When you say ‘September tipi wedding’, no one expects ‘hottest day of the year’ to follow, but that is exactly what happened with Claire and Jon. It was a beautiful setting, with sunflowers, garden games and a wonderful group of guests, making for a truly magical day.
The day before their wedding, Claire and Jon arrived at the farm with their friends and family to transform our tipis into their dream wedding, consisting of gorgeous sunflowers, China teacup flowerpots and crocheted hearts. It was a all-hands-on-deck set up to get the final touches added to the tipis. Not a single stone was left unturned, with a unique sign-a-heart guestbook, a snack station, outdoor games, a picture wall, and a dedication table to loved ones who could not make it to their special day.
Our bride spent the night in the lodges with her family and bridesmaid, whilst our groom spent the night at home with his groomsmen, to reunite at the end of the aisle the next day – but not without a morning of getting prepped and ready!
Claire and Jon chose to hold their ceremony on our beautiful lakeside ceremony spot as the sun beamed down heavily as they said their vows and exchanged rings. It all began with Jon and his groomsmen arriving early and setting up the finishing touches – like the gorgeous sunflowers along the aisle of the haybales and greeting guests as they arrived. Finesse, musicians specialising in cello and piano played the guests to their seats with beautiful acoustic music. Jon and Claire’s daughter was the first to bravely walk down the aisle, followed by Claire’s bridesmaids and, finally, Claire herself. The ceremony caught a few tears, a lot of laughs and a beautiful moment of two people coming together with love and joy.
As the reception began and the drinks started flowing, as did the congratulations for the happy couples. A quick confetti shot in front of the tipi led into guests busying themselves with garden games as Rustic Roast Kitchen brought out canapes. Live music serenaded the guests on the terrace as they took photos. There was also a surprise artist, who took pictures of the guests and drew them ready for them to pick up later in the evening!
After some time in the blaring sun, it was time for the guests to take their seats in the tipi. The tables were beautifully dressed with dried flowers, with pops of yellow and red flowers to give the space some colour. They began with a brief speech from the father of the bride which brought both laughter and tears, before settling in for wonderful three course BBQ style wedding breakfast. The wedding breakfast ended with a final two speeches from Jon and his two best men, which I’m sure will be spoken about as highlights of this wonderful day for a very long time.
After dinner, the guests enjoyed some downtime whilst the band arrived to set up and Jon and Claire were whisked away for beautiful portraits that can be captured all around the farm, from the woodland to the lake to the lit-up pathway.
A cake cutting and serene first dance kicked off the evening and the party was in full swing. The dancefloor filled with guests and their chosen inflatable party prop as the band kept the entertainment going for the entire evening, allowing only a brief break for some evening food!
