When I decided to have a tipi wedding outdoors, I realized it was a massive undertaking, like building a house from scratch! How do I choose a venue? What if there’s a downpour? I was so anxious that I was losing hair every day.
But on my wedding night, as we danced together under the starlight in our giant tent, listening to our friends’ cheers, I knew all the effort was totally worth it! To prevent you from making the same mistakes I did, I’ve compiled my densely packed wedding planning notes into this practical guide.
Why Choose a Tipi Wedding?
Why were we so determined to have a tipi wedding? Simply put, we didn’t want to be bound by the assembly-line process of traditional hotels. In an indoor banquet hall, you’re often forced to follow a predetermined script. But with a few tipis set up in nature, the rules are entirely yours to set!
You can dance barefoot on the grass, and everyone can chat around a campfire, enjoying a light and intimate evening. That wild, free, and incredibly warm atmosphere is something traditional hotels can’t provide. If you’re like me, yearning for a carefree, spontaneous party that perfectly reflects your personality, then this tent wedding will definitely fulfill your fantasies.
Step-by-Step Guide to Planning a Tipi Tent Wedding
Not only are you the beautiful bride/handsome groom on your wedding day, but you’re also the project manager during the planning phase! There are so many tedious details that can drive you crazy, but once you figure them out, it’s not that complicated. Next, I’ll be revealing my well-worn wedding planning journal from back in the day, outlining these 11 core steps.
Step 1: Decide Your Wedding Vision and Guest Size
Before you start looking for venues and checking quotes, don’t rush to look at tents! The first step is for you two to sit down and carefully consider the feel you want for this wedding. Do you want a free-spirited, wild outdoor music festival vibe, or a sophisticated, retro bohemian dinner? After setting the overall tone, the most crucial step comes next: how many guests to invite?
Don’t underestimate the importance of drafting the initial guest list. We originally planned to invite only 50 close friends, but with the help of our elders, the number jumped to nearly a hundred!
The number of attendees directly determines how many large tents you need to rent connected together, how much space you need for tables, a dance floor, and a bar, and even how many portable toilets you need – all of which must be calculated per person.
Step 2: Set a Realistic Tipi Wedding Budget
When I was calculating our own tipi wedding costs, I almost had a heart attack looking at the Excel spreadsheet! The bulk of the expenses is often hidden in unseen logistical details. Based on my hard-earned experience, the approximate budget breakdown is as follows:
- The largest expense is catering (including tables, chairs, and tableware, about 40%)
- Tent rental (about 30%)
- Interior decorations and lighting (15%)
- Venue permits and event safety insurance (15%)
Don’t panic, I’ll teach you some hardcore money-saving tips!
- Combine the ceremony area and the reception area to save on the cost of setting up a separate venue.
- Table decorations and wayfinding signs can be DIY’d with your bridesmaids and groomsmen. You can easily get them done by ordering some vintage dried flowers and jute rope online.
- Choosing to hold the wedding during the off-season or on a weekday will definitely save you a significant amount on your honeymoon budget with discounts from the venue and equipment rental companies.
Step 3: Choose the Right Tipi Structure
Choosing a tent was definitely one of the most daunting parts of my wedding preparations! There were so many options on the market. Those traditional, plain white canvas marquees always made me feel like I was attending a corporate awards ceremony—lacking any personality.
And while the stretch tents that were all the rage a few years ago had a casual design, I was always worried about their wind and rain protection in bad weather. It wasn’t until I did my research that I finally decided on the Nordic Tipis!
These cone-shaped tents, originating from Northern Europe, are not only stylish and incredibly photogenic, but most importantly, they are extremely sturdy and durable. Their windproof and waterproof performance has been tested in the harsh weather of Northern Europe.
Moreover, the design is ingenious. You can lift all the sides for ventilation and enjoy the summer breeze. Even better, several can be assembled like Lego bricks.
How many large teepee tents are enough? Don’t just focus on aesthetics. You also need to factor in space for dining tables, dance floors, bands, and even mobile bars. To save you time searching everywhere, I’ve directly pasted the tipi wedding tent size and capacity chart I kept in my notes. You can directly copy it based on your guest list:
Number of Tipis | Guest Capacity (with trestle tables) | Recommended Wedding Scenarios |
Single Tipi | 40 – 50 guests | Intimate micro-weddings, cozy rehearsal dinners |
Double Tipis | 80 – 100 guests | Standard mid-sized weddings (one for dining, one for dance floor/ceremony) |
Triple Tipis | 120 – 150+ guests | Large festival-style parties (includes spacious independent bar & lounge areas) |
Step 4: Find and Confirm the Wedding Location
With the tent size chart in hand, the next step is the most exhausting part—finding the venue! When we were choosing a wedding venue in Tipi, we looked at private farms, forest campsites, and spacious lakeside lawns. The scenery was indeed stunning, but don’t let nature’s beauty cloud your judgment.
As a result, the hard-earned lesson from experience tells you: the quality of a venue cannot be judged solely by its appearance! You need to be like a geologist, meticulously checking the flatness of the ground and its drainage. Otherwise, if it rains heavily the day before the wedding, your romantic campsite will instantly turn into a muddy wrestling ground.
You must also physically inspect the route from the parking lot to the main venue, and where to place the portable toilets—something that’s both aesthetically pleasing and convenient.
