From our first briefing meeting, we had a really clear vision of what these client’s wanted. An elegant but relaxed sit down meal, with plentiful good food and beautiful styling, and a secret nightclub that would be revealed after dinner. The clients had already booked one of the best party bands in the UK, so we knew the level of party they wanted. This allowed us to design an incredible nightclub space and tie in other bits of entertainment to keep the night flowing fantastically.
The Styling
This was a party of two sides, not dissimilar to this beautiful Surrey hills wedding in 2024. The dining side was elegantly rustic, with long wooden tables, sharing plates of food and table styling featuring candelabras and eclectic floristry. Festoons and ruscus hung from the ceiling and cosy green velvet sofas sat in the corners for those who needed a respite from the party later.
On the other side of the curtain, the deep blue velvet draped nightclub was all opulence. A huge gold fronted bar with twinkling chandelier above stood in the centre of the room, flanked by swanky black and grey velvet furniture. Pops of gold throughout the tent tied in with the deep blue and black of the rest of the design, creating the perfect atmosphere for partying. Raised seating on either side of the dance floor added dimension and gave the gloss black dance floor a more intimate feeling.
The Experience
We wanted guests to feel like this party unravelled naturally for them, full of little surprises here and there. The champagne reception on arrival was accompanied by tasty canapés, and the sounds of our fantastic roaming band gave a taste of what was to come for the rest of the evening. A huge floristry arch welcomed guests into the dining tent, dotted with rich blue blooms that (unbeknown to the guests) perfectly matched the draping in the dance tent, a subtle foreshadow!
After a heartfelt welcome speech from the birthday duo, dinner service began with huge platters of sharing tacos, these went down a storm and with the sharing dishes and the long tables, conversation flowed as easily as the champagne! Just outside the dining tents guests could see our chefs BBQing the grilled mains, smelling the delicious food before they even got to try it! Honey mustard chicken, brisket of beef and teriyaki glazed salmon were accompanied by a selection of delicious fresh salads. These were followed by mini desserts, a fabulous dinner to set everyone up for the secret nightclub reveal!
Although it was a huge marquee, with some careful draping across the front, guests mostly didn’t pay much attention to what it was, assuming it to be catering. So when we drew back the curtains, to reveal barmen flairing and flaming a welcome cocktail, a light show, the disco ball spinning and the DJ hitting play on the best party starting tune, safe to say they were surprised! From this point on the night just got better and better, the DJ warmed the crown up for about half an hour, allowing everyone to get a cocktail and take their turn in the photobooth before the party band kicked off their incredible live set. With our skilled lighting technician adding to the ambiance, the dance floor was full all night.
The dancing went on into the early hours, with the DJ coming back on to close out the last hour of the party after the band had finished, safe to say it’s a night that won’t be forgotten in a hurry!
The Challenge
For once we had a lovely flat piece of lawn to work with, however getting there was proving to be a bit of an issue! We always need to ensure good access in order to make the build go smoothly, and some tight corners, narrow gates and big hedges were proving a little tricky for this. However, at Mirage, we never like to be surprised, so we’d done plenty of site visits in order to make a plan of action. A helpful groundsman and a call to the gate installer meant corners were made a little wider and gates swung the other way to allow us a much smoother get in!
