Dating | Weddings

Wedding Marquee Hire

It's a British tradition, in some way embodying that 'spirit of the Blitz' fortitude, that makes a country known for its rain and erratic weather decide to hold dearly cherished social events outdoors in a big tent. Nothing quite says 'English wedding' like a marquee.

It is basically a style choice to opt for a marquee. If you want all the trimmings, such as flooring and fancy light fittings, flowers, caterers and furniture hire, you can expect it to cost about the same as a hotel reception. However, if you borrowed chairs and tables and did your own catering and decoration, it could be a budget saviour.

When choosing a marquee your first consideration should be space, and you obviously need a garden or field big enough to accommodate it. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, but if you consider that you will need a marquee of roughly 14 by 20 metres for 125 guests having a formal, sit-down meal, that should give you an idea of which ones to start looking at. Go into the garden with a ball of red wool and mark out the size of marquee that you think you would need or like (the wool is red do you can see it in the grass, by the way). Then you need to talk to a marquee hire company about what can be done with the available space. Alternatively, you can tell them how many guests you would like and they can tell you what you will need - they will work out the size from the numbers, so you don't have to. If the tables and chairs will be moved to allow for dancing and the arrival of evening guests, check how many it can hold in that format before you send out invites. After all, you don't want disgruntled guests squeezed out into the cold because you had imagined them happily milling about in the sun.

Don't forget that if you are thinking of having a band, stage, dance floor or buffet tables, say so at the start, as these will need to be added into the equation. If you feel uncertain about your needs, ask for the hire company to make a visit to the site to help you plan. Marquees are usually erected two or three days before the wedding day, which means that if you want to do some of the decoration yourself, you can.

If you are having caterers, they can often be accommodated in a separate or adjoining marquee, or sometimes in the same marquee behind a divider. They will need discreet access in and out of the dining area, and running water and electricity for ovens and preparation. You might want to let them use the kitchen in your home to avoid extra cost but be realistic about the space required and be prepared for the mess.

I'M NAKED!

When planning your budget, you need to consider that your marquee will literally be an empty tent and will need lots of styling to give it the atmosphere of a celebration. Sourcing the furniture and decorations is easy - the marquee company can help if you want it fuss-free, or there are many other events companies which can provide you with tables, chairs, lighting etc. Just make sure that all of it will work together - you marquee firm is unlikely to be interested if the lighting doesn't work if it's not their responsibility. Other hidden costs are heaters (in the winter) dance floors and flowers.

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