If Glastonbury did weddings… it would look a lot like Khristianne and Glen’s spectacular celebration at Longton Wood in Maidstone, Kent. With fairy lights strung through the trees, festival-style glamping for their guests and a five tier statement hand painted wedding cake bursting with colour. Their day was the definition of fun with all the personal touches.
A laidback woodland wedding with festival vibes
Set deep in the Kent countryside, Longton Wood is one of those hidden gems that feels a world away from everything, even when you’re not lost in the main woods (we were… a little!) From the start, Khristianne and Glen planned a laidback, colourful marquee wedding with a festival feel. They even had a glamping village where most of their guests stayed the night before.
The vibe? Bold, bright and tons of fun. The colour scheme was all pinks, fuchsias, oranges and peaches with peonies everywhere. Plus they had a DJ, sax and percussion at the evening reception complete with confetti cannons to kick off the party.
They even tossed a custom designed coin during the speeches to decide on their new married surname cue the cheering as Glen won the best-of-three!
A wedding cake as big as the celebration
Originally planned as a four-tier design, the cake quickly grew into a five-tier showstopper. Khristianne and Glen wanted to save their top tier of lemon, elderflower and meringue for themselves whilst serving a variety of bold flavours to their guests over their wedding weekend. Here’s a hint of some of the flavours they chose!
Their final cake flavours were:
- Lemon, elderflower & meringue (x2 tiers)
- Pistachio, orange & raspberry
- Valencian chocolate orange
- Toffee apple crumble
The bold, hand painted wedding cake design
Inspired by a hand painted cake in black and pink marble we’d made for our portfolio, the couple wanted something similarly artistic and modern, but in a more summery palette. We created a custom design that blended hand painted sponge marble in peaches, yellows and pinks with a mix of fondant and buttercream ganache finishes.
For that extra wow factor, we added a statement cascade of sugar flowers in pinks, oranges and yellows, with soft touches of greenery to complement the woodland backdrop without competing with it.
“Bluebell Kitchen exceeded all expectations!! They created the most STUNNING wedding cake we have seen and it tasted phenomenal. Their attention to detail with the sugar flowers matching our floral arrangements was truly epic. Couldn’t have asked for a better wedding cake!”
What a wonderful Google review! (have a look at the rest of our reviews here)
Ever set up a cake in the woods? (No pressure…!)
Delivering and assembling this five tier painted wedding cake filled with sugar flowers at Longton Wood was one of our most ambitious bakes of the year. With 30°C heat, a forest marquee and no second chances, we worked closely with Bryony from the couple’s caterer Scott Anderson Catering and Amanda from Styled to Remember to ensure:
- The cake was set up in a cool, shaded spot at the edge of the marquee with the woods behind – just perfect for photos
- The cake was placed on our marble cake stand to ensure it was the first thing guests saw as they entered the marquee
- That the cake was captured from the best angles including a private “pre-cutting” photo moment during their first look.
Matching Sugar Flowers to Real Blooms
The couple’s florist India from Thistle and String kindly shared their wedding flower mood board with us, so we could match the sugar flowers to the real bouquets. Every flower was handmade petal by petal and positioned to create a beautiful balance of colour and movement down the cake.
After the wedding, we gave Khristianne and Glen a box for their sugar flowers and guidance on how to keep and display them. This is something we always ensure that we give to couples for after their wedding day.
Inspired by This Longton Wood Wedding?
Whether you’re planning a woodland glamping wedding, a bold festival-inspired bash or just want your cake to be as unforgettable as the rest of your day, we’d love to bring your vision to life.
Start by browsing some of our favourite cake flavour guides:
– Top 10 Wedding Cake Flavours for Foodies
– Summer Wedding Cake Flavours
– Kent Wedding Cake Sample Boxes: Your Ultimate Guide
Supplier Team:
- Photographer – Olly Knight Photography
- On the Day Coordinator – Styled to Remember
- Venue – Longton Wood
- Catering: Scott Anderson
- Florist: Thistle and String
- Additional photos of wedding cake flavours: Fiona K Photos
