my personal view on things I think there's some really lovely flowers around
stocks sweet peas tulips yeah hard to work with but and unusual things as well like I feel like
it's really early on in the typical wedding season but there is so much beauty in that time of year
it's not too hot yes but the weather's got more potential to be nice at that point of the year than
it does into March I mean for me I think it's an ideal time yeah to get married that summer can be
one extreme or the other yeah you just don't know what you're getting nowadays and I actually are in a
you know in a space somewhere where the weather is a bit more predictable and you know you're going
to have a broader yeah it's not in the UK you're where there's probably more products yeah but I
think you need to lean into that it's a big consideration but it's one of those considerations that
conform part of the early planning when you're kind of discussing your mood boards your colors
your style your aesthetic the season should play a huge role within that definitely you've just
stolen the top tip oh I was going to ask for the top tip for the week but you have actually already
said it think about it for your date yeah think about the seasons and what impact that will have
before you book your date as you said either the season is important to you think about it
until you feel and vibe and foods and textures and colors from that season and date then or if
the date is more important then lean into the season yeah it's exactly so hopefully that's giving you
a few ideas on how to sort of think about seasonality when designing your wedding and next week we're
going on a school trip yeah yeah we're taking ourselves off to the lovely only nature reserve I know
I'm so excited I'm so excited about that it's such a beautiful place we look forward to speaking with
you then bye