Step 5: Plan the Tipi Layout and Floor Plan
You need to divide the space into a ceremony area, a static dining and reception area, and a dynamic dance floor area. My experience tells me, never cram the space in!
I recommend placing the dance floor in a central, open area where several tents meet, so that guests at every table can feel the party’s energy. You can also refer to some wedding venue ideas to break with convention.
When planning, it’s crucial to clearly mark emergency exits and ensure that safety facilities such as fire extinguishers are within easy reach yet inconspicuous. I initially used online floor plan tools (like Social Tables or wedding-specific layout software) to create a preliminary draft.
This way, when directing workers to set up large teepee tents on-site, I had the blueprints in hand and could work efficiently and methodically!
Step 6: Organize Power, Lighting, and Heating
Unless your venue has its own high-powered mains electricity, you’ll most likely need to rent a silent generator. Be sure to have a professional electrician calculate the total load and equip the generator with a rain cover.
And in terms of atmosphere, this is the soul of a tipi tent wedding! I strongly recommend using plenty of fairy lights. Combine this with some upward-facing spotlights shining on the wooden frame, and the rustic feel will instantly emerge.
Of course, you also need to consider the perceived temperature. If you’re having a wedding in late autumn or winter, don’t expect everyone to keep warm just by dancing. You’ll need to rent a dedicated industrial heater. If it’s summer, lift all the side curtains for ventilation to ensure your teepee tent party doesn’t turn into a sauna.
Step 7: Design the Tipi Wedding Styling and Décor
Now we’ve arrived at the part that best showcases your aesthetic sense! Since teepee houses for outdoor come with a sturdy log frame and a beige canvas backdrop, there’s no need for excessive, expensive decorations. My suggestion is to prioritize natural textures.
You can cover the floor with coir matting to establish an earthy tone. For furniture, I recommend long, weathered wooden tables paired with folding chairs, casually draped with a few pieces of fur or bohemian fabric. For floral arrangements, avoid overly structured arrangements. You can take advantage of the tent’s height by hanging plenty of greenery and loose wildflowers from the log beams.
Step 8: Arrange Catering and Bar Services
I don’t recommend a very formal, slow-paced French-style meal. In such a relaxed space, people are more inclined to move around and socialize. We considered a vintage-style food truck with a great atmosphere, where freshly made pizzas or roasted meats would fill the air with aroma.
But ultimately, to accommodate our elders, we opted for family-style dining. Everyone passed around the food on large platters like they were having a meal at home, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
As for drinks, feel free to get creative! An open-air mobile bar or a unique self-service station would be much more appealing than a rigid, enclosed bar. As a thoughtful host, be sure to check guests’ allergy information in the reply slip beforehand and prepare alternative menus catering to specific cultural preferences, ensuring everyone enjoys their wedding.
Step 9: Plan Music, Sound, and Entertainment
After the meal, the entertainment is crucial for creating a truly memorable atmosphere. In a semi-open space like a tipi wedding, the music selection is paramount. I was particularly drawn to acoustic performances with a folk vibe, perfect for an afternoon lawn reception.
A word of caution: always rent a high-quality outdoor sound system! Sound dissipates quickly in open spaces, and if the sound system isn’t powerful enough, guests in the back rows might be left disappointed.
Besides music, you also need to provide entertainment for guests who don’t enjoy dancing. I set up a giant Jenga and Lawn Games area on the lawn outside the tent, and everyone had a blast.
Step 10: Prepare for Weather and Backup Plans
Holding an outdoor wedding requires a strong heart, as nature sometimes throws curveballs. While everyone hopes for sunny days, a professional wedding plan always includes a Plan B.
If heavy rain is forecast, make sure your tipi wedding tents have adequate drainage systems. In case of extreme heat, sunshades and concealed misting fans are lifesavers. I also had rain covers on every seat, just in case.
Beyond the hardware, the small details that enhance the guests’ experience truly showcase good taste. I recommend couples prepare a care basket based on the weather forecast. Cashmere blankets are ideal for cool spring and autumn. In the sweltering summer, hand fans or ice buckets filled with ice water are essential.
Don’t forget to replace table cards and vases that are easily blown away with heavier bases. With sufficient preparation, rain or wind won’t ruin your wedding.
Step 11: Create a Tipi Wedding Timeline
You need to piece together all the fragments into a coherent timeline. As the director of this tipi wedding, you need to be aware of what’s happening every minute.
Based on my experience, outdoor weddings have a more relaxed pace than indoor ones. Final venue setup begins at noon. The ceremony takes place at 3 pm in the sunshine outside the tents. This is followed by a two-hour lawn reception. Dinner and the first dance begin promptly at 7 pm inside the tipi wedding tents.
Conclusion
Planning a tipi wedding is indeed a long yet magical adventure. From choosing a location and budgeting to dealing with the weather, every step requires considerable thought. But believe me, when you say “I do” under that unique pointed tent, surrounded by family and friends, all the hard work will instantly transform into the most worthwhile memories.
If you also want to break free from traditional constraints, why not start by choosing the perfect tent? Teepee tents of Glitzcamp can help you bring your crazy and romantic ideas to life. Don’t hesitate, start your wedding planning journey now!
