Leaning in to their love of the great outdoors, the unique charm of the Tipis ran through every aspect of their day.
What made you decide on an outdoor wedding?
We’re both big fans of the outdoors anyway, we spend most of our spare time canoeing, bike riding, or walking. I’m a massive fan of seeing how far we can push the concept of camping. Before we got married we spent a lot of holidays in our canvas bell tent. With a wood burning stove and lots of creature comforts it was perfect for us. When we came to an open day and saw what was possible we were sold.
Seeing the aesthetic of the Tipis felt really homely with the similarities to our other happy place. The ability to then choose an outdoor river setting to drop the wedding in was very on-brand! I love making things so had a lot of ideas to incorporate the setting and theme into all sorts of things for the big day.
How would you describe your styling? Did you DIY this, work with a stylist or dry hire items?
I think the Tipi naturally leans into more rustic flavours of style. We kept it modern with quite a wide but bright colour palette. This was then matched in the invitations, flowers and attire. Our florist, Beauty and the Rose, did the absolute best job with matching our colours. They absolutely smashed it with their contributions. The rest of the decorating and styling was mostly DIY.
I designed and made the invitations myself. Incorporating the outdoor setting, the Tipi’s and the camping (which was highly encouraged!) into the theme. I used clean and friendly fonts on everything and carried that over to the signage. There was a pop of our colours on every table and in every sign.
The table decorations were fairly modest. We had some small glass bottles with flowers. Candles and some table runners added a little depth to the design.
We were inspired by the neon signs we kept seeing at the showcases. We went and ordered a custom one that’s destined for a garden bar at home one day!
How did you feed your guests in the day and then evening? What influenced your menu choice?
Being huge Sunday roast enthusiasts we had Pieminister cater for our wedding breakfast. Every now and again when we’ve run out of time we always grab a Pieminister. It was one of our staples when we were first going out. Whilst there we happened to notice they catered weddings on an advertisement. In their toilets of all places! Not only was it delicious, but we can pop out and have our wedding food whenever the mood takes. We had one for our first anniversary!
In the evening we wanted something absolutely delicious but a bit more informal. We met Gourgeous Gourmet Grub at one of the Sami Tipi showcases who made the most delicious food. We did consider pizza initially (also found at the showcase!) but the edible tortilla bowls sold it!
Obviously no tasting was necessary with Pieminister. We had a lovely tasting with Gorgeous Gourmet Grub. We tried some potential choices and were really blown away with how good it all was.
Any top tips for planning a Tipi wedding?
I think the main thing from a preparation perspective is get a good mental picture of the Tipi’s empty. Especially if you’re DIY’ing everything. The showcases are fantastic for showing you what’s possible. I had to keep reminding myself that they weren’t going to turn up with all the fancy things in though! I actually managed to completely miss having flowers mounted on the ceremony arch off my to do list. It was completely bare on the day (not that anyone noticed!).
Definitely have a plan for rain. There was a strong shower right in the middle of our ceremony but everyone took it in their stride, running inside for some half-time refreshments. We finished the ceremony inside whilst the heavens opened. We then came back out to a glorious sunny day which was fantastic. Having flexibility here is quite key. This is one of the reasons we chose a celebrant early on. Louise at Kick Ass Gatherings did that side of things for us. Big shout out to her!
We’re all choosing outdoor weddings for a reason. Definitely lean in to that side of things too, We had two outdoor group games setup. Kubb and Molki if anyone is looking for inspiration, which were a big hit. Just make sure there’s some instructions or someone to lead the game. I wish we could’ve used the river but it was a bit fast flowing for our liking. But absolutely have a look around your location and let the imagination fly!
Their Awesome Suppliers
Tipis | Sami Tipi
Photographer | Darren Cresswell Photography
Daytime Caterer | Pieminister
Evening Caterer | Gorgeous Gourmet Grub
Bar | Drinks Now
Entertainment | Tim the Piano Man
Flowers | Beauty and the Rose
Cake | Cake Box
Photo Booth | Photo Groove
Further Inspo
Further Inspiration
