Open Air Business February 2019

FUNCTION VENUES
INDULGENCE
THE CURATED KITCHEN
and at leading light venues such as
Hedsor House and Somerley House
respectively. www.caperandberry.
co.uk
› Ottolenghi sharing: 2018 was the
return of the traditional three course
seated meal but 2019 is taking a
complete U-turn. Brides and grooms
are looking for vibrant, interesting
sharing meals, with a real nod
towards Ottolenghi.
› Vegan: Veganism is becoming
more and more popular and you
will continue to see this in 2019.
Restaurants and brides and grooms
are incorporating vegan options
into their menus. We are big fans of
vegan starters, they look stunning
and are packed full of flavour. A few
of our favourites are ‘fig
and walnut’ (fresh fig,
toasted walnut and
baby herb salad drizzled
with a honey mustard
dressing and edible
flowers) and ‘balsamic
peach’ (balsamic
roasted peach, toasted
hazelnut, home dried
tomato and baby leaf
salad finished with extra
virgin olive oil).
› Bare naked: when it
comes to table settings
we are preparing for a lot of
paired back, rustic luxury. A
focus on beautiful textures but
not going over the top.
› Sustainability: The events industry
is finally putting huge emphasis on
sustainability and we couldn’t be
more pleased. 2018 saw the end
of single use plastics and over the
next 12 months there will continue
to be more legislation to promote
sustainability in the events and
wedding industries.
› Local produce: This has always
been hugely important to us but,
with a question mark on what’s
happening in March, shopping locally
has never been more relevant. We are
surrounded by incredible suppliers
and producers and have always
chosen to use them due to the quality
of the produce not just because they
are so close.
So I think you can see our catering
friends definitely share some trends
and predictions (but with their own
unique twists) which is always good
to know!
And don’t forget to check out the
websites of these brilliant caterers if
you’re looking for new additions to
your venue offerings – they all cater
client events of course but some
of them offer a food consultancy
service too should you want some
support to develop your in-house
options – do get in touch with either
myself or them directly.
Making it easy for couples
So you’ve noted what’s hot, but what kinds of things
can you do as a modern venue to make your spaces as
appealing as possible to clients and make it easy for
them to adopt these trends, either with your own team
or their choice of external caterer?
FURNISHINGS
› A rustic farmhouse table: This has to be a winner for a
number of venues and is multi-purpose. The ideal base
for a delightful grazing station, dessert buffet or any
number of interactive food and drinks stations, this has to
be a winner and worth investment.
› Long trestle tables: These are very much in favour for
wedding day dining and much preferred over the round
table variety –a worthwhile investment, and the basic
kind (in need of cloths) are not too costly.
› Cross-back chairs: The choice of chairs has to be a wellconsidered
one and we know that storage, versatility,
weight, ability to wipe-clean and more come into play.
There is not one ideal chair out there, however from a
wedding desirability point of view, the cross-back chair is
a 2019 winner, particularly in a more rustic setting.
TABLEWARE AND PROPS
› Platters: With the grazing table and rework of the buffet
on trend, presentation platters are key. Can you invest in
a suitable range of platters, dishes and bowls that work
with your venue setting? Think about presentation and
creating different levels across a table, so not all low
platters for example. Depending on your arrangements
with caterers, this one could well be a team effort to
ensure anything you invest in works for the caterers
supplying your events, or if you’re a dry hire venue, then
it’s just a really great starter kit that will make your venue
more appealing from the off.
› Chalkboards and signage: Invest in some different sized
table and floor standing chalkboard signs so that couples
can get creative with their wedding signage, describing
the menu or otherwise putting little foodie messages
to their guests. With couples putting more effort into
choosing local and making very conscious choices on
their food, they are more likely to want to tell their guests
about this on the day.
› Props: You might like to invest in some ‘on trend’
items to hire out on a per-job basis. Things like ‘donut
walls’ (the actual wall you could build and hire out),
drinks stations, bar units (we love a good old Prosecco
bar horse-box) and much more. With sustainability and
consideration for the environment a much bigger pull for
couples in 2019, it’s likely to be viewed as a much more
sensible option to source items from one place, ie. you
the venue, than have endless deliveries and journeys with
having to hire things in.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Chandler Wedding Consulting helps unique places and spaces to thrive in the modern wedding market via a
range of specialist one to one consulting and group training programmes.
Kelly has a wealth of specialist wedding industry experience through more than 15 years leading her award-winning independent
wedding planning business, The Bespoke Wedding Company, together with a Directorship at industry body,
the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners. Kelly is proud to eat, breathe and sleep weddings - setting standards, inspiring,
mentoring and motivating others. She is a well-respected go-to expert in the business of weddings with a unique grasp
of both modern bridal expectations and a venue’s commercial needs. www.kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk
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