By Donna Taylor, Taylored Plans.
There are so many options when it comes to wedding venues and styles, that it can be overwhelming for even the most wedding-savvy couples. A purpose-built event space, such as hotel or hall, may not be your idea of the perfect space and something more bespoke may be more appealing.
Starlight Tipis, based North-east Scotland, offers spectacular tipi weddings. We have compiled some top tips for you to ensure you are completely prepared, and you and your guests have an unforgettable day!
Budget is important!
This is so important! Setting a budget for your big day will allow you to make decisions early on and ease the process of planning.
How big is your guest list?
You must then decide on how many guests you are looking to invite as this will dictate how big your tipi will need to be, as well as the size of things like your dancefloor or table arrangement. Round tables will take up more room inside a tipi, so knowing how many people to expect is essential.
Do you have a suitable site for your tipi?
You must consider where you are planning to pitch your tipi and whether it is a suitable site. This can also affect whether you will need to consider hardwood flooring – most tipi suppliers can provide this with their tipi. Be sure to keep ‘set-up and put-down’ dates in your diary, as tipi companies will need this time pre and post event. Also consider whether your tipi venue is separate to your ceremony venue. If so, how will your guests be getting to and from both places?
What time of year is your wedding?
Depending on the time of year that you are planning to get married, you may need to consider things such as heating. Example being an autumn/winter wedding, you don’t want your guests getting cold as the evening draws in, (no matter how much dancing they plan on doing) so you must think about how best to keep them all warm and comfortable when the sun goes down.
How will you light up the room?
Lighting options should be considered when organising your tipi wedding. Not just for practical reasons, but also for aesthetics to match the theme of your event (as well as making it look amazing and magical). You must also research where you will be sourcing your power or whether you need a generator to provide your event with all things electricity-related you will need on the day.
Who is feeding and watering you?
An important part of the day is going to be your food and drink, so you must decide what type of catering you are going for and how you will go about doing this. You can always opt to use an additional tipi that will be able to accommodate food prep areas or even a bar, but the possibilities here are almost endless. There are now hundreds of mobile companies you can choose that will provide pop-up bar options, or even food trucks that can be placed outside your tipi – which helps if you are struggling for space indoors. This all really will depend on the theme that you have chosen to go with and how this works for you and your guests, there really are no rules!
It is worth noting that not all catering companies will provide you with tables and chairs, so it is worth double checking if you are going to need to outsource these.
Let me entertain you!
Will you be hiring a band, or maybe even a photobooth, or how about an artist, magician or some festival games?! Get creative – a tipi is a huge blank canvas so you can dress this however you like to match the theme of your wedding.
If in doubt, bring in reinforcements!
If the thought of organising a wedding in a field scares you, the best option is to think about hiring a wedding planner to assist you on the run up to the big day. This way they can be there for deliveries, venue management and communication with suppliers.
Checklists are your friend
There are going to be lots of things on your mind when organising your wedding, and a checklist is your best way to keep track of things that have been done or need to be done. A spreadsheet will help you to clearly organise your thoughts, and remind you of important dates for payments etc.
Donna Taylor is Director of Taylored Plans and Aberdeenshire based Event Management company. Facebook.com/tayloredplans Instagram: @tayloredplans
Visit Startlight Tipis www.starlightipi.com www.facebook.com/aberdeentipis
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