Wedding at World Inspired Tents, Cornwall

Meeting at university, Theo proposed to Ella during a festive stroll around Kingston-upon-Thames, where they were living at the time. “He took me to the biggest tree in the town centre, got down on one knee, and popped the question!” she recalls.

Originally planning a winter wedding at a nearby restaurant, the couple had to rethink their plans when the venue closed, deciding to change the date and host a tipi wedding in the field next to Ella’s parents’ campsite.

“We’ve always enjoyed a classic style of wedding so we leaned into the black and white look,” she explains. Hints of olive green and dark brown added colour, complementing the tipi setting perfectly, while meaningful and lovingly handcrafted touches were woven throughout.

“My mum and I spent the entire time thrifting furniture and candlesticks almost every weekend to make up the tablescapes. We also thrifted vintage ink pots to hold wire flowers that I had made instead of real ones,” says Ella.

Her sister-in-law was also on hand to help with every little detail – including stitching the names of each guest onto the handmade linen napkins to double up as a beautiful wedding favour – while her auntie Becca was the mastermind behind the flowers. “We kept it simple for the flowers as I only chose gypsophila; however, I showed my aunt a picture of a boa that had been made of gypsophila and after many hours of work, five stunning boas were made!”

Having legally wed a few months earlier, the couple asked Ella’s brother to lead the ceremony for them, “making this part of the celebration not only meaningful but fun”, she remembers. “My brother is a talented public speaker so he was able to deliver not only the ceremony but the personal stories we wanted to share with our guests,” including one story of drinking a breakfast vodka shot with Theo’s Romanian family the first time she met them! “This is a moment from my journey with Theo that I really loved and wanted to incorporate in the ceremony. We filled vintage shot glasses with vodka to be passed around our guests whilst my brother recounted the story, and we all collectively toasted to each other.”

After the ceremony, cocktail and canapé hour provided Ella’s “most enjoyable moment of the day”, before guests took their seats in the tipi for the “exceptional” feast featuring whipped cod's roe cucumber, local catch with Café de Paris sauce, slow-braised beef shin and chocolate brownies.

A few traditions from each side of the family led to some “high jinks” and then the first dance – to The Very Thought of You by Nat King Cole – opened the dance floor. “All I can remember of the evening is dancing for hours– a good sign the band was brilliant!” says Ella, who “did not sit down again for the rest of the evening!”. Energy levels were kept high with evening snacks of kimchi toasties followed by a late-night gathering around the firepit before the newlyweds retired to their bell tent.

Ella’s top tips are especially handy for those planning a DIY wedding. “If you’re thrifting for your wedding, I would start as early as possible. You’ll always find you’ll need more than you have and less time to get it,” she says.

“I love all the small touches to my wedding like the vintage shot glasses for the ceremony, the hand-tufted dice poof I made in our wedding colours and the homemade chilli oil for each of the tables. There’s no doubt that some of these things may only be noticed by you, but I really think it’s the little things that create the atmosphere you want for your big day.”