Colourful & Fun Tipi Wedding With Festival Vibes & Boho Style

We went on a trip to New York in January 2019. One evening, Luke said that he had booked a nice restaurant for us as a surprise and wouldn’t tell me the name of it. It was early evening, and as we were walking through Central Park towards the ‘mystery restaurant’ he got down on one knee and proposed. Despite being very cold it was really magical and I’m so glad he proposed with no one else about

– I feel like that moment should be special and private between the two of you instead of in front of lots of people. After I said yes, we then went to the restaurant that Luke had booked which was The Little Owl in Greenwich Village (the restaurant bar underneath where the F.R.I.E.N.D.S apartment building was shot). On the last day of our trip we went back to the place in Central Park where Luke proposed and attached a padlock near to where

we got engaged, and we hope to go back in the future to see if it is still there.

I somewhat knew what I wanted, but Pinterest is a big help! We went to about 4 wedding fairs together to get an idea of all the different things that suppliers can offer you, and is a great place to chat to them for ideas, prices, etc. As a couple, we always knew that we didn’t want a formal wedding, not being religious and both quite chilled out. We wanted a relaxed wedding – basically a good old “knees up” with all our friends and family.

We have both been to Glastonbury Festival, and love the festival vibes, so a giant tent (tipi) and live music were two things we always wanted.

We looked at 3 other venues before we found our perfect place at Lynsted Park. I always wanted a venue where I could do certain things my own way, which is sometimes quite hard to find at venues where they offer standard packages. I only found the venue through the ‘A Kentish Ceremony’ website; they weren’t advertised anywhere or part of any wedding fairs so were truly a hidden gem! Lynsted Park only hold

a very limited number of weddings throughout the warmer months of the year. When we went to visit Lynsted Park to look around, the owners were so welcoming and we just got a really good vibe from the place. The ceremony part could either be held inside the house or outside under the gazebo.

Otherwise, everything else that you wanted during the day like the wedding breakfast and reception you could do what you wanted yourself in their grounds. It was definitely an eye-opener planning a wedding from scratch (essentially in a middle of a field) with things to consider such as electricity, generators and toilets, but the venue help with recommendations and it is achievable if you plan it well!

I wasn’t a big fan of going around bridal shops trying on multiple dresses, and I didn’t want to spend thousands of pounds on a dress that I was only going to wear once. I would have loved to have a Rue De Seine wedding dress as I love the boho-vibes, but these were way out of my budget. I found myself going through the wedding dresses on the Monsoon website and found two that I like. I went up to Bluewater that week and tried them both on;

one was very heavy and the other one was perfect for me! I went home and signed up for a Monsoon account where they gave me 20% off my first order. If you’re planning to buy your outfits from a retail store like this I would definitely recommend signing up to newsletters or waiting for a discount code, as this helped me save some cash. Luke wanted a decent fitted suit for himself, so decided to go to Savile Row in London.

He found a couple of stores where you could go and get measured up and everything tailored for you, and took his brother (the Best Man) and my step-dad along with him and made a day out of it. Before going to London, he picked a few suits that he liked on their website so he could show them what he wanted. As we had a summer wedding, the suit they made was quite light (as in not too thick) so he wasn’t hot on the day.

The suit shop was really helpful and the tailors are actually in the store where they make your suit, which then they send to you in the post a few days later.

At our venue the ceremony could have been held either inside the house or outside under the gazebo. I had my heart set on getting married outside under the gazebo with the beautiful gardens around us, but the weather forecast that week kept changing from sun to rain. The venue were amazing all throughout and said there would be a decision in the 11th hour on where to hold the ceremony based on the weather.

They really did hold back placing the chairs out until a couple of hours before the ceremony. Amazingly though, the weather held out and then all 64 chairs were quickly carried over to the garden by the staff and the gazebo decoration set up. For our ceremony music, there were speakers fitting into the trees at the front which connected via Bluetooth. This meant that I had to give someone the job of being in charge

of any ceremony music that I wanted, and we gave this job to the Best Man. We simply used a Spotify to play the song I walked up the aisle to. This song was Twin Atlantic – Hold On (acoustic) which is a band that both Luke and I have seen together and love. For the ceremony, we picked the shortest vows possible. We had been to many weddings where the vows go on forever and guests get bored.

