For those of you planning a tipi or marquee wedding for 2017, our friends at PapaKåta have put together a styling and trend post completely dedicated to ideas and inspiration that they think are going to big for 2017. From art installations (inspired by Wilderness Festival) and cocktail gardens to the green botanical wedding trend that is already sweeping the UK - they have covered it all and provided tips and techniques on how to make each style and trend happen. They also talk about what sort of styling and decor works best in the space of a tipi and sperry tent - invaluable advice from people who have been supplying tipis and sperry tents since 2006 and have a such a huge wealth of experience.

This is a great read peeps so pour yourself a nice cup of something and take a few minutes to read through this post.

Over to PapaKåta...

Styling | Art Installation:

The height and space within our Teepees and Sperry tents have always allowed imaginations to run wild so with the opening of London's new Design Museum in Kensington, "art as décor" couldn't be more aptly timed. Following artist Celia Smiths 'Gulp' installation at Wilderness Festival 2015, revellers in the Sperry banqueting hall at Wilderness Festival 2016 were treated to culinary and visual delights, with delicate hexagonal cubes hanging from the centre poles and adorned with ethereal floral arrangements.

Historically, it has always been our giant Scandinavian teepees that have leant themselves to hanging installations, so much so that we introduced our 3m hanging hoop and cartwheel at the request of clients wanting to draw guests' gaze upward. The potential of the volume of their cylindrical space gives teepees gallery-hanging options to their very apex. However more recently we've received similar requests for our Sperry tents. Although the aesthetic and outcome is completely different, the quite literal clean "blank canvas" within the Sperry tents are complemented by the addition of hanging installations, giving a similar feeling to an art exhibition owing to their clean, white interior and spacious ceiling.

Notable hanging curiosities we've witnessed so far include paper origami cranes, string-bound flowers arranged as "bouquet-garni" to give both visual impact as well as subtly scenting an event and waterfalls of lights. For The Business of Fashion dinner held in honour of Mario Testino, the wooden poles and interior of our Sperry tent at Soho Farmhouse were exuberantly decorated in eclectic Peruvian details. Soho Farmhouse did it again for their spectacular New Year's Eve party, where they filled the resident Sperry interior with a mass of metallic balloons creating the ultimate luxe party atmosphere. Who knows what may follow? Perhaps we may soon see precious moments projected as movie-shorts and screened as dynamic but deeply personal artistic pieces.

Image Credits from top: Cinzia Bruschini; Richard Skins Photography; Melia Melia & Lisa Stonehouse

Styling | Interior Design Approach:

Never have we been so influenced by the world that surrounds us, with trending colours, materials and even our natural environment helping us to make sometimes seemingly unconscious decisions.

Visualising your event as an interior design project is now becoming the way to plan and create an event that reflects your personal style. Thanks to the influence of media outlets such as Instagram and Pinterest, so much of our everyday life and surroundings are subject to personal taste and appreciation of style and design. A carefully executed desk 'still-life', or a cosy nook in your home. All of these snapshots of our "every-day life", give insight to our style aspirations, with your wedding day providing the perfect platform for self-expression!

Marble looks to continue to reign supreme as the interior surface of choice for 2017 filtering through into weddings in the form of sharing platters and signage. Brass too - a gradual departure from the popular Rose Gold trend of 2016 - is increasingly being seen in the form of hexagonal terrariums, hanging installations and even influencing the colour scheme of cake design.

Style and comfort merge with the introduction of our popular cross back chairs. Created from oak with a natural rattan seat pad, these Hamptons-style chairs are already huge in the US. We've lost count of the number of requests we've received from brides and event planners, hence their introduction to our furnishings collection for 2017. Our new Farmhouse tables, handcrafted in house by our resident furniture designer make the perfect accompaniment to the cross back chairs, resulting in the ultimate in laid back chic.

The influence of interior design helps with the planning stages as well, with brides and event planners alike continuing to use Pinterest as a valuable resource, helping to build the ultimate mood board and share ideas with all involved.

