Is it the gorgeous two piece dress worn by bride Gaby? Their beautiful Dalamation puppy Cosmo totally stealing the show? The minimalist palette of white flowers and copper accents? Or just the root of every wedding – love, family & friends and a hearty knees-up!
Keep scrolling for utter deliciousness and an abundance of inspiration for your own tipi wedding with World Inspired Tents.
Gaby says…
In the words of our first dance song, “we were just kids when we fell in love!” Chris and I were only 16 when we met in college, but managed to stick by each other’s side for eight years through university, new jobs, and the stresses of buying a house together.
We are country kids at heart, having both grown up in rural settings. Chris even popped the question while sitting on an old wooden bench on Dartmoor, overlooking our hometown of Tavistock. The church bells started chiming after he proposed – almost as if he’d planned it!
It was important for us to be true to our roots by translating this rural and relaxed theme across to our wedding. Being a graphic designer, I definitely had a creative vision for the day and Chris put all faith in me to make it happen. As an accountant, his main job was reining me in when I got over-excited!
I don’t think either of our families understood what we were trying to achieve until the wedding day itself, especially when we announced that we were having a ceilidh in a tipi – their facial expressions were a picture!
We visited a few venues, but in our hearts we knew that we wanted to have our reception under canvas. I’d shown Chris the tipis online and we fell in love with the bohemian vibe that they offered. However, they needed space and a dynamic backdrop. We then changed tack and started to look for venues that would suit the tipis, instead of trying to fit the tipis into a ready-made venue. We finally found a quaint B&B hidden in Lamerton. Wonwood Barton had four cosy stable conversions for our family to stay in and also a field with an incredible panoramic view of Bodmin Moor, where I used to horse ride! We just knew this was the perfect spot for our special day.
Our wedding theme was what I dubbed ‘boho chic’, which translated to natural and earthy styling, with a hint of romance and class! From the sheepskins on the wooden benches to the old copper jugs overflowing with white flowers – I wanted the styling to have a minimalist palette to compliment the gorgeous landscape. The wedding cake had two semi-naked tiers and a stunning copper base with a different flavour for each level. Even the bouquets and buttonholes were tied with an eye-catching, rustic copper wire!
I tried on under ten dresses, knowing that the two piece Martina Liana top and skirt was the one for me – it was just so unique and the lace was stunning! I wanted my bridesmaids to match me and so searched the high street for lacey, white dresses – each individually chosen to suit their figures.
We wanted to break tradition and it may have been the feminist in me, but I asked Mum to walk me down the aisle alongside Dad – and she even did a speech! We also had our gorgeous Dalmatian puppy, Cosmo, feature in the photographs – something that was very important to me. Our main aim was for people to feel relaxed and free, as if they were at a summer festival, complete with BBQ, limbo and glitter face painting!
When we settled on a DIY wedding, we didn’t quite realise what we were getting ourselves in for. We did almost everything ourselves, from organising the catering to individually selecting each flower from a wholesalers to painstakingly stamping names onto place setting tags. In hindsight, we gave ourselves too much to do. Luckily, we are both blessed with willing family members who helped us with all the arts and crafts along the way. My cousins even came and did the flower arranging free of charge – a massive help!
From one bride to another…
When embarking on a budget DIY wedding, you’ve got to have the right support system in place. The suppliers we chose were crucial to us being able to enjoy the day without a single stress. For example, I had a stye come up on my eye the week before the wedding and my make up artist, Verity, was constantly texting me with ideas about how she was going to hide it, which calmed my nerves to no end. Similarly, Joshua Gooding, our photographer, felt like a close friend by the end of the wedding and I couldn’t picture the day without his vibrant enthusiasm. Paddy’s Whiskers, our band, were also sensational at keeping the vibe going, even when we pushed back the ceilidh due to an unexpected heat wave!
I had a very strong vision and needed suppliers who could bring it to life, so take time to choose people you gel with. If you’re a control freak like me, don’t hold onto everything too tightly – let other people take responsibility for things, so the planning experience can become enjoyable again!
We wouldn’t change a single part of the day. From the start to finish, it was filled with laughter, dancing and chilling by open fires. It was everything we pictured and more! Our final tip would be to invest in a great photographer and a videographer too. We take so much pleasure in looking back over the best day of our lives together. Good luck!
Tipis World Inspired Tents
Photography Joshua Gooding Photography
Bridal Designer Martina Liana Bridal
Bridal Boutique Sam Cox Bridal
Hair & Makeup Verity Lindley-Buckley
Groom Moss Bros
Florist R P Cotswold Floral
Wholesalers St Mellion Flowers
Catering The Cornish Arms
Entertainment Paddy’s Whiskers