Festi-Tipi Dreams: Nick and Nikki’s Epic Wānaka Wedding
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!
Hello there, we’re Sarah and Chris – the love struck couple behind Gather & Gold tipis. Sure, we’re pretty into each other but we’re equally obsessed with tipis. It all began many moons ago when planning our own wedding. We were on the hunt for something to make our big day extra special and a big ol’ marquee just didn’t cut the mustard.
After searching far and wide we happened upon the Sami-inspired giant Nordic tipis and were instantly enthralled by their majestic vibe and quality, natural fibres of wood and canvas. Of course, all of our guests were equally impressed and are still going on about it to this day.
Long story short, our wedding day sparked a mission to spread that love to like-minded couples in Queenstown, Wanaka and beyond and a few years later, Gather & Gold was born. Today our tipis bring folks together from all walks of life, whether they’re celebrating a wedding, corporate event, birthday or just because they love tipi parties as much as we do.
Meet your tipi team
Sarah
A creative at heart with an eye for detail and a soft spot for making your day, I’m your go-to for event planning and the voice behind our Insta feed. As a photographer who qualified pre-digital, I have an in-depth understanding of the creative process and would love nothing more than to bring your unique vision to life from hashing out your concept to when the last guest leaves.
Oh and did I mention I love tipis? All in all, I’m pretty sure I have the best job in the world.
Rachel
Rachel is our magic maker, your new best pal and our events co-ordinator. With a love of being out in nature, sewing up her own garments and getting her hands in the dirt in her veggie garden, she also has a secret boujee side. That’s right, you’ll find her on occasions living her best life at home in Christchurch, Pinot Noir in hand, in a hot pink velour juicy couture tracksuit like it’s 2002 (true story). Her passion is going the extra magic-making-mile and ensuring every thoughtful detail is pulled together like a canvas-wrapped dream.
Chris
Chris is one of those Southern men with a heart of gold and snow running through his veins. An ex-pro-freeskier, ski patroller and NZMGA ski guide, he is a genuine mountain man and the bloke in charge of delivering all of our wonderful events in spectacular locations around Queenstown, Wanaka and beyond. After years living between Wanaka and Chamonix, France, we decided to make the final move and bring some Nordic tipis home with us. The rest is magical history.
Liane
Liane is our Operations Manager, your guardian angel and pretty much the queen of everything. From building tipis and designing floor plans to the occasional midnight email blitz, she is forever putting the customer first, offering a myriad of solutions and is there to support folks from the minute they book to pulling the last tent peg out.
Your handy dandy tipi builders
We are a small, family-run business who have built up a wee crew of hand-selected folks who share the same values, attention to detail and love of the good times. Each event requires between three and five pro tipi builders and a few cups of solid coffee.
Our Journal
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!
On a flawless autumn day in Wanaka, love thick in the air, and magic just about oozing out of every nook and cranny. Hannah and
It’s a Tuesday AM and you’re deep-diving through the Insta-abyss, eyes glazed over from the endless parade of cookie-cutter weddings, when—wham!—you smack into a photo