Ohhh what a treat it is to be sharing the stunning Leicestershire tipi wedding of Caitlin and Laurence at Bridge House Barn. I mean just wait until you see the pops of gorgeous orange, the divine eucalyptus and pampas grass centrepieces and the totally stylish outfits. Oh my!
I absolutely adore Caitlin’s divine bouquet, their cute wedding car and the lovely confetti moment. It’s also wonderful to see that the rain certainly didn’t dampen any spirits. Proof that rain on your wedding day, really doesn’t matter.
I can’t thank Gina Fernandes Photography enough for sharing with us these incredibly beautiful images. Swoon!
Leicestershire Tipi Wedding
The Proposal
A Viennese Dream! I lived abroad in Vienna briefly so it held a special place in my heart. After looking around the palaces, we hopped on a train packed a picnic and went to a beautiful lake where there was no one but us. No sooner had we sat down and popped the prosecco, Laurence was on one knee!
Turns out that was more to do with how uncomfortable it was with his chosen ring-hiding spot (he had limited options!) but it was just magical and a memory we will treasure forever! We celebrated in style at a fancy dinner that evening – moments that will last forever.
The Vision
We both grew up in the countryside and our idea of a perfect day was being sat out on a warm summer’s evening with a glass of fizz (or beer), good food and great company. We wanted to replicate that vibe and keep things very summery, bright and relaxed. Mix that with a bit of pampas grass and rustic décor and we had our perfect mix!
Budget
We were so fortunate to have super generous parents who helped us fund the majority of the day. Safe to say we couldn’t have done it without them! Our wedding came in at around £27k in total covering the whole day (Church, venue, entertainment, food, drink etc).
The Venue
Our venue was the first and only one we visited – we fell in love at first sight! It was such an easy and natural choice for us because it was really conveniently close to both of our childhood homes and perfectly captured the sort of day we wanted – countryside location, indoor/outdoor areas and whimsical tipis!
We pictured guests playing games on the huge lawns by the canal which ran alongside the venue and sitting out by the fire pits. In reality, it sadly rained on the day but it didn’t dampen spirits at all as it meant everyone got straight onto the dancefloor and danced the night away!
The Ceremony & Music
The ceremony was held in a tiny, quaint church just a couple of minutes from the venue nestled behind some trees in a gorgeous secluded countryside setting. We definitely maxed out the seating capacity and had people standing at the back but it was amazing to have so many people there celebrating our special day. My brothers and sister-in-law are all talented musicians and played us into and out of the church as a string trio which was incredibly special for us and a lovely personal touch.
Our main band doubled up as a Ceilidh band! They were so awesome, fun and hip and really got a great vibe going on the night. They started off with a ceilidh, which with 150 people to manage, is no small feat! Everyone had a whale of a time and we’ve got some cracking photos from that part of the night. They then sang us into the night with some classic songs and we finished off linking our phones up to the speaker and using our Spotify playlist to save some pennies at the end – just as good as a DJ!
Your Outfits
Laurence’s suit was from DJ Suit Hire in Alvchurch Birmingham. It did the perfect tweedy type suit that we were looking for (which was surprisingly hard to find!) and the staff were a great laugh. When we first met them they all had sore heads from a night out the evening before and were filling us in on their antics – we knew they were our people immediately!
My dress was from Cicliy Bridal in Tamworth. It was actually my second dress because I got a bit carried away and bought one during lockdown, way ahead of the wedding date and….as many brides do… changed my mind! My dress from Cicily Birdal was an Evie Young dress that made me feel like a total princess!
It fitted perfectly with the style of the venue and completely complimented me. The staff were just amazing and more like mums than dress fitters. They made the whole experience so incredibly special and I’m forever grateful.
Your Photographer
Gina was an absolute DREAM! We fell in love with her before we’d even spoken to her as her Instagram page and website were so funny, we knew we were going to click. She’s such a humble, hilarious and down-to-earth person who made us feel so relaxed and at ease on the day.
She is so incredibly knowledgeable, professional and efficient and would zip around getting amazing shots without anyone noticing. We had so many compliments not just on the photos themselves but also how awesome Gina was herself – she gelled with the guests as much as us and it was a pleasure to have her as part of the team.
The Styling & Decor
We were lucky to have a lot of the props supplied by the venue itself so we hired a very minimal amount and sorted the rest ourselves. It was lovely to add a special personal touch to the day with some homemade favours (fresh raspberry jam made by mum!) a pic n mix station with gallons of chocolate and a Polaroid photo guest book signing station!
Our vibe was very much natural, flowy and beautiful so we had a lot of chiffon ivory table runners over benches with some beautiful vases of gyp, pampas grass and bunny tails dotted around and amongst the faux eucalyptus table runners which entwined everything.
Our flowers were simply incredible and Jessica Mary really blew us away with the perfect combination to match our theme and venue. My favourite colour has always been yellow so we had a gold-like theme which she brought into my bouquet with some subtle gold tones, lots of greens and pampas. It looked absolutely stunning and like something out of a fairy tale!
One super special touch to the day was our wedding rings. My brother-in-law is a silversmith and not only hand-crafted my engagement ring, but helped us to make each other’s wedding rings too as part of his ring-making workshop! It was so special to be wearing rings made by each other and carried a lot of meaning for us. Plus it was super fun to do
The Honeymoon
We went all out with our honeymoon! We dreamt of having a mix of adventure and relaxation and opted to go to Sri Lanka for a bit of a tour around the country with safaris included, followed by the Maldives. We booked with Luxtripper who sorted everything for us, allowing us to just sit back and relax – which was much appreciated after the wedding planning!
Sri Lanka was such a feast for the eyes and we stayed at the most incredible resorts, seeing leopards, elephants, breakfast sunrises over UNESCO heritage sites and many more. It will always hold such a special place in our hearts.
The Maldives was every bit as perfect as people make out with white sandy beaches and access to the crystal clear sea right at the backdoor to our sea villa! We have certainly set the bar high but we made so many special memories which will last forever and it was lovely to share some precious quality time together straight after the wedding, reflecting on the day, memories and how fast it all went by!
Memorable Moments
Where to start?! Obviously (in Laurence’s words), me walking down the aisle! Walking into the venue for the first time as a married couple to a chorus of applause was amazing and made the whole thing feel real!
Our first dance was also super special as we’d choreographed it and spent a fair bit of time rehearsing, so people were desperate to see it. Finally, our last dance – everyone standing around in a circle singing Oasis Champagne Supernova will be a memory we never forget!
Advice For Other Couples
We’re naturally very chilled out people and I think that and having time on our side were the two most helpful things! We booked our venue about 2 years in advance but this meant we had a really chill period of planning and plenty of time to sort things without stressing.
We’d also highly recommend just sorting the venue first once you know your budget and the rest just seems to fall into place around that! It determines the vibe you’re going for and makes everything else much easier to choose.
What an epic celebration!
Caitlin and Laurence thank you so much for sharing your amazing Leicestershire tipi wedding story with us.
Further Reading
Wedding Bathroom Basket Ideas
Wedding Ponytails Hair Ideas
Wedding Confetti Ideas & Display Decor
The post Magical Bright & Beautiful Rustic Summer Tipi Wedding first appeared on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings.
