A Guide to… Hiring A Wedding Yurt

One for all you boho babes and rustic chicks this morning…

When you start to plan your wedding it can be a little daunting when it comes to the venue side of things. Especially, if you have wild dreams of skipping through meadows, toasting marshmallows around a campfire and dancing under tented ceilings.

Fear not folks. Step in Lizzie, the girl behind Wedding Yurts…

Lizzie’s here with a simple guide to hiring a Wedding Yurt and advice on things you should consider – but in short, it’s pretty darn easy with the right help!

Lizzie: I love my job. I live a nomadic life, especially during the summer months, as I travel across the UK with my partner Jim setting up our handmade yurts for weddings, receptions and honeymoons. I think one of the things that I love the most is that although the yurts themselves don’t change, the backdrops do.

All of the venues we visit are so different and I adore that the yurts are so flexible, they work in any situation and we can bring that dream of a laid back, boho, outdoors celebration to so many people and so many places.

I know that the thought of hiring yurts can sometimes seem daunting… Will it be more work? Will there be lots of unexpected issues and questions? Will it just be too much hassle?

In short, the answer is a definite no. We will help you every step of the way and after all weddings we’ve attended and all the sites we’ve set up on, we know a thing or two about the practicalities of hiring yurts for your wedding day.

When Coco Wedding Venues asked me to put together a blog post based on that very topic, I jumped at the chance. So, here’s what you need to think about before booking a yurt for your wedding…

Top Row: Image by Rachel Lilly Photography. Second Row: Image by Binky Nixon for Mr & Mrs Unique. Third Row Left: Image by Rachel Lilly Photography. Third Row Right: Image by Louise Holgate. Bottom Row: Image by Louise Holgate.

The Ground

You’ll need to find a site that’s flat and level. To keep everyone and everything safe, the ground on the site can’t drop more than 12 inches from end to end. Don’t worry about any lumps and bumps though because our gorgeous solid oak floors will provide a perfectly flat surface for dining and dancing (as well as giving lots of protection from the elements too!).

As we erect the yurts ourselves, we’ll need access to the site for some days before the wedding. For a Saturday event, we arrive on Tuesday, spend Wednesday and Thursday putting up the yurts so they’re ready to be decorated and styled on Friday ahead of your wedding on Saturday. Sunday is the day everything is taken down and we load up and leave on Monday.

We’ll also need access for our big lorry and all of your suppliers will also need to get in and out safely too so this is certainly something to consider.

The Legalities

If you want to get married on your site, you’ll need to make sure it’s got the relevant licenses. If not, is there somewhere nearby you can hold your ceremony and then return for your reception? Another option would be to hold a humanist ceremony on-site, making sure that you’ve ‘done the deed’ legally beforehand.

Are you able to have alcohol on site and does your venue charge corkage? Our Champagne Yurt Bar comes with all the necessary licenses and we don’t charge corkage either but some venues might so it’s worth checking.

Also, if you’ve got dreams of ending your evening with a campfire after party, check your venue is ok with open fires. Jim is happy to make and supervise campfires for you so everything will be in very safe hands.

Top Row: Image by Binky Nixon. Second Row & Third Row: Images courtesy of Wedding Yurts. Fourth Row: Image by Binky Nixon. Bottom Row: Image courtesy of Wedding Yurts.

The Wedding Day

I think one of the things about our service that our couples so love is that I’m there on the day to look after everything. That wedding day co-ordination service means that you can absolutely relax and everything is taken care of. I’ll liaise with suppliers, I’ll make sure everything’s in place and I’ll be there from dawn until the end of the party for you.

If you’re in a remote location, I can also help make sure your guests leave safely but it would be a good idea to prebook taxis or a coach in advance and provide details of local accommodation. Our Honeymoon Yurt is absolutely amazing but I’m very sure you won’t want to share it with any of your guests!

The Details

We love the ‘back to nature’ feeling of our yurts but you’re still going to need to get on grid for some services. We can help you work out what size generator you’ll need to power everything and you’re also going to need a water supply for your caterers.

We have a questionnaire that you can send to your caterers so that everything is confirmed in advance and you’ve got nothing to worry about.

All Images by Rachel Lilly Photography.

The Guests

We’ve already mentioned transport for guests but there are a few other things you should know too…

It’s a good idea to have a contingency plan in place for weather that’s too hot, too cold or too wet so I’d always recommend you remind guests to bring warm clothes, brollies and even wellies!

Our 12ft yurt makes the perfect cloakroom so guests will have somewhere dry and safe to leave any belonging that they bring with them. Also, don’t forget to provide a designated area for smoking, somewhere covered with sand buckets for butts is ideal and we can help you with this if you’d like.

The Wow Factor

Now this is something we’re really good at providing.

I love working with couples to style yurts and make them look absolutely amazing. Again, my experience here can be really useful and I’m happy to liaise with florists etc. to give them information and support if they’ve not worked in a yurt before.

Also, I’ve got loads of ideas and love to share them with clients. The yurts are stunning but some clever lighting is really the finishing touch and can create the most amazing ambience as the sun goes down on your totally personal, one-of-a-kind wedding…

Top Row & Second Row: Images by Rachel Lilly Photography. Third Row: Image by Louise Holgate. Fourth Row & Bottom Row: Image by Rachel Lilly Photography.

Click here to view the Wedding Yurts Gallery…

Thank you so much to Lizzie for swinging by with her gorgeous Yurts and fabulous advice! I hope this has given you a little insight into why hiring from Wedding Yurts is as simple as can be…

For more information hop across to Coco Wedding Venues or visit the Wedding Yurts website where you can request one of their lovely brochures – I know Lizzie would love to hear from you.

Lots of love…