Styling a Sailcloth Tent for a Rustic Themed Wedding

Kate and Andy’s wedding was a heartfelt and eco-conscious affair, imbued with a personal touch that made their day truly special. Opting for a homemade, natural, and sustainable celebration, the couple chose to celebrate their vows at Kate’s family home, surrounded by the serene beauty of a wildflower meadow they had grown themselves.

Against this idyllic backdrop, a rustic-themed wedding reception was held in a sailcloth tent provided by Inspired Event Structures. Adorned with simple and natural decorations, the tent exuded a countryside charm that perfectly complemented the setting. K&A were committed to making their wedding as sustainable as possible, using locally grown and wildlife-friendly flowers, and having their food catered by a local company. Even the wedding cake was lovingly made by Kate’s sister!

The natural and creative spirit of the day was captured beautifully by Neil Jackson’s photography, which showcased the couple’s unique vision and personal flair. Looking back, Kate encourages future couples to stay true to their vision, trust their instincts, and savor every moment of the creative process.

Becky says…

Kate and Andy wanted something individual to them, rather than a venue and Kate’s home felt like the perfect place. It was really personal and gave them the flexibility to plan things how they wanted. They wanted to make sure their wedding was as homemade, natural and sustainable as possible, so using a field on Kate’s parent’s farm enabled them to grow a wildflower meadow and plan a spot for the marquee in the middle of a really natural setting.

Kate’s dress was Lilian West style 55067 from The Harrogate Wedding Lounge. Kate loved this dress for the slightly blush hue and the floral lace that gave it a really fun and bohemian feel. Her bridesmaids wore dresses from Monsoon and the flower girls dresses from Next.

Kate and Andy hired Inspired Event Structures 20m x 14m luxury Sailcloth tent, which was the ideal size for the guest list of nearly 100 friends and family. The rustic theme gave their day a beautiful and romantic vibe and the sailcloth tent looked effortlessly stylish and glamorous in the grounds.

To style their sailcloth tent for the rustic feel, they used our long wooden tables and cross back chairs. Sticking to natural and simple decorations gave them a countryside feel. Inspired Event Structures sailcloth tents are great for letting in lots of natural light to brighten up the space too.

Another important element which Kate and Andy did was to use the versatile lighting which we provided in the marquee. The fairy lights and dimmable festoon lights made the tent glow brilliantly at night and created an additional WOW. Kate and Andy also put together a lovely photo board of family photos and had garden games. They also added some bell tents to the field for the full glamping experience.

Sustainability was important for Kate and Andy when they were planning their wedding day. One area where they knew they could make a real impact was with their wedding flowers. Kate’s mum has always had an amazing garden and Kate remembers saying to her that she’d love to pick flowers from the garden for the wedding, partly because it was so personal and partly because she was very clear she didn’t want anything imported and she wanted all the flowers to be British and locally grown.

Before Kate knew it she’d parcelled off a bit of field and started a cut flower patch. They spent a year practicing with different varieties and seeds, all the while making sure they were wildlife friendly varieties, creating their company Woodfield Flowers and selling them. They will be doing the same for Kate’s sister’s wedding next year and it was such a joy to spend that year nurturing and growing them all, and to know that every single stem they used (including the foliage in the marquee) was from the farm.

Kate and Andy’s flowers stunned their guests, they included lots of greenery in the sailcloth tent and their displays really replicated the outdoors all which set the vibe. The sailcloth tent suited the natural and pastel colour scheme. Flowers seemed to be everywhere from the wild flower meadows outside, to beautiful hand bouquets, petal confetti and the wedding cake which had dried flowers pressed onto it.

They choose a fabulous local catering company based near York called Home Grown Hospitality. Their food incites a friendly casual vibe and was served to the long tables in the marquee to all share. One of Kate’s sisters is a great baker and fitting with the homemade feel they asked her if she’d make the cake for them. It was lemon and elderflower and Kate, her mum and sisters decorated it the night before the wedding with dried flowers from our gardens that they’d been collecting all summer.

The photo’s taken here by Neil Jackson truly show the natural creativeness which went into Kate and Andy’s Wedding day.

Neil lives with his family, in a small rural village, near York. Photography has fascinated him from a young age and this first presented itself in a love for wildlife and landscape photography. The bug for wedding photography began a little later in 2010, when he was asked to photograph a friend’s wedding. Neil hopes his love for the natural world comes across in all the weddings he photographs as it’s at the core of his style. He likes simple, authentic and atmospheric pictures which fitte in perfectly with Kate and Andy’s natural, home made and sustainable feel to their wedding day.

Best part of the day

Kate says it’s so hard to pick one… “but walking into the marquee first thing in the morning to see it all ready was very gratifying and exciting as it was all done by us. Then walking in again after the ceremony to all our favourite people was a wonderful feeling, as was dancing the night away to two amazing bands that we are lucky enough to know.”

From one couple to another…

Kate says “Enjoy the process, trust your gut and stay true to your vision – for us when we look back at the week of the wedding and all the wonderful friends and family that helped us get it ready it’s a huge part of what made the day itself so special. I also really enjoyed the creative process – every detail felt all the more special for having been such personal choices.”