Earlier this year we were approached by Wedding Ideas Magazine to feature Heaton House Farm in their inspirational online blog. As expected, we jumped at the chance! The brief was ‘8 simple wedding features to impress your guests’; so the team put their heads together and compiled a list of some of the great ideas and features the farm has to offer.

If you looking for a dramatic feature at your wedding or would just like some general hints and tips, you have come to the right place! Read what our award-winning team say will ‘wow’ your guests at Heaton House Farm.

Food

Let’s start with the most talked about element at every wedding! Food, glorious, food! There are many ways of creating a buzz around your wedding breakfast and to break away from the norm. If you have a theme why not take it right through to your food? Here’s an example; you’ve chosen to have a Thai themed wedding. You choose bright, opulent flowers, an array of colourful parasols for capturing cute photos and you have even got elephants on your wedding cake. Having a traditional English 3 course dinner would not fit your vision. So go for a traditional Thai meal of Thai green curry with coconut rice, dips with ramekins and lots of delicious tropical fruits, all eaten with chopsticks! Hey presto you have created the perfect, authentic Thai themed wedding!

Do you and your partner have different tastes and disagree on what to serve? Then go for both your favourites! For instance, you may love a home cooked lasagne but your partner is more a curry person, offer your guests the option to choose between traditional Italian and Indian. You and your guests will love the choice!

How about having a bit of fun with your evening food by offering a selection of tasty kebabs? Or have a pizza bar where guests can choose their toppings? It’s less formal and a great way to make your evening food exciting!

Lighting

So you have found the perfect venue, it is now time to put your own style into it. Lighting is a simple way of transforming a venue and creating the perfect ambiance.

We love the romance of festoon lighting with its beautiful vintage style, traditional set bulbs and gentle lighting. It delicately changes the look of an area and creates a picturesque backdrop for stunning photographs.

If drama is more your style, then have flaming flambeaux at the entrance to the venue! It will look spectacular in the evening and offer your guests a taster of the treats they have in store at your wedding!

No lighting can beat the pretty fairy light and here we love them, we have them in abundance! We don’t charge extra for ours as they are here inside and out, all the time.

Sparklers

If you are looking for inspiration on how to make your daytime and evening guest mingle, then ask them to join you outside for some sparkler fun! The magic of the darkness with the sound and smell of the sparklers will take your guests back to their childhood and turn them all into kids again. Get your photographer outside to capture you spelling words out like ‘LOVE’, your names, or your wedding date and you’ll end up with some great pictures! It will also get your guests away from their tables and gives them their second wind ready for throwing some shapes to the band on the dance floor!

Entertainment

Whether you like the soft subtle approach or find big and bold is more you, it is always good to provide some form of entertainment. Your guests could be serenaded during the drinks reception by entertainment from a string quartet, pianist or even a gospel choir. Or, for more dramatic entertainment; book a live ice sculptor show or provide surprise singing waiters at your wedding breakfast? You could go all out by bringing the fair to your guests with rides on a carousel!

Unique Ceremony Space

The most poignant part of your special day is reciting your vows to one another; ultimately you enter as two and leave as one. Your guests will have attended a few weddings in their time, so if you like to change things up a bit, try having your ceremony somewhere unexpected.

If the great British weather is on your side, you are one of the lucky few couples that can marry outside! On a glorious day, there’s nothing better than watching two people make lifelong promises to one another, under the warmth of the sun. You could follow your ceremony with an outdoor drinks reception and even a game of cricket! Your guests will love it!

For an atmospheric and intimate setting, marrying under the dramatic night sky will be sure to amaze your guests. Imagine your guests looking on as you and your partner stand together under thousands of twinkling stars. It’s magical!

Views

Be sure to wow your guests from as early as the drive to the venue. As they travel further out of town and into the picturesque countryside they will wonder where they’re heading, until they come across your hidden gem! Our grounds are situated in the rolling countryside, on the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. The charming view across the Cheshire Plain extends for miles, whilst the farm itself has many quaint and farming features offering themselves to lots of photo opportunities. As your guests take in the countless views they will feel as though your party are the only people in the world.

A Christmas Wedding

As Andy Williams sings to us every year – It’s the most wonderful time of the year’! What could make Christmas even more wonderful?! A stunning winter wedding! Imagine the scene; the countryside dusted in crisp, white snow, your guests stepping into the cosy warm barns to the smell of fresh Christmas trees and the specialness of the occasion filling everyone with festive cheer. Now picture your guests amazed expressions as they walk into Steele’s Barn where your wedding breakfast is being held and look up to a magnificent 18ft Christmas tree, romantically decorated with lots of magical fairy lights. It couldn’t be more perfect!

Accommodation

After a day of fantastic celebrations, it’s time to rest those weary heads. For a quality experience from start to finish, your guest’s accommodation must be of high standard as your event. We have recently converted our former milking parlour into a luxury bed and breakfast called ‘The Old Stableyard’. Its traditional and contemporary features blend together perfectly, with each room designed with individual characteristics. Our hearty, country breakfasts haven’t gone unnoticed either with them getting rave reviews! Over breakfast enjoy being together as you reminisce about the shenanigans from your wedding. You’ll be sure to part with your guests on a high and leave them with the best memories.

Tripadvisor has ranked us number one in the area and has recognised us for our green eco efforts by awarding us a Silver Level Greenleader status.

These are our suggestions on ways to impress your wedding guests at Heaton House Farm! To follow the Wedding Ideas blog just click here. Keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot us again, as this may not be the only time we feature on their website!

We’ll be posting more inspirational hints and tips guides soon as well as featuring real Heaton House Farm weddings through our blog at www.heatonhousefarm.co.uk and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.