Planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding

Planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding will be rich with rewards, leaving you with memories of a day full of personality and steeped in family history. Need proof? Just take a look at the images of Suzie and Charlie’s Sperry Wedding, beautifully executed by Wonderlust Events and Boutique Marquees.

Suzie and Charlie had planned to get married in France. However, after the year’s twists and turns and the changing travel restrictions owing to Covid, they decided to change their plans and instead, get married at home in a Sperry Tent on Charlie’s family farm in Hampshire.

The change in plans meant that Holly and the team at Wonderlust Events had to not only cancel the wedding in France but also, plan an at-home Sperry wedding in a nail-biting period of 8 weeks. Rising to the challenge and proving Wonderlust Events’ professionalism, resilience and flexibility, the images of Suzie and Charlie’s at home Sperry Wedding show how they pulled it off with great aplomb and beautiful and awe-inspiring results.

Wonderlust Events – a truly personal service

Holly established Wonderlust Events over 5 years ago. Limiting herself to a maximum of 8 weddings per year to ensure she delivers each wedding to the very highest standards. The results of the weddings speak for themselves (just take a look at Wonderlust Events Instagram), but the personal, no-compromise service is what gives Wonderlust Events clients a truly bespoke experience.

Getting Married in the great outdoors

80% of the weddings Wonderlust Events plan are destination weddings. With the Maldives, Italy and France being just some of the areas that Holly and her team are lucky enough to plan their beautifully romantic weddings.

The remaining 20% of their weddings are UK based, and to date, have all been outdoor weddings, with the majority being held at their client’s family homes. Perhaps this is because, for those who love the outdoors, it is easy to see why they’d be drawn to the Wonderlust Events aesthetic. The dreamy French vineyard ceremonies and the Italian banquet-style dining depicted on their website and social media platforms are enough to lure even the most patriotic amongst us. But, for those stalwarts who wish to celebrate in the great British Countryside, whilst bringing some of those European outdoor influences to their at-home weddings, they need to look no further than Wonderlust Events.

Choosing the perfect location for your Sperry Tent Wedding

It seems that over the years, it is often the outdoor weddings held at venues that prove to be the most challenging. Restrictions and stipulations mean that sometimes, compromises in design and budget are essential. However, when planning an at-home Sperry Tent wedding, the landowner is the client. They’re therefore more invested in the outcome, and as a result, are more flexible when it comes to logistics.

The practicalities of the Sperry Tent’s positioning or decisions on access and trackway can be made without having to consider how this may affect the venue. At-home weddings often also have the flexibility of a larger budget, thanks to the venue fees they have saved by planning their Sperry Wedding at home.

From Surrey to the sandy shores of Mexico

Whilst based in Surrey, Holly and the Wonderlust team are lucky enough to travel the world delivering exquisite weddings for their clients. Predominantly based in Europe, Holly cites Marrakesh and lesser-known areas in Mexico as being on her dream destination wedding planning wish list. She loves nothing more than bringing cultural elements into her planning and finding unique and quirky locations for her clients to create a wedding experience that’s truly unique and memorable.

Whilst Holly draws upon her experiences and uses international elements to influence her at-home weddings, she also encourages couples to use their personalities and history to add unique touches to their wedding day.

Where to start when planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding

Whilst planning Suzie and Charlie’s at home Sperry Tent Wedding, Holly was lucky enough to have the beautiful setting of Charlie’s family farm and far-reaching views of the idyllic Hampshire countryside to work with.

To ensure guests were wowed for all the right reasons, preliminary planning was required. The remote rural setting for the Sperry Tent needed to be flat, with closely cut grass and the open hill-top location protected. All this, whilst still allowing for the magnificent views.

As it was, Suzie and Charlie’s wedding day was a positively tropical 30 degrees, meaning that the Sperry Tent sides could be raised for uninterrupted views and guests could bathe in the balmy weather whilst celebrating the outdoor ceremony.

Holly is also keen to consider the essential but less aesthetically pleasing elements of a wedding. Ensuring that the amenities, such as catering tent, toilets and generators are hidden from view behind the tent as much as possible and don’t impact the overall look of the Sperry Tent.

 

Wonderlust Event’s experience of Planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding

Is this the first Sperry Tent Wedding you have done?

Yes, I have worked in sailcloth tents before and frame marquees, as well as more traditional marquees. However, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to plan a wedding in a Sperry Tent.

What do you like about planning a Sperry Wedding?

I love the clean crisp canvas of the Sperry Tent and how different they look from other tents and marquees in terms of their silhouette and softer, oyster-coloured canvas.

They truly are a blank canvas, with the clean lines, ropes and poles giving them a traditional and authentic feel that nods to their nautical heritage.

Unlike some of the more structured marquees and frame tents, the Sperry Tents look beautiful even when empty.

3 words to describe a Sperry Tent?

Modern, but traditional and homely – inside they have the inviting warmth of home.

Is there anything you would do differently? Pearls of wisdom/learnings?

Budget allowing, I would dress the Sperry Tent poles with foliage, to give the illusion of indoor trees. Not only does this bring the outside in, but it makes even more of a feature of the poles. Also, dressing from the floor up makes the most of the height and space inside the Sperry Tent.

Boutique Marquees

Have you worked with Boutique before and what was it like working with Boutique Marquees?

