Beautiful Wedding Four Tipi Build in Pontypridd, South Wales

Admittedly, there has been a lot of talk about festival builds on this blog, maybe a bit too much… But they seem to dominate our schedule every summer, and it’s easy to forget that not everything we do involves muddy fields and thumping music long into the night. Last year, we had the pleasure of putting together something a little different - a wedding for a lovely couple in Pontypridd, a local town nestled in South Wales, about ten miles north of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. This particular build was no small feat. In fact, it turned out to be one of our biggest gigs of the year, with us having to bring almost every bit of kit we owned. As you could imagine, that carried a fair bit of apprehension among the crew, especially as it landed near the tail end of the summer season, when energy levels were dwindling to say the least. Still, despite the fatigue, what we managed to create was, in our opinion, one of the best builds we’ve ever done, ending the last wedding of the season sky high.

No size too big

Now, that’s not to say everything went all nice and dandy. Unlike the wide, open fields that most of our festival work tends to occupy, this particular event was set in the bride’s parents’ back garden - a beautiful space which required the crew to really get their thinking caps on. Space was limited due to the number of structures the clients desired, making access tight, with every inch having to be considered carefully. That meant our plan for setting up the four Tipis (in a configuration we’d never attempted before), plus a stretch tent and a service tent (our trusty gazebo), had to be on the money. There was zero room for error. Thankfully, our detailed planning and the team’s close attention paid off massively.

The mention of a four-Tipi setup might have caught your attention; it’s not every day we’re asked to do that, with the only other event this year being Field Maneuvers up in Norfolk. The clients had requested a particular layout that was fairly new to us, one designed to complement the unique shape and flow of their garden. Because of this configuration, it not only provided enough space to accommodate their wedding guests but also created zones for different parts of the celebration, with one Tipi serving as the stage, dance floor, and Sound System. For celebrations in the other three Tipis (which were laid linearly), we had our Table set for the reception and meal. Due to this shape, it also allowed other structures to be placed in the garden, such as the Stretch Tent, which became the home of the bar, while the Gazebo was tucked neatly to the side, acting as the service tent, keeping everything running smoothly.

In case you might be wondering what the Tipi layout I’ve been going on about looks like, you can see the bird’s-eye view here.

Let there be light

As you can probably imagine, the Four Tipis setup turned out to be quite power-hungry. Between illuminating the dancefloor with our Parcan lights, powering three full tipis’ worth of dining space with reels upon reels of fairy lights, a hefty Martin Audio sound system, and don’t even get me started on peak-to-peak festoon lighting, spanning between the three front peaks of the structure. The electrical demands quickly began to stack up, and you can probably picture the kind of logistical puzzle we were dealing with, plenty of head-scratching along the way. We found ourselves rerouting and balancing electrical loads, tweaking lines to power which lights to make sure everything stayed stable. Even splitting the fairy lights into two separate circuits, something we rarely do and, in fact, have only done once this entire season.

But all the tinkering paid off. By the time the sun went down, the site came alive, and the whole setup looked fantastic. Every light, from the festoons to the fairy lights wrapped around the main poles, worked in harmony, craddling a space in a warm, golden glow. It was the kind of atmosphere that instantly transforms a wedding reception into something unforgettable; the sort of scene most couples dream about but rarely achieve.

Looking back

We love doing gigs like this. Not only do they challenge and help us create a better understanding of our craft, but the personal nature of an event like a wedding is something that holds so much meaning for so many people, making the experience all the more special. We know that weddings can take years of planning, care, and anticipation, and we’re humbled to be a small part of that journey. To be able to contribute to a day that marks the beginning of a lifelong story is something we never take for granted. We’re truly grateful for the opportunity to help make it as memorable and beautiful as possible.

To the happy couple - we wish you a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness together.