Georgie & Lee's Winter Tipi Wedding

Georgie & Lee’s Winter Tipi Wedding

Georgie and Lee celebrated their Winter Tipi Wedding in Three Giant Hats and Chill-Out Tipi on their family land. They had always wanted a Winter wedding, so decided to host their big day in December. They filled the Tipis with Christmas trees and Christmas themed decorations styling. With the extra special sprinkling of snow outside, it looked absolutely stunning. And with the additional of heaters and a fire pit, all their guests were kept warm and cosy throughout their celebration.

Georgie talks us through the details, alongside photos by Tying The Knot Weddings.

What made you decide on an outdoor wedding?

We had always loved the idea of a tipi wedding, and I have always had my heart set on a winter/Christmassy wedding. Some people thought we were mad for having a tipi in December but we were absolutely thrilled with the outcome. It felt so magic and like a proper winter wonderland. The venue was my parents farm so we always knew we’d like to have an outdoor wedding and make use of the land.

What did everybody wear?

I wore a very less is more gown, with long sleeves and a little sparkle on the belt. Incorporating more sparkle in my veil. I wanted something demure and classic and I felt a million dollars. Lee wore a stunning navy velvet dinner jacket which tied in with our bridesmaids navy silk dresses. The groomsmen wore black tie (as did the other guests) as we really wanted it to feel like a super special occasion, and with it being so close to Christmas we wanted that extra glamour.

Tell us about your ceremony.

We had a traditional Church service at the church in the village where we live, and where I have grown up since the age of 12. We always knew we wanted to get married in a church and having one so close to home was just perfect. Lee walked to the church with the groomsmen and I had a 2 minute car journey. Winner! It was a beautiful service, we chose some Christmas carols too, and decorated the windows with so much greenery and candles galore. We also added a 12 foot Christmas tree which just added that extra bit of festive cheer.

How would you describe your theme / styling?

Of course with the wedding being so close to Christmas we went all out and filled the tipi with Christmas trees and used the gorgeous hanging star lights from Sami Tipi. We had lots of wild greenery for the table centres and a large hanging arrangement to add to the festive feel. I made our napkins out of IKEA linen curtains and used navy and gold leaf card for the name place cards, in keeping with the colour scheme. We also sprayed empty wine bottles and used this on the centre of the trestle tables for the candles, which were navy and ivory. We wanted a very atmospheric, magical setting and I think we hit the nail on the head.

How did you feed your guests?

We started off with the most amazing canapés to greet our guests on arrival at the tipi. We chose arancini with a spicy tomato sauce, mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish, and smoked salmon on a dill scone with crème fraiche.

For our wedding breakfast, as we had gone down the more rustic route for the venue, we went for sharing boards of baked Camembert, home made chicken liver pâté and home made breads and chutney. This was followed by a choice of individual beef bourguignon or chicken, ham and leek pie, dauphinois potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables with lashings of gravy. To finish, we chose tiramisu (my favourite) and lemon meringue pie, although we didn’t get chance to try any! All 3 courses were sharers and we loved the laid back feel to it. It made for a really sociable and relaxed experience.

For the evening, we had wood fired pizza (to die for.) Lee’s favourite food is pie and mine is pizza, so it was quite easy to choose the catering for our day!

How did you entertain your guests?

We knew from the get go that we wanted to have a band, and after lots of research we found ‘Motown Gold’ who were absolutely incredible! They got everybody up on the dance floor right from word go, I can’t recommend them enough. They did 2 x 1 hour sets. We also had a DJ to entertain guests in between and later on into the night.

What are your Top Tips for planning a Winter Tipi Wedding?

Make sure your guests are going to be warm enough. In the summer this isn’t so much of an issue but we had to use blow heaters to keep everyone nice and toasty.

Think about how much space you need for dining. We used long trestle tables and a mixture of benches and chairs and it was a little tight in areas with the poles. Don’t seat tall people under the rafters!

More Top Tips

Make the most of DIY and get friends and family to help! Tipis really lend themselves to rustic/home made decor. Even though we wanted a more glamorous feel, we did lots of decor items ourselves and it saved us a lot of money!

Think about lighting. The tipi came with lots of beautiful fairy lights, but I’m glad we went for the hanging star lights, they lit up the bar area perfectly.

Be dramatic with hanging decor. You have so much space above your head that looks amazing if it’s filled! Think lanterns, bunting, floral arrangements, hanging lights etc.