Outdoor weddings have become massively popular in recent years. Many years ago, outdoor weddings were only seen in movies and on TV but that’s all changed now. Despite our very changeable weather, couples from all corners of Ireland are choosing to exchange rings and celebrate their union in the great outdoors.

Beach, garden and private residential weddings are just some of the popular options as couples look to divert away from the norm of hotel wedding receptions. We love this shift in trends as an outdoor wedding offers a totally different and truly unique experience for couples and their guests on their special day.

The key to making your outdoor wedding a success, especially if you’re getting married in Ireland, is to ensure that you choose the right size and style of wedding marquee for your big day.

Marquees are the perfect choice for outdoor weddings for 3 undeniable reasons:

1. Whatever the weather

As mentioned, the weather in Ireland can be changeable to say the least. That said; you can choose to have an outdoor wedding at any time of the year by hiring a wedding marquee. The ceremony can be facilitated inside the marquee if the weather isn’t favourable on the day while the marquee will serve as the perfect all-weather venue for your wedding reception too.

Wedding marquees can provide a much-needed warm shelter from rain or windy conditions while the panels can remain open on sunnier days to allow for a cool breeze to travel through the structure. Marquees can be fitted with heating and air conditioning systems as well as wooden flooring systems to ensure the weather outside does not cause any issues.

2. Any venue will do

Always had your eye on a particular country house or scenic area for your wedding day? Perhaps you’d like to get married in your parent’s back garden? By hiring a wedding marquee, you can have the wedding of your dreams on the grounds of the area you always had in my mind for your big day.

Whether it’s by the sea, in the middle of the country or smack in the centre of a city, your wedding marquee will give you the flexibility to celebrate wherever your heart desires.

3. Your wedding, your way

Choosing a marquee does not mean that you’ll have to compromise on luxury and elegance. In fact, it can mean quite the opposite. Marquees allow for the ultimate opportunity for complete customisation. In hiring a wedding marquee, you’ll essentially have a huge blank canvas to work from.

When it comes to the flooring, lighting, styling, placement of fixtures and fittings, types of seating, walkways, linings, flowers, chair covers and types of furniture, you can design and style exactly as you please.

Your marquee hire team will work with you to create the ideal space for your wedding. You have much greater flexibility and control than you would if you chose to hire a hotel venue so don’t think that you’ll have to make compromises.

Try something a little different on your special day

Plan the perfect outdoor wedding of your dreams by hiring a wedding marquee. Treat your guests to a whole new wedding experience and enjoy complete control over the décor, location and much more. Call us today for more info.

If you found the ideal romantic spot for hosting a wedding, marquee hire will make it possible for you to make your wedding dream come true. As with any major project, however, there are plenty of things that could go wrong if you don’t prepare properly.

So with the following tips we hope you’ll be able to happily report the successful completion of a dream wedding and not a wedding nightmare!

1. Find a great location
This is the most fun part of the process. Really all you need to do is find some place where you almost can’t believe how beautiful and romantic it looks, and take it from there. But before you completely set your heart on one specific location, do make sure to check the following points:

• Ensure there’s enough space for the wedding party. If you’re expecting 500 guests to show up and your chosen spot only has enough room for 100, you’ll have a problem.
• Ensure there’s some place for people to park. Unless all your guests are going to be pedestrians, cyclists, bikers or equestrians, parking is going to be a major issue.
• Check if you’ll need official permission to host your wedding at the site. The last thing you want is the police or council authorities crashing your wedding party, so find out if you need to have a permit and comply with all the requirements.

2. Find a good marquee supplier
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet; it’s a lot easier to shop around than it used to be.  Don’t make the mistake of basing your decision on price alone. There are other factors to consider that may be just as important:

• Styles and colours available. Try to get the best quality and most gorgeous design of marquee that you can afford, because you’re only going to do this once (hopefully!), so it’s important to get it right.
• Check for any negative reports or complaints about the hiring company. Many people post reviews online when they’ve experienced bad service. Doing a simple search for “[company name] complaints” could save you a lot of trouble later.
• Make sure they can deliver to your chosen location. Here’s a complete no-brainer. You can’t work with them if they’re not able to get to you.
• Insist on assembly. What’s your wedding day going to be like if you have to do everything for yourself? Of course we’re talking about getting the provider to set up the marquees for you and pack them up.

3. Plan ahead for any potential disasters
Rain, force nine gales, and little mistakes are always a possibility, so you should be prepared for anything that can happen. Just simple little touches like putting down some concrete pavers can make all the difference between a successful wedding and wallowing in the mud like a herd of swine.

A good wedding shouldn’t be difficult to create, but it’s surprisingly common for people to have problems. Usually these problems stem from a lack of planning, so plan it all thoroughly and you should have a great day.

Marquees have become hugely popular in Ireland in recent years. Being portable and resistant to the Irish weather means they can be used for literally any type of event.

