Hold onto your flower crowns and glitter, folks, because we’re about to spill the tea on a wedding that’s giving us all the festival feels! Imagine swapping a traditional chapel for a sprawling paddock, trading formalities for boho vibes, and dancing the night away in magical Nordic tipis.
Sounds like a dream, right? Well, Nick and Nikki turned that dream into reality, and it’s the kind of epic love story that might just inspire Ed Sheeran’s next hit.
Their adventure kicked off after an unforgettable wedding in the UK, where they stayed in little tipis and soaked up all those festival feels. It wasn’t just a weekend getaway—it was their “Eureka!” moment.
Back home in New Zealand, they knew a cookie-cutter wedding wasn’t their jam. So, they transformed Nick’s parents’ place in Wānaka into the ultimate festival ground.
From locking in a band that got even Gran busting a move to hiring luxury loos because, let’s be honest, no one wants to rough it on the big day—they thought of everything. And we can’t forget their adult mates stepping in as flower girls, prancing around and tossing confetti like they’re on the main stage at Glastonbury.
But hey, enough from us. Let’s hand it over to Nick and Nikki to spill all the juicy details about their unforgettable day that’s giving us some serious #WeddingGoals.
Where did your love affair with tipi weddings begin?
“We went to a friend’s wedding in the UK where we got to stay in little tipis, and the idea to have festival vibes kind of imprinted from there. When we agreed we were going to have the wedding at Nick’s parents’ place in Wānaka, we were looking for ideas to make it something more than just another marquee in a paddock. We stumbled across your tipis and thought, ‘Amazing!'”
Your wedding day is one of the most special moments of your life, and having the right vendors can make all the difference. Can you share with us who your must-have vendors were and why these folks were so important to you?
“When we started out, we agreed we needed a great venue, great music, and great food.
We wanted to have shared platters at tables so that our guests didn’t have to queue up for food. We had some really outstanding food and service provided by Smoke’n’Barrel, who came all the way from Christchurch and catered to everyone’s needs. We also had some delicious cakes made by White Rabbit, which were so good.
Luckily for us, Nick’s godbrother is a musician, and his band Sea Beast are pros at playing bangers that get all ages up and dancing. So we locked them in and had everyone, including Gran, boogying until the early hours.
We also wanted a celebrant who could bring the happy, fun vibes while also weaving a bit of te reo Māori into the ceremony to reflect my whānau and background. We found Philippa Thomas online, and she absolutely made our ceremony. She was a perfect balance of laughs and love, and so many of our guests commented on how amazing she was.
I also said if we were having an outdoor wedding, there was no way all my older rellies were going to the toilet in portaloos, so they needed to be decent as well! We went with Luxury Portaloos Wānaka, and they were fab—even nicer than some venue toilets!
We also got a lot of furniture from Wānaka Wedding Hire to add to the outdoorsy festival vibe, and all the practical stuff from Wānaka Party Hire, both of whom were great to deal with.”
From the breathtaking decor to the emotional moments, we’re sure your wedding was filled with countless unforgettable memories made under the canvas. But tell us, what was your favourite moment of the day, and why did it leave such a lasting impression on you?
“There were so many amazing moments, from the vows in the garden to the speeches right when the sun was setting. But probably our favourite time that day was heading out for photos with our bridal party to take pictures with our also awesome photographer Ryan. It was just lots of fun to have a bit of downtime with our friends before heading back into wedding chaos.”
We know that it’s the little things that make a wedding truly magical. So spill, what was your favourite small detail at your tipi wedding, and how did it add to the overall vibe of the day?
“The dance floor package was definitely fantastic, and the unusually cold weather kept everyone boogying just to keep warm. The lights and disco ball added to the fun of it all. Combined with the band and the DJs, we carried on into the wee hours.”
They say laughter is the best medicine, and we live for the giggles here at G&G! What was your most hilarious moment on your wedding day?
“The flower girls were a couple of our (adult) mates, and when they came out prancing around and throwing confetti, it really set the mood for the rest of the day. Obviously, there are a few serious moments during a wedding, but they set the vibe, and we just carried on from there!”
We know planning a wedding can be stressful, but with your tipi wedding behind you, you’re an expert now! Looking back, what advice would you give to future tipi couples?
“We took this advice from friends, but at the very beginning, we sat down together and identified three non-negotiable things each that we really wanted to have in our wedding. Once we had those out in the open, we sort of just worked around those, and it made it easier to prioritise or cut things that were nice but not necessary for us.
Also, you can never have too many drinks! We had a tennis tournament the next day as a wind-down event, so it was actually useful to have a lot of leftover bevvies—it was actually the non-alcs we ran out of the fastest. So I would say make sure you think about those if you’re self-catering!”
Finally, we would be delighted if you could share your experience working with us here at Gather & Gold. Did we meet your expectations, and would you recommend our tipis to other brides and grooms?
“We would definitely recommend a tipi to anyone looking for an epic venue for their wedding! The tipi and the lighting added that extra magical feeling, especially when it started getting dark. Rachel, Sarah, and the team were also fantastic to work with, and their super happy and excited vibes added to the excitement in the lead-up to the big day!”
Awh shucks, thanks guys! We’re so stoked to have been a part of what was such a special day.
So, if you’re scrolling through Pinterest boards and binge-watching “Say Yes to the Dress” while secretly dreaming of a wedding that’s more “Woodstock chic” than “white wedding” maybe it’s time to think outside the box—or rather, outside the chapel!
Tipi weddings are where it’s at (if we do say so ourselves), bringing that unbeatable combo of laid-back vibes and breathtaking visuals that’ll have your guests talking for years.
Ready to turn those wedding dreams into reality? Slide into Sarah’s DMs at Gather & Gold, or better yet, give us a bell—we’re lovers of talking all things romance and Nordic tipis.
