How much does a tipi wedding cost
How much does a Tipi Wedding Cost
So you and your partner are now engaged and you’re planning your dream wedding. One of the first things you’ll realise is all the different types of weddings and wedding packages you can have. You can hire a big manor house, hotel, large function room, marquees and of course a giant hat tipi. There really are so many different ways that you can celebrate your special day. Once you’ve decided on what you really like and let’s be honest, its an outdoor tipi wedding. The next question you ask is, how much does a tipi wedding cost? We will be very transparent here and just say there is no such thing as a cheap tipi wedding, no incredible wedding is cheap these days.
So, how much does a tipi wedding cost?
- Firstly, you will not regret an outdoor tipi wedding!
- The cost of a tipi wedding is normally a lot cheaper than most wedding venues that come close to being anything like a tipi wedding.
- Hiring just the tipi for a wedding can cost anywhere from £1500 – £10,000+
- Hiring a tipi and everything that makes a tipi wedding happen is really down to you. Please read our guide below.
So what would £5000 get you. This price would typically get you a couple of tipis with matted flooring, lighting, tables, chairs, dance floor and a fire pit. £10,000+ basically means the price is endless, you could keep adding to a tipi wedding and there are tipi hire companies out there that put together weddings that run into the 10’s of thousands.
So basically the cost of a tipi wedding will depend on you. You can DIY the entire wedding and save on costs, you can get companies to do everything and spend thousands of pounds (it’s up to you). There is no fixed price for a tipi wedding.
What costs are involved when booking a tipi wedding
With any wedding, whether it’s a tipi wedding or a marquee wedding. There are always costs involved. For example, food, drink, flowers, stationery, tables, chairs, decorations and the list goes on and on. When hosting a tipi wedding, there are costs involved that you may have not thought about. Things like:
- The actual tipis themselves
- Flooring
- Lighting
- Generator
- Toilets
- Heating (winter tipi wedding)
- Space for caterers
- A field to host the tipi wedding
- Walkways and lighting
- Food and drinks
- Water
- Fridge / Ice
- Decorations
So as you can see from the list above, a tipi wedding is literally building your dream wedding from scratch. This gives you all the freedom in the world to create that incredible dream tipi wedding. This is what makes a tipi wedding very unique and extremely exciting for you.
What will effect the cost of a tipi wedding
As with any wedding, the biggest factor that with change the cost of a tipi wedding is the number of guests you want to have at your special day/evening. If you are thinking of having a small tipi wedding with one tipi then the cost would be considerably lower than if you plan on having 300 guest and 5 tipis at your wedding. The smaller number of guests at your tipi wedding the less space you will need, so the price would come down.
All approx numbers:
Giant Hat Tipi x 2 – 80 seated / 120 standing
Giant Hat Tipi x 3 – 120 seated / 150 standing
Giant Hat Tipi x 4 – 180 seated / 220 standing
Giant Hat Tipi x 5 – 250 seated / 300 standing
You can also add a small tipi (baby hat) onto your tipi hire package for a small outdoor seating area, covering for an outdoor bar or even a covering for a band.
A big factor that will change the cost for a tipi wedding is the venue that you wish to host the tipi wedding at. If you have or know someone that has a field to host the tipi wedding then that would bring the costs down a little bit. If you need a field or a venue to situate the tipis then this will increase the cost of a tipi wedding. Most tipi venues offer different packages. Some venues have toilets and power on site, other require you to supply a generator and the toilets. Some tipi wedding venues offer to source the generator and toilets for you. It’s all about finding that perfect place to have the tipi wedding that suites. All these things are something to take into consideration when comparing the site and finding that overall price of your tipi wedding.
How much does a venue or field cost to hire for a tipi wedding? Approx £1000 – £5000.
Not all tipi wedding venues will be the same or offer the same package. A field that costs around £1000 will just be a very basic field ready for you to turn into something special. If you are looking to save on the cost of a tipi wedding, then this option will be perfect for you and your budget.
Your budget may be a little higher for a tipi venue so a more established outdoor wedding venue may be perfect for you. The cost of an outdoor wedding venue may be a little higher but fit within your costing perfectly. A more established tipi wedding venues may offer some things that you might have needed to hire such as toilets and power. Some tipi wedding venues will even offer a support package for the build up, set up and on the day of the wedding.
Making a tipi wedding happen
There are some key elements you need to think about when organising a tipi wedding. Obviously the tipis, but you’ll need to think about key items like toilets, generator, water, bins, parking etc. Some tipi wedding venues offer onsite water and this is one less thing to worry about. If you’re using a field for a tipi wedding then water would need to be supplied either in bottles or in large containers. You can also rent a water bowser for larger tipi weddings.
How much does it cost to hire a generator for a tipi wedding?