Image Credits from Top: Anne Marie King; Natasha Cadman; Hayley Baxter

Trend | Cocktail Garden:

Long gone are the days of formal receiving lines, 2017 will be sure to welcome an alternative and our suggestion would be to enjoy meeting and greeting your guests in your very own 'Cocktail Garden'. An elegant terraced area adorned with festoon lights, relaxed seating options and open fire pits, will give guests a cosy focal point around which to congregate and mingle with a cocktail in hand.

Whilst Paparologists predict this summer's weddings will be blessed with balmy sunshine and scenic sunsets, a contingency plan never goes amiss and we have them by the bucket load (heaven forbid!). Perhaps consider adding a 6m x 6m Sperry, open sided and dressed with English country garden botanicals like this PapaKåta wedding featured in American Vogue (above) or the giant Kata 'top hat' with raised sides where guests can shelter come rain or (baking) sunshine.

Taking the inspiration one step further, couples can extend the welcome reception longer and assert their gastronomic finesse with food and drink pairings served on the terrace. Small tasting glasses alongside specific canapés or courses, these curated pairings can also reflect a couple - a craft beer flight or wine flight with each one representing an experience or memory: think a fabulous Sancerre drank on their first holiday together in the South of France or the champagne they drank when he proposed.

Image Credits from top: Cinzia Bruschini; Julie Michaelsen & Naomi Kenton

Trend | Pantone colour of the year:

With palm trees and leafy green botanicals featuring in everyone who's anyone's social feed, we're assuming we're not the only ones to have squealed for joy when we saw earthy green 'Kale' make Pantones colour of the year for 2017! We love nothing more than to bring the outside in, with the introduction of all manner of trees, hanging arrangements and even cacti. Alternatively, allow guests the option to explore, encouraged outside by the introduction of a terrace -matted area or a naked tipi! Relaxed seating and festoon lighting will provide guests a quiet space to retreat and rest weary feet in nature's surroundings and later under a starlit night sky.

Seeing our tents adorned with all manner of floral installations really make them come to life, and there's something so uninhibited and sincere about pure greenery! Succulents, cacti and herb filled terrariums make for the best centre pieces, whilst our very favourites are trees inside the tents! Bushy bamboos and leafy palms make for an exotic feel, or try the classic silhouette of olive trees and wispy multi stem birch trees for a romantic, whimsical and Mediterranean vibe.

The PapaKåta Spring Open Weekend on the 18th & 19th March will see our Teepee's and Sperry tents showcasing a variety of botanical installations, book an appointment or pop in for a chat and get inspired. amongst the greenery!

Image Credits: Cinzia Bruschini; Natasha Cadman; Pantone

Trend | Hygge:

Undoubtedly a trend that was made for PapaKåta, getting our "Hygge on" has long been our favourite thing to do...even before we knew it was a thing! This lifestyle approach hailing from Denmark, has, in recent months, been adopted by many of us here in the UK not least as a much needed antidote to the pressures of modern life. With its message of living in the present, taking stock and really appreciating the small things in life, there is no time more appropriate to take on board this philosophy than in preparing for your wedding day or celebration.

So much love and attention to detail is put into wedding preparation and appreciating the importance of your guests' comfort will ensure your efforts are rewarded. So how do you incorporate this Scandinavian influence into your wedding day?

How about home-cooked brownies as favours, a pot of local honey, Great Grandma's chutney recipe, or hot chocolate (preferably liquor and cream-laden) to end the night? The addition of open fires provides guests with a central hub around which they can gather and put the world to rights. Add jars of fluffy marshmallows for the young (and young at heart) to toast and plenty of low-lit cosy seating with puffy cushions or sumptuous reindeer skins. The more relaxed your guests' environment becomes, the more enjoyment they will get out of your night, and in return give them that once in a lifetime reason to celebrate your occasion like no other party before.

Your wedding day should and will leave you with the most amazing lifelong memories, follow our lead and use scent to give your event a warm and ambient light and help those memories and feeling of happiness last a lifetime. Our Share the Love candle, created from three essential oils, pomegranate, grapefruit and ylang ylang is sure to evoke feelings of joy and contentment, the perfect scent for your wedding day and as gifts for the wedding party.

Image Credits: Amy Shore Photography; Steven Rooney Photography; Cinzia Bruschini & Anne Marie King

For more information on Papakata please visit their website or call 01904 702 100

Happy Friday!