Your East Midlands Wedding - Apr/May (Issue 31)

The ultimate must-have for a festival wedding is a tipi but we have lots of guests so would it be large enough? Jodie says: Tipis help to create a celebration space that you can’t help but party in! They interconnect to create one event space, so if you need a little extra room you can simply add on another tipi. For the perfect wedfest, you might not want to join them together and instead have different spaces for different activities. For example, the ‘boozy’ tipi where your bar’s located along with some relaxed seating and the main ‘dance tipi’ with live music. If you want all your guests to be seated at the same time for your meal, then one large space would work better. However, if you’re opting for a more relaxed street food option where guests can grab food when they choose, it gives a little more flexibility to how you want your tipi space to work for you. Meet the expert: Jodie and the team at Sami Tipi love nothing more than helping couples bring their dreams and ideas to life. Jodie Bidder | Tipi expert samitipi.co.uk Glamp it up I love natural looking flowers. What options do I have for a springtime wedding? Samantha says: Greenery is a wonderful addition to any floral design and helps to create a more natural and relaxed look. Foliage comes in different varieties so it’s a great way of adding texture. The most popular springtime faux flowers with our brides are roses in a variety of colours, gerberas for being big and bold, and gypsophila for its natural look and softness. To create a wild and hand-picked appearance, bouquets can be made to look less symmetrical in shape and hand-tied with lace or twine. This finish can also be incorporated into other items, such as buttonholes and corsages. To complete the look, flower crowns are perfect for brides, bridesmaids and flowergirls. Your venue can also be styled with matching blooms and vases or jars decorated with lace or twine and placed on wooden logs to make perfect centrepieces. Meet the expert: Samantha loves working closely with couples to create their perfect flowers and seeing the joy and excitement on their faces when she delivers them. Samantha Chubb | Florist meloliviaflowers.co.uk WILD BLOOMS Perfect bake We’ve decided on a naked cake design to complement our rustic theme, but I’m worried it’ll go dry once it’s displayed. Help! Dawn says: I’d recommend that you use a professional cake designer to make sure that your bake’s dealt with properly and a good sponge is delivered. Naked cakes shouldn’t go dry if they’re only out for the day. They can get a crust, but this wouldn’t normally be served anyway, as edges are usually disposed of when your venue or caterer portion it for serving. I also brush mine with a sugar syrup solution to give the sponge added protection from drying. If you’re still concerned, maybe a slight design alteration would help. If you have a semi-naked cake the outer edges are smeared with buttercream or ganache creating a barrier and preserving the sponge. Choose a supplier with experience of this style and check out their reviews. This way you’ll know you won’t encounter any mishaps or be disappointed on your special day. Meet the expert: Dawn is self-taught with a passion for creativity. She loves what she does and sees it as a hobby; rather than her business. Dawn Wilson | Cake designer thecakestory.co.uk emilyandkaty.co.uk EXPERT ADVICE 89