Boho Tipi Wedding With Bride In Hollie Dress By Grace Loves Lace And 12 Bridesmaids In White Dresses

This wedding is literally a masterclass in crafting. Practically every element you see was created by lovely Bride Sarah and her team of helpers. Her wonderful Mum joked that this wedding was made purely from balls of string and you'll soon see what she means... As well as Sarah looking utterly gorgeous in the Hollie Dress by Grace Loves Lace, her 12 bridesmaids (!) look stunning in white gowns too. The whole effect is just dreamy and so perfect for a blue-skies and sunshine wedding. Rosie Kelly was there to capture the images, and Story Catchers Films have created such an atmospheric film - sadly for us, Pen and Cam of Story Catchers have moved back to Australia, but if you're planning a wedding on the other side of the world then do contact them! They are the best, just watch the film and you'll see!

Feathers And Foliage For A Boho Tipi Wedding

Sarah & Sam : We decided on our theme pretty much straight away. Feathered wings have always been an obsession of mine, along with all things nature and outdoors. Sam and I have known each other since we were 12. The day I walked back into his family home as his girlfriend a mere 12 years later, I had a single white feather attached to my back. Sadly, in the time we had been out of each others lives Sam's dad Kimbo passed away and Nicky (lovely mother in law) always says he is a white feather and visits us all whenever we see one. She said she knew the day she saw me with that feather on my back, that I was the one, he approved of Sambo's choice! She told me this after we got engaged and the wedding theme was settled. Feathers everywhere! The combination of our love of nature, being outdoors and our chosen theme meant there was no other choice but to have a tipi. This could only be set in my favourite place in the whole world. My childhood home. It worked perfectly as the church is over the road, and we could walk straight from the church with all our wonderful guests to the reception.

The Photography & Film

Basically...the best spent money. I could not be happier with my choice of photographer. Rosie and Kye captured the day so beautifully and I will treasure those memories forever. I am pretty awkward in front of the camera and they managed to catch all the natural moments and all the details. With both the photographer and videographers, it felt like having our best friends with us all day, not once did I feel uncomfortable in their presence and loved laughing with them all day long! Cam and Pen from Story Catcher Films are on the move across to Aus and I wish them every luck in the world!

The Cake

When it came to the cake I knew I was in safe hands and didn’t give it a second thought. Liz Kelly, baker extraordinaire (otherwise known as Mum), had my back and would create the most wild and whimsical cake beyond my imagination! The cake incorporated every bit of the theme, tipis, sugar feathers, flowers, long grass, twigs, leaves and butterflies. I might add she just whipped this up alongside a thousand other things I asked her to help with (mainly because I love her company and it was a great excuse to spend all my spare time with my best friend and mum). Check out her instagram page wild_feather_uk for cake inspiration! Or drop her a message if you after something a little bit different for your big day!

12 Bridesmaids In White Dresses

It is safe to say I had a ‘flock’ of bridesmaids, made up of my 12 of my nearest and dearest friends that I couldn’t have done the day without. After asking all the girls to join the flock came the realisation I needed to dress 12 girls! I asked my Aussie bridesmaid to do some dress hunting for me as she always looks incredible. Low and behold, a couple days later she sent me pictures of this beautiful, white lace dress, with an open back, in the sale at £40. The dresses had no lining on the bottom half so I just went to the local seamstress to get them lined and they were good to go!

The Ceremony & Wedding Readings

The first thing we decided on was the song we would walk into the church to, it was from Gladiator ‘Now We Are Free’ by Hans Zimmer and it came on in our campervan whilst driving round New Zealand straight after we got engaged. Our bible reading was read by my sister in law and again was about nature ‘Stern As Death Is Love’, a reading from the Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a. We asked my best friend and now sister-in-law to do a reading as well and she blew us away with her surprise poem (brought me to tears). So heartfelt and personal for our big day. We then had the incredible Emily White to sing ‘Adventurers’ by Holley Maher whilst we signed the register. We left the church on a high to George Ezra ‘Paradise’. Emily White also sang a mix of songs we chose and some of her own during canapés.

{Watch The Film}

Foliage Decor For The Tipi

I had a bit of a nightmare when it came to the flowers BUT sometimes these things happen for a reason! Two weeks from the big day I changed florists! My mum and I walked into our local florist in the hope by some miracle she might be able to save the day! SHE DID, she totally got it, with 2 weeks to go she prepared the most incredible wild bouquets, buttonholes and flower crown that fitted the theme beautifully, full of all things green and feathery. My flower crown was ivy, eucalyptus and feathers, it even withstood the dog jumping on my head! To decorate the tipi and tables we decided to save money and do this ourselves. My mum, sister and I got up at 4am a couple days before the wedding and went to Birmingham flower market to buy lots of foliage. We supplemented this with foraged foliage from the garden and fields at my parents house. My mum used the foraged foliage and market flowers to make a wild flower arch at the church as well. I bought 6 silver birch trees to have down the aisle instead of pew ends. My mum liked to call our wedding ‘the wedding made from a ball of string’ and it really was! I always dreamed of creating a whimsical and wild feel to our day and that is what I set out to do. I started early so not to overwhelm myself with the task I had undertaken and to enjoy each creation and the memories I made with my family and friends who I called upon to join the creative flock! I decided I wanted my tipi to smell great, so in my teeny tiny kitchen wedding favours in the form of candles were conjured up. I made 10 or so each weekend so I didn’t bore myself, all made from soy wax and mint and lemon essential oils. To personalise the candles I stuck our wedding logo that I designed on to the jar. At the same time I began to grow wild mint and bought tiny terracotta pots which I eventually planted the home grown mint in and also gave as favours.

Advice

Plan early, get all your friends and family involved it is a great excuse to get everyone together! Decide on a theme you are passionate about and roll with it throughout all your planning!