Real weddings – Rosanna and Matt

12th May, 2023

It is time to get to know another amazing Special Event Tipis couple. Let’s hear about Rosanna and Matt who celebrated their Boho, festival inspired Tipi wedding day at High Barn on the Eden Hall Estate last September

To set the stage, it would be fabulous if you could give a little bit of background info about yourselves. Where are you from?
We are both from West Yorkshire, currently residing between Wakefield and Barnsley

Where do you work?
I am a Learning and Development Manager in the Engineering industry and Matt is a Customer Service Advisor for a bank.

What do you love?
We both love holidays, our two dogs, food and relaxing!

How did you meet?
We met at work when I was a waitress and Matt was a chef. Matt also was in the same school year as my sister but we didn’t know that until we met!

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How did you get engaged?
It was in a hot tub in the Yorkshire Dales, overlooking a view of the countryside and Leeds. It was in October 2020 between lockdowns, and we originally were planned to go to Wales but it was cancelled. I love relaxing in the hot tub overlooking a view so it was just perfect!

What made you decide on an outdoor wedding?
We always wanted something rustic and boho to suit our relaxed style. The outdoors is so beautiful, especially in Cumbria where we got married. The views are magnificent!

Tipi over marquee, how did you choose?
It was always going to be a tipi! They are such beautiful, unique structures and they reminded us of many Christmas markets with a fire pit in the middle!

How did you find Special Event Tipis?
They were a recommended supplier by our venue. We had already earmarked them prior to this after extensive searching!

Why did you choose your venue?
We were really keen to have a blank canvas that we could put our own unique stamp on that also had cottage options nearby. We have had some beautiful holidays in Cumbria and the Lake District and the location of the venue had breath-taking views. We knew as soon as we looked round that it was the one

What season did you choose and why?
We wanted to get married on our anniversary (10 th September) and had planned for the date when it was a Saturday. Although some may insist this is Autumn we very much felt it was the perfect end to summer / start of Autumn for the weather being not too hot or cold, and the sun setting later on in the day

How many guests were there?
83 in the day and another 20 or so for the evening

What vibe did you want to create for the day?
Relaxed, festival style. Everyone having fun without a care!

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What were the wedding colours?
Different shades of green for a fauna feel, with dark blue and white to offset the green.

How would you describe your theme and styling?
The flowers were all naturally dried to match the outdoors, autumnal feel and we had wooden signs and easels to give off a festival vibe. As the wedding was very much DIY we homemade a number of our props, including the signs, order of the day and table plan, and table names.

Did this wedding incorporate any special history, hobbies, or passions?
We involved our two dogs on the day as they are our babies! They both walked down the aisle before me and posed for pictures with us before our dog chaperone took them away for the night! We also incorporated our love of travelling with our table names and our table plan; we created a map and polaroid pictures of locations that we have been together, and the table names we all one of these locations

Did you have a first dance?
Yes – Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran (very overused at weddings but it held meaning to us as we danced to it at my sisters wedding when we had just started going out. We merged it with I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran as we often resonate with the song and us being antisocial at times!

What did everyone wear?
Suits, summer outfits and jackets to prepare for any inclement weather! We advised to wear appropriate shoes to allow for outdoors and potentially wet weather

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How did you feed and water your guests?
Our drinks were provided by pop up bar Little Barn Bar, based in North Yorkshire. We were able to choose our own cocktails, beer and wine options for the day and we went with Aperol Spritz and Peroni reception drinks. Our food was courtesy of Homegrown Hospitality – chosen due to their flexibility to create our menu with us. We had ‘snackapes’ to start – a blend of snack and canape that included baked camembert, lamb koftas and arancini. Our main started with an antipasto platter with the most delicious pesto ricotta dip! Followed by a sharing meat platter with dauphinoise potatoes and green beans with pancetta, and our desserts were 6 mini desserts including sticky toffee pudding, pannacotta and strawberry cheesecake. We are big foodies and this was the most important part for us.

How did you entertain your guests?
We bought our own garden games, including inflatable limbo and a football net. We also found a fantastic local steel band to play during the day whilst we were having our photographs and the reception drinks were had. It really encapsulated our vibe and the guests loved it.

Do you have words of wisdom for our future brides and grooms?
Take your time on the day! I was told this by multiple friends who had got married and it really is true. Take 10 minutes just with each other and stand back and enjoy the moment. I would also say to make decisions that are right for you both. It can be easy for others to intervene with opinions but ultimately it is your day and everyone is there for you two.

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Supplier shout our – who helped to make your day magical?
Special Event Tipis – Kate was so helpful throughout the process with hints and tips, supplier recommendations and just generally being a star! The whole team that set up and took down were wonderful too.
Claire Louise Photography – our lovely photographer who came on her birthday just to shoot our special day. She was relaxed and unobtrusive, never making us feel staged and like we were being photographed, just how we wanted
Homegrown Hospitality – for working with us to create our vision and producing the most delicious menu that our guests still talk about now!
Little Barn Bar – for the ease of communication and wonderful drinks service provided throughout. The cocktails went down a treat as did the local ales!
Milnthorpe Steel Band – For playing us through the rain and keeping smiles on their faces throughout, and playing some fantastic tunes!
Keseme Bridal Makeup – For providing the best laughs on the morning and making me feel effortlessly beautiful, and for being a saviour recommending a hair stylist at the last minute.
Greg Malloy Hairdressing (Ashley) – For being available so last minute and working with my extra long extensions and hair piece!
Flowers from my Attic (Jacqui) – For genuinely caring so much about our day, and creating the most beautiful flowers, buttonholes and hairpiece that I still have now.

Have a look at the full wedding album here.

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