Prior to our 2025 wedding season kicking off, Mrs T Weddings was involved in planning an Open House at The Dairy, Waddesdon. Early spring is a popular time for venues to host showcases, before the events season really gets going. It is an opportunity to welcome lots of visitors, show them everything the venue has to offer, and to style and dress it in a way that provides lots of inspiration to engaged couples interested in getting married on site.
The Dairy has not hosted an Open House since before the pandemic. Mrs T Weddings is one of Waddesdon’s planning partners, and it’s a privilege and a pleasure to help them with planning events.
The team at Waddesdon are great to work with, and we were very aligned in our vision for the Open House. Many venue showcases have a central space with lots of supplier tables dotted around the edges that you can walk around. This is also the case with many wedding fayres. For The Dairy, we wanted visitors to have a different experience. We mapped out the venue with specially curated suppliers located in all different areas and buildings. This would encourage visitors to explore and experience the venue in its entirety. We wanted it to feel relaxed and fluid.
The Cottage
The Cottage, which is often used for bridal prep, became a fashion and beauty hub.
Duckers Style, Nola London, Rebecca Anne Designs, CESCA and Josephine Scott took over the building, showcasing expert tailoring and gorgeous bridalwear, with make-up touch ups available to all visitors. The purpose was to show future brides the area they would be getting ready and to give them a sense of the excitement of the hair and make up process.
The Buttery
The Buttery often has two main uses during weddings that we plan. It is either used as a safe space for childcare, or as a green room for performers, entertainment or service staff. At the Open House we presented the former, with Sweetheart Nannies using the space as a children’s creche, soft play and crafts workshop area. This safe, quieter space is a really important consideration for anyone inviting children and families to their wedding.
The Lake
Over at the lake, we dressed the row boat underneath the gorgeous willow trees. Lots of couples choose to get out onto the water for their newlywed portraits. We’ve also had grooms arrive to the ceremony by boat! It is a really unique feature of The Dairy and adds to the romantic, fairytale love story vibes that Fabulous Flowers demonstrated beautifully. With JustLuxuryCocktails and Wedhead we also set up an outdoor bar and lounge area for guests to relax by the water as they toured the venue. The Abigail Bloom Cake Company also used the space to showcase one of their stunning cake designs in the shaded cover.
The Courtyard
In the courtyard, we focussed on setting up a raised platform and staged altar. We left the design open to interpretation as either a celebrant led ceremony, Jewish chuppah or Indian mandap. The Dairy hosts wedding celebrations of all different faiths and so it was important our visitors could visualise opportunities for their own traditions within the layout of the venue. Fabulous Flowers worked with creative production experts Luminaire to create this focal point. Luminaire used cutting edge laser etching to make the bespoke trestling, which compliments the pattern of the roof tiles around The Dairy.
The Wintergarden
Moving to the central inside spaces, the Wintergarden was used as a bright welcoming area for drinks, canapés and sampling delicious cake. Wine tasting sessions from Waddesdon’s prestigious Goedhuis collection were hosted here. We also set up Pressed Meadow and Aaron Jacob Jones, creatives in flower pressing and live illustration. Gemma Randall used Wintergarden as her base to chat with couples, in between roaming the venue taking the beautiful images you see here. Wintergarden was an area we wanted visitors to spend time mingling and acclimatising in between scheduled Fireside Chats. We arranged for an acoustic music set by 8Ray Group‘s Sam Fearon to create a laidback atmosphere.
South Hall & West Hall
The hall spaces at The Dairy can be used in so many different ways. Couples I have worked with have had really versatile celebrations in these spaces, including ceremonies, dining and after parties. We created miniature versions of some of these options, with a gorgeous dining set up laden with spring florals. Tablescaping details such as linens, glassware and stationery were set nearby. Grania from Ink & Paper luxury letterpress created beautiful stationery on the day with a design that drew from the tiling of The Dairy’s rooves which was echoed by Luminaire’s ceremony platform. JustLuxuryCocktails operated a bar area with a bespoke menu of cocktails and alcohol-free options, while a Luisa Santiago’s Latino pop party band from 8Ray Group were bringing us up tempo beats. A delicious dessert station was set up by Cavendish, feeding everyone’s sweet tooth, while waiting staff were freely roaming with savoury canapés.
Fireside Chats
We wanted visitors to leave the Open House at The Dairy brimming with ideas, information and expert knowledge and advice. This is why we created a program of Fireside Chats. These panels of the expert suppliers were all responsible for bringing the Open House into being. We also included a live makeup masterclass with Carla from CESCA creating a stunning natural, dewy bridal look. We arranged a plush lounge and audience seating area using a brand new range of furniture from Wedhead. Visitors could grab a drink, nibble on some canapes and sit comfortably to listen me interviewing these experts. Topics we discussed included the latest wedding trends and how to inject your personality into your wedding. We chatted about how to remain unique to yourselves, and what is truly possible for your special celebrations when you let your imaginations run wild!
The Open House at The Dairy was a gorgeous, immersive experience for everyone visiting. We had vibrant, candid conversations about weddings and put on a fantastic showcase of this gorgeous venue, thanks to these wonderful suppliers.
Wedding & Event Planner @mrs_t_weddings . Cocktails @justluxurycocktails . Wine @goedhuiswaddesdon . Hair & Beauty @____cesca____ . Bridalwear @josephinescottlondon . Bridesmaid & Occasionwear @nola.london . Bridal Veil Designer @rebeccaannedesigns . Cake @cakeladyabi . Catering @cavendishevents . Childcare @sweetheartnannies . Entertainment @8raygroup . Florals @fabulousweddingflowers . Furniture @wedhead_london . Groomswear @duckersstyle . Live Event Artist @eventillustrator . Photography @gemmarandallweddings . Production @weareluminaire . Post Wedding @pressedmeadow . Stationery @inkandpaper_ldn . Venue @waddesdonevents .
I’d like to give a special thanks to Alice from the Mrs T team who assisted me throughout the day. She was a wonderful help and enabled me to be on stage during the Fireside Chats, ensuring the day was running smoothly. Thank you, Alice!
For bespoke event and launch planning expertise, contact Constance: contact@mrstweddings.com