Fantastic live music, drinks, amazing food, great weather and camping fun.
Just some of the many reasons why festival weddings have become one of the most popular styles of wedding for couples in the UK.
Planning a festival themed wedding is about more than just organising the different sections of the day. The appeal of a festival style wedding is that it can be relaxed, comfortable and enjoyed by everyone.
You can really be yourselves at a festival wedding, creating a perfect atmosphere for guests to be themselves as well.
The truth is, anything goes. There are so many opportunities and festival wedding ideas to stamp your own personality on your day.
Follow our essential festival wedding tips and get some inspiration from our festival wedding ideas.
We will go through all the important parts of festival wedding planning from DIY styling, what clothes you should wear, festival wedding music ideas, the lowdown on tipi’s and festival wedding food and drink inspiration!
Festival Wedding Style Ideas
You can set the scene early when aiming for a festival theme at your wedding.
There are so many options when it comes to wedding stationery and festival wedding invitations. Here is some style inspiration to begin with.
Festival Wedding Invitations
We love DIY wedding invitations, and this is a great opportunity to inform guests about what they have to look forward to.
The festival ‘line up’ style of invite is awesome and really gives your wedding a music festival feel right from the beginning. You can pick your headliners and set up your invite to include the main parts of the day.
This also a great opportunity to name your festival wedding! Your surname + fest + year is always a safe option and it can create that big event feeling. For example, Smithfest 2020!
Lanyards, tickets and wristbands are also great fun and VIP passes can be handed out to give a sense of exclusivity for your festival wedding.
What to Wear to a Festival Wedding?
Festival wedding outfits are a little different to the clothes you would traditionally wear to a wedding.
Guests will often welcome the freedom that comes with attending a festival wedding. Especially when it comes to what they have to wear!
One of the most stressful parts of attending any wedding is in picking your outfit.
With a festival wedding think of it like this. What would you wear to a festival? Approaching it this way makes your clothing choices much easier for your guests.
This could be chilled printed shirts, mirrored sunglasses, possibly a hat and of course some wellington boots or sensible footwear in case of rain.
Often, couples will recommend that their guests bring a change of clothes for festival weddings! If you are in a field all day, it can be smart to plan an outfit change to freshen up.
Festival Wedding Music Ideas & Bands
Live music is such a huge part of festival wedding planning.
Hiring an awesome band to make your festival wedding one to remember should be at the top of your list.
The right band and festival wedding entertainment can help you recreate those warm summer nights spent enjoying laid back acoustic songs. It can also help capture that incredible summer festival atmosphere from your favourite bands.
The rustic style of most festival weddings fits perfectly with festival favourites like Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers. This carefree vibe makes this feel good folk and pop music a perfect addition to a festival wedding.
The best festival wedding bands are able to perform those homely and mellow acoustic tunes as well as a set of the most requested cover songs. These are indie, pop and rock bangers fit for the biggest stages.
For this, we’ve picked two festival and folk style wedding bands that you will definitely want to know about…
The Cave
The perfect fit for any festival wedding, The Cave are the UK’s most in demand wedding band and the guys have amazing musicianship between them.
The talent here is clear to see and The Cave’s set list makes them such a great festival wedding entertainment option for any celebration. The band have everything from Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, James Bay, The Killers and more!
Gentlemen Of The Road
With Gentlemen Of The Road, you are guaranteed a great night of incredible live music for your festival wedding.
Their performance consists of two sets. The first is a fun warm up set of acoustic folk style music and your favourite festival tracks in a stripped back style.
The guys then turn things up a notch for the second set with all the rock and pop classics to fill your dance floor!
Festival Wedding Song Playlist Ideas
These are our top 15 picks for songs to include when you plan a festival wedding.
Bring your festival wedding to life and look for bands that have these festival wedding songs in their set lists!
- Riptide – Vance Joy
- Tompkins Square Park – Mumford & Sons
- Hold Back The River – James Bay
- Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
- Shut Up & Dance - Walk The Moon
- Best Fake Smile – James Bay
- Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
- Paradise - George Ezra
- Lightning Bolt – Jake Bugg
- Half The World Away – Oasis
- Ho Hey – The Lumineers
- I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons
- Hey Brother – Avicii
- Take Me To Church - Hozier
- Place Your Hands – Reef
Festival Wedding Tipis & Tents
Your festival wedding venue choice is important, but it makes sense to pay attention to your festival wedding tipi suppliers.