Boutique Marquees are always brilliant to work with. They’re a very family orientated company and they care about their clients as much as we do. Communication is always great too, which makes all the difference when planning a wedding and allows any issues to be rectified straight away.

Sperry Tent Style & Design

How to make a Sperry Tent wedding memorable and stand out (for all the right reasons)

Florals – the more florals there are, really helps to accentuate the relaxed and informal outdoor wedding look. They can also help to make a tent interior unique and personal to the client, and aside from lighting, really are the main décor to include in the wedding design.

Lighting can also be used to create an impact. With clients loving festoon lights and more recently we’ve seen couples opt for chandeliers inside their tents and marquees, to refine and elevate their guest’s experience.

Table Plans & Layout

Tables, round tables or long tables? What are you seeing more of and what do you prefer?

Suzie and Charlie’s wedding table layout was comprised of all round tables, including a round top table. Round tables give a very classic and traditional look to the overall design scheme, whilst creating a sociable space for guests to dine.

I personally love the aesthetic of long banquet style tables – but this is most likely owing to the vast majority of destination weddings we do and is a nod to the Italian banquet-style dining which I love.

Planning an at-home wedding post-covid

It’s early days, but what are the biggest post Covid planning changes you have seen?

Being flexible is paramount when it comes to wedding planning in general. No time has this been truer than 2020 and 2021 when being flexible has been the key to the successful delivery of every event we’ve planned. We’ve seen numbers go up and down owing to guests cancelling and then some deciding to join in the celebrations at the last minute.

However, one of the hardest things this year has been couples changing their minds because of the amount of time they’ve had to plan their weddings. Since they started planning (some as long as 4 years ago), trends and their tastes have changed. What they wanted when they embarked on their wedding planning journey is very different to what they want now. This has meant that we have had to change design schemes and logistics in line with the client’s preferences.

Wonderlust Event’s Top Tips for Planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding

When to start planning the wedding and get in touch with a planner?

I would say no more than 18 months. For the reasons cited above, we won’t be opening our books to clients for 2023 until Jan 2022. Any longer and the early days of planning are often deemed redundant, due to the changing trends, clients’ tastes and circumstances in the years that precede their weddings.

However, it is important to consider venue availability as a priority. If your venue is a popular choice and often gets fully booked, you may want to secure this before moving forward with the planning of the rest of your day.

Have you seen any emerging trends and what would you like to see more of?

The last-minute, but very welcome addition of live music has been a repeating trend we’ve seen whilst planning weddings this year. Couples want to give their guests a life experience and live music can add to the atmosphere and ambience of an event.

Also, we’ve seen a rise in the importance of table-scaping amongst our couples. Whilst beautiful tables are something of a priority for Wonderlust Event planning, it has become a priority for our clients too, with more emphasis and care being put into the choice of glassware, beautiful linens and personalised stationery.

How to choose your suppliers?

It depends on the different types of suppliers. Photographers, for example, can come under different categories – fine art, editorial, boho and artistic photography. Once my couples have determined their preferred photographic style, I will then short-list three photographers for them to choose from, suggesting they speak to the photographers in person before committing.

For florists, again, I would suggest looking at three and then making a decision based on the florist’s quotes and initial proposals to ensure they’re in keeping with their budget and personal style.

It’s all in the detail

Which details make all the difference?

I would always recommend investing in a photographer. Your wedding day photographs will remain with you forever. A good photographer will capture the essence of your day so that you can look back through your albums and relive the memories.

Also, table-scaping. Tablescapes can demonstrate your personality and set the tone for the day. During the first lockdown, we launched Tablescapes in a Box – allowing others to enjoy the delights of table-scaping and inject personality into entertaining at home.

And finally, entertainment. from a 6-piece band to a DJ or soloist, the right entertainment can make an event and create the desired atmosphere,

Best wedding party favour ideas?

Edible table plans have become something of a USP for Wonderlust Events. We were once set the challenge of incorporating lollypops into a client’s design scheme. We wanted to fulfil the clients brief, whilst still keeping the event stylish and avoiding additional clutter on the tables. By incorporating guests’ names and table numbers into the lollies and encouraging the guests to find their name amongst a meadow of edible ‘lolly’ flowers, this added, not only to the look of the day, but also the guest’s experience.

From then on, we have repeatedly been asked by clients to create their own unique ‘edible table plan’ and whilst very niche, it has become something of a creative challenge for us to relish with every commission.

Suzie & Charlie’s Sperry Tent Wedding Profile:

• Venue: At home Sperry Tent Wedding on Charlie’s Family Farm
• Location: Hampshire Petersfield
• Planner: Holly at Wonderlust Events
• Sperry Tent Partner: Boutique Marquees
• Photographer: Anneli Marinovich Photography
• Florist: Bloomologie Flowers
• Caterer: Tapenade Catering
• Sperry Size: 12 x 34 Sperry Tent
• Guest no.: 135
• Furnishings: Round Tables with Cross-Back Chairs, Hanging Floral Installation, Bamboo Rattan Lounge Chairs with Bales.

With huge thanks to Holly of Wonderlust Events for being a part of this blog and sharing her experience of planning an at-home Sperry Tent Wedding. And, to Suzie and Charlie and Anneli Marinovich Photography for kindly sharing images from this stunning Sperry Wedding by Boutique Marquees.

Visit our Gallery for more stunning Sperry Tent events like this one.