Tanya & Alex

When you have a tipi wedding, you kind of have no choice but to go big. There's a lot to organise, from the land, to the toilets, from the generator to the furniture, but when you get it right...it's SO worth it, as Tanya and Alex's gorgeous wedding shows. This is a perfect example of how to do a tipi wedding, lush cosy styling, lots of fairy lights and embracing those bohemian vibes (hello gorgeous Tanya, a Rue De Seine bride through and through). Dan from Story + Colour captures the atmosphere created in the tipi's with amazing results. Everything looks magical...

Our Wiltshire Wedding

Tanya & Alex:It didn’t take us long to decide that we wanted to get married in Wiltshire. We had family who lived there, and it was where we got engaged, so we really liked the idea of inviting all our friends and family down for a fun-filled weekend in a part of the world that meant a lot to us personally. We had an idea for a natural and rustic wedding in Spring, but none of it would’ve been possible without amazing friends and family and some really great local suppliers too.   We were determined to get married at All Saints Church in Yatesbury because of its personal connection to us, despite its small size. But the smaller size really helped create the warm and personal atmosphere we were hoping for – the brilliant Grace and her team (Young Blooms Florist) made it feel like an internal garden, and with added candlelight, parents holding babies in the corners, and friends and family sat in front and behind us as we got married – made it feel beautifully intimate.  

The Transport

After a beautiful ceremony (shout out to the legendary Rev. Philip Bromiley, as well as Scarlett and Jonty whose song blew everyone away), we all spilled out into the Spring sun and, after a few quick drinks, headed over to a nearby field to have our reception in a massive tipi! The amazing Suzie (Kushi Cars) drove us there in her beautiful old Indian Ambassador wedding car and, once we were all there, we ate, drank and danced until the wee hours, surrounded by all the people we love, and we couldn’t have asked for any more on our special day. We had a lot of fun planning the party in the tipi, and it wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing family and friends who chipped in to help set it all up in the days leading up to the wedding – but we also had some incredible suppliers who made the whole thing fall into place perfectly.   

Tipi Wedding

After deciding we wanted to have our reception in a tipi, we met up with Simon from Buffalo Tipi, who was based round the corner in Wiltshire. It was the best thing we did! Simon and his team provided the most incredible tipi set-up on the day – not only did they go way beyond the call of duty in making the day as unique as it was, but they absolutely loved their work and their energy was really infectious. I could not recommend these guys more.   Simon also hooked us up with some brilliant local suppliers, including our caterer, florist and bar. Sam (of Sam’s Kitchen Deli fame, based in Frome) provided us with catering that was really personalised to what we loved. With a bit of brainstorming, based on what we said we enjoyed, Sam came up with a menu of sharing deli platters with ham, cheese and veg, followed by a buffet of Sri Lankan curries with all the trimmings! Young Blooms decorated the inside of the tipi with beautiful foliage on all the tables, as well as foliage on a lot of the wooden beams, giving the whole tipi a very natural feel. Narelle (Roaming Caravan Co.) created some incredibly tasty cocktails and provided an amazing bar that kept our guests well hydrated (!) all night. The delicious cake made by Jo at The Fairy Cakery, along with the tray bakes provided by Divine on the Green and the crepes from La Kordun’s vintage crepe van kept everyone nicely fed all night. We had Blue Juice band play our music through the night (who even offered to play an acoustic version of our first dance song at no extra charge!), who had guests of all ages and stages dancing away. A lot of our stationery (including seating plans, orders of service and thank you cards) were designed by the amazing Julia Eastwood based on the day we envisioned. And of course, rounding everything off, we had the brilliant Dan from Story + Colour, who took snaps throughout and really captured the intimacy, fun and warmth of the day.   Added to all that, Tanya has a unique gift for craft and design, so we decided to make good use of that for our wedding. Tanya designed and made every single save the date and wedding invite from scratch (with the help of a dedicated team of family members...as well as creative sketches from a 4yr-old from the reception class Tanya taught!)

  

Rue De Seine Bride

The bridal dress was designed by Rue de Seine and was bought from a great little shop in Hove called Leonie Claire. Tanya made me the luckiest man alive and absolutely struck me dumb with her beauty when she walked into that Church that afternoon, and the stunning dress she wore reflected her natural and bohemian side perfectly – she looked jaw-dropping! The bridesmaids’ dresses were bought online from Mumu Weddings, and the guys wore suits hired from The Vintage Suit Hire Co. based in Bedford. The amazing Heather O’Connor made our rings based on a design that we liked, and really helped guide us in terms of options within our budget. Tanya had a lovely stay at The Cowsheds Good Mondays Farm with her parents and bridesmaids, and was joined by Katy Pheiffer (make-up) and Charlotte Tillyer (hair) in the morning who were fun and relaxed – perfect company leading up to the big moment!  

Final Thoughts

The beauty of a tipi wedding and having your own venue is that, whilst it takes a bit more planning, you can really put your own touch on how the day feels. We felt so fortunate to have had so many amazing people come and contribute to our day in their own unique ways, family, friends and suppliers alike (as well as our parents and my grandfather, who supported us in fulfilling it all) – all who got properly stuck in to make the day feel really special for us, and something we’ll remember fondly for the rest of our lives together.