Pubs were once the only option in which to hold functions but people are now seeing the many benefits of marquees and refraining from going ‘down to the local’ to celebrate a special event.

If you’re planning a celebration and you’re still undecided about whether to hire a marquee or a pub for the day/night, the following should help you to quickly make up your mind:

• Your location is not restricted with a marquee

Choose a marquee for your next event and you’ll have a lot more scope when it comes to picking the perfect location. If you’re hosting a corporate event or a special life event such as a christening or an anniversary, you might want a more idyllic setting than what your local pub will give you.

From rural gardens in the countryside to your own back garden and the beautiful beach front, you’ll have a lot more options of which setting to choose when hiring a marquee.

• You won’t be limited to numbers

Have you ever booked a pub for a party? If you have, you will most likely have been told that a certain amount of people can attend, which means that your guest list must be curtailed if you want to invite more than the pub can hold.

The joy of hiring a marquee is that you can invite as many people as you want. Marquees come in a wide variety of different sizes and styles, allowing you to choose one/some according to the amount of people you plan to invite to you function.

• More privacy

The majority of pubs won’t allow you to hire the whole premises for your party. This is because they may have other functions on at the same time or unhappy regulars and business will have to run as normal. Having other people there will make your party a lot less personal.

Hiring a marquee will give you the privacy that your local pub lacks. You and your guests can relax for the day and/or night knowing that you won’t have outsiders prying on your every move.

• You can enjoy the outdoors whilst being in indoors

Do you really want to celebrate your event in a gloomy back room in a pub? If not, you can enjoy the best of both worlds by hiring a marquee. Marquees can come with open or transparent sides meaning your guests can enjoy the comforts of being indoors whilst also having the feeling of being outdoors.

If there are children on your guest list, you’ll know that having outdoor space is especially important so don’t overlook this benefit.

• Lots of design options

Marquees come in many different shapes and sizes, and they will virtually give you a blank canvas from which to work with. Choosing to have a soft sided or solid sided marquee and picking between a round top or a pointed top are just two of the many options you’ll have when it comes to designing and styling.

• The interior is your choice too!

Your design options don’t just stop with the exterior. Make your marquee venue more personal to you by choosing what kind of tables you want, how much dancing space you need, the wall décor, the lighting… the options are endless.

Holding your special event in a pub will not give you the opportunity to make your special event more personal and themed. Instead, you’ll have to make do with whatever interior design the pub owner likes and a few balloons strung from the tables. It doesn’t sound very appealing, does it?

The above are just a small number of reasons why hiring a marquee over a pub is a great idea. The sheer fact that they are more personal to you should be more than enough to convince you to join the masses of marquee lovers that are in Ireland today.

Marquees have become hugely popular in Ireland in the past 10 years. Without consciously thinking it, you’ve most likely seen these tent-like structures that are used to house circuses, exhibitions and large gatherings of people in lots of different places.

It kind of feels like they’ve been around forever which begs the question; how and where did the marquee originate?

Far from being a fairly modern invention, their history can be traced back over 44,000 years to the ice age when inhabitants of the Siberian Steppe used animal pelts hung between sticks to form a simple shelter.

Now we have structures such as the huge Millennium Dome on the Thames in London, but how did the simple shelter turn into such a widespread alternative to normal construction? Well we here at Byrne Marquees will tell you just how this occurred.

From humble beginnings

As said already, the marquee has its roots in Siberia, where the people of that time created shelters from animal skins and sticks. Fast forward thousands of years, and animal skins were replaced by fabric to create a tent made from loosely woven black fabric.

These structures could be easily transported when it was time for the nomads to up sticks and move. In fact, these tents were so practical and successful that during the Arab conquests of the 8thcentury, their use spread throughout the civilised world.

To a more permanent solution

While nomads continued to use their black tents as portable homes, people in urban areas started to use fabrics to create shade over courtyards and streets. These awnings were adapted to provide shelter at theatres, and were known as velarium or velum.

The simple structures were then developed and improved over time using pre-stressed fabrics that were kept in place with cables in order to provide shelter for all kinds of special events. Known as ‘envelet’ or ‘toldos’, they were particularly popular in the Catalonia region of Spain as the nineteenth century drew to a close.

A military connection dating back to the first century BC

The fabric structure has long proved to be indispensable to armies on the march. Roman Legions were probably the first soldiers to adopt such shelters and there’s evidence to show that they used leather tents as far back as the first century BC. The Byzantine armies of the seventh century are also known to have used simple tents for shelter during their long campaigns.

The military tent is also synonymous with the standard field hospital. Designed by English Army Captain, Godfrey Rhodes in 1858, the tents weren’t much more sophisticated than those used in Roman times, and remained relatively unchanged until the second world war.