Many couples will find farm style wedding venues and outside spaces for use on their big day. What makes or breaks these festival wedding venues though is your choice of tipi tent.
We spoke to the experts at Cheshire Tipi Company to find out everything to do with wedding tipis, how to hire a tipi tent for your festival wedding and much more.
Why are tipis so popular for festival weddings in the UK?
Tipis are much more unique than the standard outdoor event. They create a very warming and chilled environment!
The tipi is so versatile, you can dress it elegantly for a wedding and then more festival like and chilled for the festival wedding season.
Do you have any festival décor ideas for a tipi wedding?
Festival wedding ideas can include decoration such as bunting, fairy lights, festoon lighting look stunning.
Consider ivy around the poles and a chill out area with the open fire pit in the centre, alongside cartwheel lights, tables, benches and lanterns.
How much does hiring a tipi tent for a wedding cost?
Hiring a tipi for a wedding in the UK costs anywhere from £3,500 up to £9,000, dependant on size.
How much space do you need for a tipi?
Again, dependent on size but for 3 in a row, we allow 140ft x 40ft – allowing extra space for pegging out.
A 2-hat tipi would be 95ft x 40ft and the 1-hat would be 40ft x 40ft (the extra space for the bigger formations is due to the linking kits.)
There is also the tipi in the triangle formation, you would need 100ft x 100ft for this, again to allow for extra space to peg out!
How do you make sure the ground is suitable for a tipi?
When we do the site visit in the initial stages of planning, we just look to ensure the ground is flat and big enough for the tipi install.
But in preparation for the event for the client, it is very minimal – just ensuring the situated area is mowed, flat and to the specific size required for the formation.
How many people does a tipi hold?
A 1-hat tipi holds 50-70 seated, 2-hat tipis hold 100-120 seated and a 3-hat holds 200-220 seated.
Any other tips for someone planning a festival wedding?
Ensure the atmosphere is relaxed, all about the wedding entertainment and to have fun!
Tipis are so unique and fun, so look for festival wedding ideas that match this! Have a ‘chill out area’, street food, multiple music acts and dress it as you wish with some of the recommended festival wedding accessories.
Festival Wedding Food & Drink Ideas
Your festival wedding to do list will almost certainly have food and drink placed on it.
If you are planning a festival wedding, you will have freedom in many aspects of your planning process.
Holding your wedding at a festival wedding venue will sometimes mean that caterers aren’t already provided. This should be one of the questions to ask your wedding venue. If not, this can mean that you have the freedom and opportunity to serve something different and special for your day.
Festival wedding food can take many different forms, but it usually has similarities in the way that it should be simple and homely.
Comfort food wins here and you can really get in touch with nature but using locally sourced ingredients and suppliers at your wedding.
Different styles of street food are great for the informality of a festival wedding. You will often find these in different food trucks or vans! Think pizza, burgers, hog roasts or even cuisine from different nations. Tasty, simple food makes for happy guests.
Festival Wedding Photography
Your choice in wedding photographer will reflect your overall ethos for your festival wedding.
A laid back and relaxed vibe is usually the way with festival weddings, so it is important to find a photographer who shares your vision!
Unposed and ‘documentary’ style wedding photography works really well here. Fun festival atmosphere and live music means that you can remove some of the traditional elements of how wedding photography normally runs and have a more chilled day.
Go a step further and opt to embrace social media on your wedding day instead of shunning it.
It is a common debate as to whether couples should ask their guests to ‘unplug’ at their weddings and abstain from posting photos publicly, or if guests are given the green light to create their own digital memories.
Festival weddings are a perfect place to allow guests the freedom to take and share photos. Of course, you can have your own wedding hashtag and ensure all guests photos and up in the same place! This way, you will get a true idea of how the day played out for all your friends and family.
For more wedding entertainment ideas and help in booking the perfect acts for your event, visit Warble Entertainment.
Published by Warble Entertainment, where entertainment lives.
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