It was the wedding that Vanessa Mason had always dreamt of — twinkling lights, lanterns and bunting strung up in the trees, and flowers in the full blowsy bloom of high summer. She and Matthew, her groom, drank champagne, they cried, they danced and, thanks to a pre-emptive strike by the residents of the village of Hinton St George, the music fell silent just after midnight. A perfect English summer wedding in a perfect English garden — for free.

Well, almost. This was no ordinary venue or cash-strapped stately, complete with glossy brochure and website — let alone Hampton Court, where Lord Freddie Windsor tied the knot in spectacular fashion with Sophie Winkleman yesterday.

Instead, the reception was held in the intimate half-acre grounds of a pretty hamstone cottage in Somerset belonging to Matthew’s mother, Linda Colwill. “We wanted something pretty, quite small, with children running around,” says Vanessa, 36. “It seemed perfect, and we used the garden as inspiration.”

She and Matthew, 39, who works in marketing, spent six months planning the wedding party. He was in charge of the marquee, lavatories and chiller van — think big portable fridge on wheels. Everything else in the sage-green, salmon-pink and wheat colour scheme was Vanessa’s responsibility. Linda oversaw all the deliveries — when she wasn’t doing the garden, that is.

This kind of home reception is becoming increasingly popular. According to a poll by You & Your Wedding magazine, 12% of couples now opt for a marquee in the garden for their post-nuptial celebrations. Not only is it considerably cheaper — an important consideration when the average cost of a wedding has risen to a frilly-meringue-sized £20,000 — it is a way to ensure that the big day is exactly as you want it.

And, at a time when register offices and churches are reporting a sharp rise in the number of people getting married — with bookings up by as much as 70% in some areas — it is also a chance to indulge in a little celebratory one-upmanship.

“It adds an extra sentimentality,” says Colette Harris, editor of You & Your Wedding, where Vanessa works as receptions and gift-list editor. “For most people, it is a way to keep numbers down and create a unique occasion.”

That said, Harris concedes that unless you keep a strict eye on the budget and the whole family in the loop, the costs can spiral out of control: “Are you really going to change the living-room carpet because it clashes with your chosen colour scheme?”

Her top tip? Employ a wedding planner for the day; most companies will offer a co-ordination service. They can then bear the brunt of the logistical stresses, from storing coats, chilling champagne and checking on the state of the portable loos to ensuring that everybody gets a taxi home. They may also be able to open up their little black book of contacts and negotiate hefty discounts.

The ultimate insider, Sarah Haywood, the author of Wedding Bible, who planned her own marriage and those of both her stepdaughters in her Oxfordshire garden, counsels anyone planning a stay-at-home celebration to go into it with their eyes open. “It can be incredibly stressful,” she says, “especially if you are trying to keep both sides of a family happy.”

Haywood advises checking both your home and public-liability insurance, hiring a portable generator and paying the extra to send the crockery and glasses back dirty — and, just so you know, it’s about 35 people per loo, so depending on the number of guests, hire in. “You can always hide them in the garage,” she says.

Susie Macdonald and her husband, Mac, have become accustomed to the hard work and sleepless nights that such events necessarily beget since their daughter Abi, 34, and her long-term boyfriend, Gareth Evans, 33, set a date for their wedding.

The decision on where to host the reception was simple — in the garden of Abi’s parents’ home, a four-bedroom farmhouse in four acres near Honiton, in Devon. The preparations, however, were less straightforward. It took almost a year to drain the field chosen to site the tepee, so guests could enjoy champagne and canapés in the back garden, wander over to the tent and take in the valley views.

The deadline was August 22 this summer. From the start of the year, every spare moment was used to complete the renovation work on the house that Susie and Mac had begun when they moved in eight years ago. A new drive was laid, hedges were trimmed and tidied, plants uprooted and tended, grass sown, new turf put down, the back of the house re-rendered and the windows polished to a diamond sparkle.

“It was the best day of our lives,” says Abi. “By having it at home, we got to do what we wanted when we wanted. It was informal and everyone let their hair down. I wouldn’t have wanted it anywhere else.”

Her mother agrees: “Why live in a lovely place and not have your daughter’s reception there? It was ideal.”

It was also well worth the effort. “In the long term, it has been to our advantage,” Susie says. “It spurred us on to finish the renovation and to get things looking as good as they possibly could. It was a magical day, and it has given us and the house a boost.”

sarahhaywood.co.uk

Make your wedding a piece of cake

Management: Hire a wedding co-ordinator for the big day, so, should the generator break down, the chef faint or the heavens open, you (or your parents) won’t have to worry. Expect to pay 10% of the total cost of the wedding for an experienced planner.

Security: Consider employing a few local heavies to mind the setup while everyone is at the ceremony. Your caterers and the band will be coming and going, but security isn’t in their remit.

Parking: If you don’t have a spare field — or can’t borrow a nearby farmer’s — for guests to park in, ask your neighbours nicely if you can use their drives. Keep them sweet with some wedding cake.

Damage-proofing: Save your lawn by laying the sort of durable rubber matting used at outdoor music events, in case of rain. One big downpour is enough to render lawned areas muddy — and destroy a fair few pairs of Manolos.

Comfort break: If you don’t want guests queuing up for the downstairs loo or besieging your ensuite, you should consider renting extra facilities. Visit toptoilets.com, where prices start at £55 plus Vat.

Marquees: Prices start at £600, but you should expect to spend about £8,000, depending on the size, style, duration and date, according to countymarquees.com. Consider hiring a few standby fans if it's a summer event, or portable heaters in winter.

Storage: Designate public and private areas of your house. GB Liners (gbliners.com), a removal and storage company, has reported a 70% increase since last year in requests to declutter homes and store valuables and possessions for the big day. In response to demand, Cadogan Tate (cadogantate.com) has also launched its own special Party Move service.

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