You will need a generator to power your entire wedding if the site doesn’t have power. Without a generator you can’t have a tipi wedding. The cost to hire a generator for a tipi wedding will depend on how many vendors and the amount of things you have to power. You need to power the tipi lights, catering equipment, toilets, DJ or band equipment. You can go with an outdoor wedding and event generator hire company that can offer you a full package once you tell them what you will be powering. This package will normally include a generator, distribution board, 3 pin power sockets, fuel to last the wedding, delivery and collection if needed.
“The cost to hire a generator for a tipi wedding would be around £500 – £1000+ depending on your location and requirements”.
How much does it cost to hire toilets for a tipi wedding?
The toilet hire cost for a tipi wedding will depend on your preference. We would highly recommend hiring a luxury toilet over the ugly looking portaloos. Plus you wouldn’t want to use one when you’re wearing a wedding dress. All luxury toilet units come in different sizes and styles. Your budget will be the deciding factor on how luxury you end up going. You will need to consider if you need disabled access or even baby changing facilities. The luxury toilet unit normally comes with hand wash, toilet paper, hand towel or dryer and sometimes makeup accessories and sprays.
How much is it to hire a toilet for a tipi wedding? around £300 – £800+.
One big thing people over look is insurance, tipi wedding insurance is very important and so is normal wedding insurance. Your insurance will need to cover the tipis, and all other equipment you’re hiring for the wedding day. The generator, toilets, extra lighting are all exposed to the elements and people, these will all need to be covered by insurance.
So the cost to hire a tipi for a wedding would always come down to the number of guess you are having on the day/evening. Ultimately you will need to make sure that you and your guests have enough comfortable space to eat food, party and drink.
This is where we come in. We can provide you with the most important part about an outdoor tipi wedding; tipis, flooring, lighting, tables, chains, fire pit and a dance floor. We can also help design the layout so you can add in extra element such as a bar, photo booth, staging for a band and many more options. We find that hiring a bar on a truck or trailer that can be positioned outside really helps with space and costs. An outdoor bar also creates a perfect atmosphere for guests to enjoy the weather and atmosphere in the evening.
The cost to hire a tipi for a wedding would be approximately £2000-£2500 per tipi and this would include flooring, fairy lights, tales and chairs, a dance floor and fit pit. If you hire more than one tipi the cost for the second tipi would come down slightly and third and forth etc. So this is why the main factor about how much a tipi wedding costs is always down to the guest numbers.
Depending on how you plan to feed your guest, you may find that you need to hire an additional tipi or catering tent for the caterers. The cost to hire a catering tent or catering tipi for a tipi wedding would be around £750.
Food! The best part and one of the most costly things.
Ok, so you now have the tipis and space figured out. Next you need to know how much it’s going to cost to feed these hungry people (day and night). Most people who hire a tipi for a wedding will normally hire a food truck as this fits into the theme of an outdoor tipi wedding. Some of our couples opt for the more traditional sit down 3 course meal. This again is totally down to you and your budget. The food truck doesn’t require a catering tipi or tent but the 3 course sit down meal will definitely require a catering area for prepping food.
The typical cost to feed your guest at a tipi wedding using a food truck would be around £10-£30 per head depending on the food choice. And the typical cost for a sit down 3 course meal can be anywhere from £50-£100+ per head. So, this again will be a big factor in how many tipis you need and how many guests you invite. Don’t forget the evening food like pizza, burgers, chips or similar.
How much does it cost to hire a bar for a tipi wedding?
This will depend on where your venue is and if it’s just a field or a tipi wedding venue. Some tipi wedding venues offer a bar service within the package and some give you complete free roam. Obviously, if you have chosen to host your tipi wedding in a field then you will either need a bar set up inside the tipis or hire a mobile bar that will be on a trailer or a truck conversion.
Some options to consider for hiring a bar for a tipi wedding:
DIY/BYOB (bring your own beer) – You can provide beers, wines, spirits and mixer yourself. Remember, you’ll still need an area for pouring and a fridge. You will also need someone to check on it every now and then.
Hire a bar – You can hire a bar and staff to serve drink to your guests. There are plenty of companies that offer bar service for a tipi wedding. You would just need to add a bar, fridge or fridge trailer into the tipi for them.
Hire a bar truck or trailer (least hassle) – Hiring a bar truck for a tipi wedding is one of the most popular option for most people. The truck drives up and sets up next to the tipis. They then serve all your guests for the day and evening. They have their own fridge, ice machine, sink and then once they’re finished the simply drive off. The no hassle and cheapest bar option.
There are plenty of option to mess around with when it comes to the bar and providing drinks. One more option would be to provide all the welcome drinks in a big barrel, troff, large container and then have the bar serve all the guests for the rest of the day and evening.