Boho Loves: Timber and Canvas – Show Stopping Wedding Tipis

Tipi weddings have been one of my favourite kind of weddings ever since I worked on my first one over 6 years ago, as a wedding planner. They provide a unique look, a rustic feel and can offer so much more variety than a normal marquee of standard wedding venue. Today I would like to introduce you to a fabulous wedding tipi company called Timber and Canvas, who have a real passion for what they do. They love tipi’s so much that they set up their own tipi company. These Tipi’s are all british made and come with a whole host of wedding day accessories. From bar ideas, to styling, to crockery to furniture, all of which have been sourced here in the UK. They are based in Manchester but cover the whole of the UK and Northern Island.

We do show-stopping wedding tipis, made in the UK from handsome timber poles and beautiful, natural canvas. But not only do we supply gorgeous tents… our catalogue is packed with reclaimed furniture, handbuilt by our skilled craftsmen, iconic tableware from British manufacturers, gorgeous styling touches and all the behind-the-scenes bits and pieces that ensure your wedding looks as good indoors as it does out.

We asked Jude for more information about Timber and Canvas

What made you start your business
We absolutely fell in love with the tipis the first time we saw them. The space is so unique and the atmosphere is unlike anything you’ll ever get in any other marquee structure out there. It was other people’s reactions to the tipis that made us think that it would be a great business to be in, not to mention the bucket-loads of experience we have in putting on events. When we realised that there was a company right here in the UK making the tents, that was the moment it clicked, and we really went for it.

When did you start your business
We started in 2014, so we have got a couple of seasons under our belt. This year’s going to be a really big one for us, with events all over the country, very exciting plans to add a new structure to our catalogue, as well as converting a milk float into a bar. Needless to say, we’ve got plenty on our plate!

Where are you based
Our base is in Greater Manchester, meaning we are perfectly placed to get right up north, with great access for the main routes down south.

What sort of geographical area do you cover
We cover the whole of mainland UK as well as Northern Ireland

What were you doing before
I was working in event and artist management, and worked in France and Europe – Marty, the site manager, was working in film production all over the world. Those backgrounds give us amazing experience in being able to visualise and plan for big events, no fear when it comes to trying something brave, and quick feet in response to problems. When it comes to clever lighting, atmospheric entrances and interiors, and big, beautiful events, we’re not short of know-how to share with our customers. We are backed up by a great team, including our beardy carpenter, Sam and our super-connected marketing machine, Lyz.

How would you describe your style
Our tipis are proudly Made in Britain, a stone’s throw from our northern HQ. To compliment our UK-made tents, we have built up a catalogue of British industrial design, from our handmade reclaimed furniture and Falcon Enamelware tableware ranges to classic manufacturing like our Kilner glassware and Sheffield Steel cutlery, and striking materials like recycled glass and Highland sheepskins. Our style is all about mixing modern trends with traditional and carefully sourced materials, all with our goal of supporting home-grown manufacturing where we can.

What makes you different to your competitors
We’ve flipped the rustic origins of the tipi on its head, to offer a catalogue with an edge. We’re not just able to provide this amazing structure, we also supply tableware and hand-built furniture for hire that you won’t get anywhere else. So, when you’re planning your event, you don’t need to deal with a hundred suppliers, just with us.
We are on a mission to be a leading provider of unusual structures made with natural materials, like timber and canvas. Our event sized tipis are just the start of this journey. Another super unique structure will be unveiled this year, ready for 2017 bookings. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.

What do you enjoy most about your job
We have travelled all over the world, but we always end up pining for home. Being countryside lovers as well as mad keen campers/road trippers, getting to travel up and down the country and finding all the hidden corners we never knew existed is what we absolutely love about the job. Sometimes the places that our customers find are really close to their heart and there’s an extra special reason they’re using it for their wedding or event. Being able to put on something beautiful in that area for them is such a treat. It really makes us appreciate our spectacular landscape and the wonderful people inside it.

What sort of couple do you think you attract
Couples who love the tipis but who are maybe looking for a different way to style them. Traditionally the interior styling of event tipis has been very rustic and basic, but we don’t think it has to be and neither do the couples who come to us. Couples who are going for a tipi wedding are normally pretty adventurous and don’t mind getting stuck in – so we’ve got the perfect combination of stand-out design and a tribute to the outdoors to offer them.

What would be your ideal wedding to work on
Of course, we love weddings in beautiful locations – Kent hop farms, Welsh cliff tops, Midland hillsides – but we also love weddings with big ideas; weddings where there is a ton of the couple’s personality and where they’ve gone to town on creating something memorable for their guests, like a festival wedding or a circus-style wedding. We really love weddings where it’s not just about the bride and the groom, but about having fun with the people coming to celebrate with them too.

Can you give me some information on your pricing structure
Our most popular items are our amendable packages, where you can combine your tipis, your flooring, tables and benches, a bar, a dancefloor, lighting and set-up for one set fee. This ends up saving you lots of money on individual list prices. A two-tipi package for up to 120 people starts from £3900.00 (+VAT). And we think it makes planning easy peasy too.

What is your ideal way to spend a day off
We don’t get many days off, but when we do, we are usually outdoors, pretending we all have dogs. Marty can be found growing vegetables, building something unusual, or carefully alphabetising his tool shed, and Jude will be riding her bike along the moors, probably in the rain. The crew can usually be retrieved from the pub at closing time, if we’re lucky.

If you weren’t running your business, what would you be doing
It would be a toss-up between farm or outdoors work, and working on new film/event projects. Almost certainly we would have run away to New Zealand.

Do you have any new or upcoming products
We have a couple of new ranges being developed in 2016 – including our new outdoor structure for hire (made of timber and canvas, of course), and, not forgetting… our milk float bar! Watch this space!

To find out more about Timber and Canvas

www.timberandcanvas.com / FACEBOOK / @timberandcanvas / [email protected] / PINTEREST / I: timberandcanvas
0333 006 5222 / www.timberandcanvas.com/party-planning-wedding-ideas-blog/

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