Organise the legalities
Currently, the laws in England mean that you can’t be legally married outdoors or in a tipi (a non-permanent structure), although the laws look to change in the near future, so be sure to make plans to arrange this elsewhere beforehand. This could be a church ceremony or at a registry office. Some couples choose to do this on another day, or in the morning and then have a Celebrant perform a blessing once at the tipi venue.
Plan your route
Luckily, at Belcote Farm you’ll feel nestled deep in the countryside, however we’re located close to the A491 and just 3 miles from the M5 which makes travel super easy and gives you the best of both worlds! It’s a good idea to speak with local taxi or minibus companies beforehand and pre-book for the evening where you can.
Seating
Tipi weddings often use bench seating, so if you have older relatives, make sure there will be more comfortable and supportive chairs for them. We have plenty of benches and chair options available depending on your numbers and the look you’re going for.
Outdoor space
Your guests will spend a lot of time outside so making sure the space is well planned is just as important as the indoor space. Are there certain areas you want to dedicate to certain activities? You could allocate an area for lawn games, a space that works as a drinks station, a seating area to chill out and chat, or a spot with a particularly good backdrop for photo opportunities.
Lighting
Having your wedding outdoors means that it’s going to be dark towards the end of the night so ensuring you have good lighting is important. We supply festoon lighting to line the walkways, lanterns to frame the front of the tipis, and uplighters to illuminate surrounding trees. You could also bring fairy lights to wrap around the trees to give that extra bit of ambience!
Food
Tipi weddings are often chosen by couples who are looking for a more informal day, one that doesn’t necessarily mean their guests need to sit down to a 3 course meal. If you’re looking for a more relaxed, festival atmosphere, street food vendors are hugely popular. Choosing street food gives your guests more variety and choice when it comes to what they’d like to eat, especially if they have special dietary requirements. For example, Indian street food is often a good choice for vegetarians. Mix it up as much as you like – you could go for wood fired pizza, BBQ meats, and waffles for dessert! Take a look at some of our suggestions for suppliers here.
Drinks
If you’re supplying your own drinks for your guests, think about creative ways you could display them – you could fill our metal troughs and buckets with ice for bottles and cans, build your own makeshift bar, fill a caddy with booze, or pre-make cocktails in our Kilner dispenser jars.
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