From a rustic shindig in the countryside to a fun-filled festival wedding with your favourite people, a tipi offers the perfect blank canvas space for you to really make your own. Whether you choose to fill it with quirky furniture and fairy lights, or you love the thought of roasting marshmallows around the fire pit, there’s something rather magical about a tipi celebration. With years of expertise providing hundreds of couples across the county with stylish and versatile tipis, marquees and tents, we’ve put together ten top tips to ensure your celebration is epic. Budgets, logistics, styling and more – you name it, we’ve got it covered…
Putting together your guest list is perhaps not one of the most exciting parts of the planning process but it is one of the most important. Firstly, it will determine how many tipi hats you’ll require for your wedding. As the only Cornwall-based company to supply the much sought-after giant Nordic tipis, we interconnect each element to provide you with one large event space. However, we can also offer smaller tents for chill-out zones and activity areas for the children.
Once you’ve got your guest list to hand (even a vague number can be helpful) you can start working out how your tipi structure and food requirements will align with your budget. If you think you may have gone over budget slightly, you may want to consider reducing your guest list to accommodate this. Here at The Cornish Tent Company, we’ll work with you to listen to your requirements and provide you with a quotation that suits your budget and needs.
It’s time to think about the little extras you’d like to add to your wish list to ensure your tipi wedding is truly unforgettable. We’re talking rustic bar areas, photo-booths, dance-floor areas and even cake displays. We’ve got tonnes of wedding inspiration over on our Instagram – follow @cornishtentcompany for all your tipi wedding needs. It’s always handy seeing what our previous couples have done with their own tipi celebrations!
We are more than happy to recommend a whole host of incredible venues and tipi sites to you, so if you’re stuck for locations don’t fret. However, in the past we’ve also erected tipi structures in fields in the countryside, in the gardens of a family home and more. All we need is good access, flat ground and awareness of the overhead and underground services.
While the logistics aren’t that fun to talk about, we do need to get them ticked off your list and out of the way. Depending on your tipi site, you may need to hire a power generator and luxury toilet facilities. Make sure you work these into your budget at the very beginning, so you don’t get caught out with these hidden costs a little later down the line!
The best thing about a tipi wedding is the fact that there are NO rules, especially when it comes to food. So if you fancy spoiling your guests with scrumptious street food, burger and chips or a BBQ in the Cornish sunshine, you can! One thing you do need to consider when choosing your wedding catering is whether or not they will need a separate catering tent. If they do, many suppliers have their own, but if not, we are happy to add this to your quotations.
If you’re getting wed in the middle of nowhere, you’ll need to think about suitable lighting to ensure your guests can make their way around the venue, find the toilets and head back to their cars safely. From festoon lighting, fairy lights, lanterns and candles, there are plenty of lovely ways to light up your tipi wedding. Again, we’re happy to provide you with some helpful hints and ideas!
Don’t forget about the legal side of your ceremony. While you can have an outdoor blessing or humanist / celebrant-led ceremony, for it to be legally binding you’ll need to exchange your vows in a nearby church or registry office beforehand.
We live in England and the weather is always unpredictable – even in the summer! For that reason, here at The Cornish Tent Company we ALWAYS plan for rain and have a wet weather plan in place. This means you don’t have to stress in the weeks and days leading up to your big day. Fortunately, our tipis and tents are super versatile and we’ve found that some of our best weddings have taken place during rainy weather. You’ll find that everyone gathers inside and hits the dance-floor when it’s raining! It’s something you can’t control, so don’t stress too much about the weather.
At The Cornish Tent Company our ethos is all about being fun, friendly, relaxed and professional. It’s a pleasure to be able to provide couples with our selection of giant Nordic tipis, tents and sailcloth marquees, so if you’re considering an outdoor celebration make sure you head over to our contact page and say hello!