Dreaming of a marquee wedding? Make sure you’ve considered these 10 things for hosting a seamless and beautiful event…
- Location is key – you need a relatively flat large space, clear from overhanging trees, with access for vehicles to unload and ideally a water source close by.
- Assuming there’s no power at the site, you’ll need to hire a generator so make sure you’re working with an established marquee company who can hire one, and set up wiring and power points for you. You’ll need power in the catering tent, at the stage area for your band and also near the tables for a sound system for the speeches.
- Consider the ‘back of house’ area carefully – is there a side of the marquee where you can put the catering tent, the generator, refrigeration unit and bins? Ideally this would be hidden from guests’ view.
- Lighting is key – you’ll need dimmable lighting in the tent and lighting for the pathways to the toilets and the car parking area. If possible, a floodlight to light up the ‘back of house’ area is also very helpful for your catering team – they’ll need to see into the refrigeration unit and the bin area well into the night, so this is important even in the height of summer.
- Make sure your toilets are close to the marquee but not so close that they spoil the look. Ideally you’d have matting to create a walkway between the marquee and the toilets. Remember if you’re using the marquee for a day two event, you’ll need to book a cleaning service for the toilets. And it’s a good idea to purchase premium toilet rolls and toiletries for the toilet trailers – these are always well used and appreciated by guests.
- Make sure your marquee is big enough to accommodate your guests in case of bad weather. You need enough space around the bar for the drinks reception, as well as tables for dining and a dance floor and stage area. Don’t be worried that the space is too big, if it’s truly pouring with rain you’ll be grateful for it, and if it’s bright and sunny the sides of the tent can be rolled up so the space won’t feel cavernous anyway. Don’t forget to include some lounge seating for guests too.
- Often marquees will have a large central bar to service the canape reception and evening party – this works really well at keeping guests close to the action – don’t be tempted to have multiple bars as it will separate people. I would only have a secondary bar if your drinks reception isn’t at the marquee.
- Decor wise, don’t be afraid of going big – the ceilings are high and will need large installation pieces to bring colour and texture into the space. If you’re worried about budget, focus on larger pieces rather than spreading things around too thinly. The marquee entrance and above the tables is where your focus should be for the wow-factor. And don’t neglect the stage area – it is easy to make the decor in a marquee feel very one sided and this could be a good place to reuse your ceremony flowers.
- With marquee weddings you usually have the opportunity to provide all of your own drinks. My advice here would be don’t go overboard with options – keep to the classics and make sure you’ve over ordered, as there’s nothing worse than running out of a popular drink. Before the wedding day you’ll need to load the drinks into the refrigeration unit and make sure this is switched on overnight to ensure the drinks are chilled for the wedding day.
- Remember that the set up and take down of your marquee will take a few days. If your wedding is on a Saturday, it’s likely that the marquee build will take place from Wednesday and should be ready for other suppliers (i.e. furniture / florist / caterers) to arrive on Friday to start setting up. If you’re using the tent on Sunday, make sure you’ve communicated this to all suppliers so that they don’t arrive expecting to collect hired items or breakdown the florals. The marquee would then be taken down on the Monday and this usually happens fast!
And if you need any further advice, here is my advice for creating a wedding venue from scratch, whether that’s in a marquee, barn or alternative space!