We aren’t traditional at all, so we wanted the ceremony to be quick so that we could get to the party bit! At the same time though, it was really lovely to have that special moment with your partner, as well as having our close family and friends witness us tie the knot. After the ceremony, I picked 6 songs to be played for 20 minutes while we signed the register under the gazebo. Everything about the ceremony went smooth and the sun was shining as we wed.

When looking for a photographer I wanted someone who could capture bright and fun natural photos of the day. I found a lot of photographers used a weird dull filter on their shots, almost making them grainy and lacking colour. I met Laura Debourde at the Rustic Kent Wedding Fair back in April 2019, even before we had picked a venue or date for our wedding. Laura was so friendly and looking through her photos on her stall I knew she could capture exactly what we wanted.

After booking Laura, everything was so professional through emails and updates. We even had a Skype call before I booked where we chatted about weddings and The Office U.S. and our love of dogs. Laura offered an ‘engagement’ style shoot a few months before the wedding so we could meet in person and feel the vibe of her photography. If you are offered a pre-shoot I would definitely recommend going for this.

It feels a bit awkward at first if you’re not used to getting your picture taken, but it gives you a chance to meet your photographer who is essentially capturing your whole day. For my filmmaker, we actually had a different videographer booked about 14 months before the wedding. Then, 6 days before our wedding day they contacted me saying they had contracted Covid and wasn’t able to video our wedding.

This was the only point over the whole planning period where I began to panic. I frantically started asking friends, family and wedding Facebook groups if there was anyone available with only 6 days notice. The videographer who couldn’t make it also asked around and luckily one of his friends at TDH Media was available to film our wedding! Even after this stressful situation, I’m so grateful for TDH Media stepping in and saving the day at the last minute.

We spoke on the phone before, and then on the day they were so friendly and professional to make me feel at ease.

As we booked our wedding over 18 months before the date, I had a lot of time to gradually purchase things before the big day. For the decorations, I did most of the bits myself such as the table plan, pallet with the order of the day, place cards, candles & flower jars. Don’t be afraid to get crafty! We spent nearly two years collecting things such as gin bottles, jam jars and pasta bake jars, which you can treat as being ‘free’.

I spent one evening with my mum and friend wrapping jute rope around 80 jars whilst having a few drinks and a laugh. eBay, Etsy and Facebook marketplace are all great if you’re looking for a deal. For our wedding cake, we decided on cupcakes which my mum made for us – she spent a year perfecting the buttercream swirl! They were absolutely delicious and all went on the night. We did buy an M&S naked cake as well just to have something to cut.

Our wooden cake topper was personalised through Etsy and we had high-quality artificial flowers. Both the cake topper and flowers I can keep forever.

We had our honeymoon booked for September 2021 but our flights were cancelled due to the pandemic. We’ve rebooked them now, so we are planning to go to California for 3 weeks in September 2022 for our road trip of a lifetime.

My favourite moments were generally mingling with all the guests, even if it does feel like a bit of a blur and you only get 2 minutes with each person. Just celebrating and dancing into the evening with your friends and family is the best feeling in the world. Also, the time you spend with your partner when you’re taken away to do couples photos is a great time to step back from the party and capture the moment with your husband.

We had a few battles with the weather during the afternoon and evening – some of which I wasn’t even aware of because my venue were excellent and all over it without my knowledge. During the ceremony the sun was shining and everything went smoothly. We managed to have canapés and drinks on the lawn after the ceremony as well as finishing our group photos.

During the period of moving guests over to the tipi for the wedding breakfast, our photographer asked for Luke and I to have a few photos on our own. We managed to get a lot of couple shots in, but then we started to hear thunder and saw the clouds getting darker. Everyone was safe in the tipi by this point and we both ran into the tipi just as it started to rain. Laura managed to even capture this moment in her photos which was amazing.

