Stylized Weddings- Urban city wedding

Escape to the city for your dream wedding

When embarking on planning the big day, many couples overlook the notion of an urban, city wedding in favour of a country or destination wedding. It’s a pity really as there is something unbelievably romantic in the patina of a downtown urban scene; think bright graffiti against a redbrick and concrete wall, soft street-lighting and the awe-inspiring views from a city rooftop.

Here we’ve rounded up some ideas on what to consider if you’re the couple who live for bright lights of the city, feel it’s heartbeat and energy and find it electrifying. We think it’s one of the most exciting trends to emerge in the last few years when it comes to wedding planning, mainly because it’s so accessible and the options are endless.

Image source: http-//www.mywedding.com/wedding-ideas/colors-themes/19-reasons-why-rooftop-weddings-are-top-

Up on the roof

Why we love them?

The thing about rooftops is that most times they offer the most impeccable backdrop yet they’re out in the open and are often spaces that aren’t given much attention, namely they are blank canvases that simply need a bit of love. They also provide ample opportunity for really making a space reflect your style because of how ‘raw’ they are. The other thing about rooftops is that they allow you to take full advantage of natural light because they’re so exposed.

What you need to make them work?

Safety precautions when having a rooftop wedding in the city are just as important as the catering and seating plan. You need to make sure that your guests can’t drop a champagne flute over the edge or worse fall off. This is the number one priority when booking a rooftop wedding.

Be prepared for the weather- good and bad. The good being sunshine and warmth, depending on what time of the day it is. Rooftop weddings are best suited to dusk but if for whatever reason you have it earlier make sure you have ample shaded areas. The bad, while a marquee or canopy can keep gentle rain at bay, what they can’t do is to protect your wedding party against the wind.

There is a lot of effort that needs to go into the catering for a rooftop wedding. Does the building have an accessible kitchen a floor or two down that waiters don’t have to trot up and down flights of stairs before the roast beef gets cold? Can you set up a mobile kitchen on the roof where all the cooking and food prep is done but out of site.of guests?

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Warehouse chic

Why we love them?

We love the idea of setting up a phantasmagorical Gotham City-like wedding reception in an abandoned industrial warehouse. It’s the ultimate urban setting for a modern romance complete with a DJ and amazing soundsystem. These spaces are aching to be turned into something special but remember the whole point of choosing a venue like this is for it’s rawness to come through. Factor this into the budget with the view of enhancing the patina not changing it completely. Soft lighting, expertly considered greenery, flowers and décor, fittings and accessories can go a long way into injecting a grey space with personality.

image source: https-//www.modwedding.com/2015/04/20-drop-dead-gorgeous-wedding-receptions/.jpg

What you need to make it work?

Often warehouses in the city are in areas that may be considered undesirable especially on weekends when most weddings occur and when these areas are quiet. Make sure your guests feel safe by providing parking in the building, or a shuttle or valet service.

Obviously getting clearance from the landlord to use the venue and to do what you want to it and likewise if its owned by the city is a given, just make sure you have a legal document that both parties sign. More often than not these types of venues aren’t necessarily considered for events.

As with rooftop weddings, catering needs to be considered. If there aren’t any accessible kitchens in the building then bringing in your own is the way to go, just be aware that this adds a lot to the budget.

Image Source: http-//london-bride.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/London-Bride-HT-Wedding-MC-

Take it up a notch with these ideas

1. Make a framing booth for your rooftop wedding as an alternative to a photobooth, namely a big, life-size frame. This way your guests get to capture the very cool backdrop you have chosen.

2. Do a recce before with your photographer to capture cool street scenes and nodes around venue. Like if there’s a mural or graffiti wall nearby. On this note it may be worthwhile asking the authorities permission for you to hire a muralist to do a mural of you two for your day, if it’s good enough perhaps they won’t mind if it forms part of the patina of the city.

3. Maybe as wedding favours you give your guests free rides with Uber or another taxi service to and from your venue.

4. Book into a fancy city hotel for the night for you and your better half to celebrate your nuptials, even better if it’s close by so you can take a romantic walk through the street-lit scene.