The rain weirdly only lasted about an hour, so by the time our evening guests started arriving it wasn’t raining anymore. However, this rainwater had got into some of the lights on the outside of the tipi which caused a power cut in the evening. This is one of the reasons I hired a generator as a backup in case of any power issues (something to consider if you’re having a party in a field).

While the power was cut, the band picked up their instruments and did an acoustic set outside on the lawn which was absolutely brilliant. The venue took charge of sorting out the generator and managed to get everything back working so we could continue our party into the evening.

Set a budget before you book anything. Most of the time you can get supplier prices from their websites, but if not just email them. Google wedding checklists to make sure there isn’t anything you miss, as even the smaller things add up and there are things that you may not have thought of. Plan ahead. Make sure you have all the main things booked at least 9-12 months in advance (for me it was: venue, tipi, toilet hire, caterers, photographer,

videographer, band, flowers, hair, make-up). Most suppliers will just take a deposit at the time and then the balance 1-4 weeks before the wedding day. All of the smaller items will fall into place nearer the time. Pinterest is your best friend. I used Pinterest so much for ideas, especially when making stuff myself. Make a wedding board and within that board organise it into sections.

Free bar. We have a lot of friends and family that like to have a drink and a good time, and we have been to weddings before where the table wine is limited and you spend most of your evening queuing at the bar to be served. Even if you have a free bar for a small period of time or until a tab runs out, this will be a nice addition and something your guests will remember.

Live music. A live band will always get your guests up dancing! If you love music and dancing then I would definitely recommend getting a band. Most of them will learn your first dance song even if it’s not in their repertoire. We also had a DJ to play music before and after the band and when they were on their break. DO YOU! Ultimately, it’s your day. So if there’s something you want but you’re worried to upset any family or guests, then I say do it anyway.

If you want a BBQ for your wedding breakfast then go for it! Don’t feel like you have to invite guests just because you went to their wedding or you work with them. It’s your day that you will remember forever, so you’re in charge.

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Colourful & Fun Tipi Wedding With Festival Vibes & Boho Style

The Proposal

The Proposal

we got engaged, and we hope to go back in the future to see if it is still there.

The Proposal

The Vision

We have both been to Glastonbury Festival, and love the festival vibes, so a giant tent (tipi) and live music were two things we always wanted.

The Vision

The Venue

a very limited number of weddings throughout the warmer months of the year. When we went to visit Lynsted Park to look around, the owners were so welcoming and we just got a really good vibe from the place. The ceremony part could either be held inside the house or outside under the gazebo.

The Venue

The Venue

Your Outfits

Your Outfits

Your Outfits

The suit shop was really helpful and the tailors are actually in the store where they make your suit, which then they send to you in the post a few days later.

Your Outfits

The Ceremony & Music

The Ceremony & Music

The Ceremony & Music

The Ceremony & Music

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

We spoke on the phone before, and then on the day they were so friendly and professional to make me feel at ease.

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

The Styling & Decor

The Styling & Decor

Our wooden cake topper was personalised through Etsy and we had high-quality artificial flowers. Both the cake topper and flowers I can keep forever.

The Styling & Decor

We had our honeymoon booked for September 2021 but our flights were cancelled due to the pandemic. We’ve rebooked them now, so we are planning to go to California for 3 weeks in September 2022 for our road trip of a lifetime.

The Honeymoon

Memorable Moments

Memorable Moments

Memorable Moments

Memorable Moments

While the power was cut, the band picked up their instruments and did an acoustic set outside on the lawn which was absolutely brilliant. The venue took charge of sorting out the generator and managed to get everything back working so we could continue our party into the evening.

Memorable Moments

Advice For Other Couples

Advice For Other Couples

Advice For Other Couples

Advice For Other Couples

If you want a BBQ for your wedding breakfast then go for it! Don’t feel like you have to invite guests just because you went to their wedding or you work with them. It’s your day that you will remember forever, so you’re in charge.

Advice For Other Couples

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