Tents gain royal approval

By the twelfth century, tents had moved on a little to become more elegant and ornate. As they increased in popularity throughout Western Europe society as a place to accommodate lavish events, they also grew larger and larger, and became somewhat of a status symbol.

By 1770, we saw the first purpose built circus tent, which was erected at Westminster Bridge, and travelling circuses adopted the big top style tent for their performances. In fact, they became so popular that a company called Stromeyer and Co. started making circus tents in 1872, and have been accredited with the advances in the development of marquees since that date.

Present day marquees

Today the fabric structures industry has made innovative inroads into developing reliable fabrics and new structural design techniques in order to make bigger and more impressive structures. In addition to the standard marquees that are used to house exhibitions and large functions, these companies can now create complex structures such as the fabric roof of the Hajj Terminal at Jeddah Airport and the amazing Millennium Dome in London, which is 320 metres in diameter.

To conclude, we can safely say that the tent has grown from a simple, basic shelter to a lavish structure that can accommodate thousands of people.

Marquees are the super-convenient, versatile and hassle-free solution to space constraints when you are throwing a party or celebration. If you are tight on space in your home or on your property, a marquee can instantly double the available space for your party guests, making them feel much more comfortable and resulting in less stress for you.

You may not realise this but there are a wide range of marquees available and in order to choose the right one, you need to know a little bit about them.

Read on to discover the different types of marquees that are available for you to choose from.

Framed Marquee

An external frame supports a framed marquee so there is no need for any internal supporting structures. This gives you a clear, unobstructed view along the entire length of the marquee and an open space for your guests.

In addition, you have complete freedom in choosing the layout of the internal space, as there are no supporting poles to take into consideration. They can also be installed on any type of surface – grass, gravel and concrete to name a few.

Trapeze Marquees

Trapeze marquees are truly a sight to behold and are bound to impress your guests should you choose one for your gathering. These types of marquees are tension marquees meaning that they are erected using tension rods, resulting in a stylish looking marquee that is also very resistant to winds.

These types of marquees definitely add flair to any celebration, as their design is very innovative and very stylish, making a very definitive statement about the type of event you are hosting.

Traditional Marquees

Traditional marquees are set apart from other types of marquees by their distinguishable rope and pole construction. Their vintage style make them a perfect choice for a garden wedding or country house garden party as their elegance is the perfect accompaniment to such celebrations.

While the exterior may give a vintage feel, the interior of these traditional marquees can be styled to look extremely modern and stylish if you so wish.

Chinese Hat Marquees

These unusually named marquees are shaped like a traditional Chinese hat, hence the name. They differ from others as they generally don’t have any sides to them but you can have side panels added if you prefer.

Chinese hat marquees are perfect for use as a bar or buffet location or even as a type of ‘entrance porch’ to a larger marquee – the possibilities are endless with these alternative types of marquees.

Stretch Tent

A stretch tent is a new addition to the marquee family and are often seen at festivals and similar events. Their eye-catching design provides a worthy alternative to the traditionally styled marquee. The benefit of these types of marquees is that they’re suitable for all types of weather, both fine and stormy, and can be erected in all kinds of locations.

Marquees are the perfect solution for adding style and space to your party or celebration and the type of marquee you choose should be suitable to host your event as well as reflecting the type of event you are hosting. Determine what kind of vibe you want to give off and your decision process will be so much easier.

Are you planning an important corporate event with the aim of making a really positive impression on your guests? If so, know that nothing will achieve that more than a successful event in a great venue.

When it comes to venues, rather than going down the traditional route of hiring a function room in a hotel, thousands of companies all over Ireland are opting for something a little more unique by hiring corporate marquees.

By adding that little special touch to the planning of your event and hiring a marquee to host your guests, you’ll most likely stand out from your competitors in the minds of all of those who attend; whether that’s clients, colleagues, the general public or a mix of all three.

Apart from making your corporate event one to remember for the choice of venue alone, the following are some other reasons why you should hire a marquee for your next event.

1. Customisation Possibilities

Whether you are looking for a dedicated spot for product demonstrations or panel talks, or you want to create a glamorous setting for networking purposes, marquees provide great opportunities for complete customisation.

Kitting out your venue will be literally like working from a blank canvas. You can plaster your company logo all over the walls, have seat covers that tie in with your company colours and install lighting that will reinforce your brand. The sky is the limit in terms of what can be done so think outside of the box.

 2. They are Cost Effective

You can erect a marquee right on your business’ premises so why stress over difficult booking requirements and the unnecessary costs that are typically involved when renting a brick and mortar venue when you don’t have to?

Marquees are extremely cost effective and given the fact that they come with the added bonus of no hidden extras, you’ll be better able to budget your finances to maximise your spending.

 3. Versatility

Tying in with the customisation possibilities above, marquees are probably the most versatile venue that you could choose for your corporate event.

You can use a marquee to create a space for guests to learn about your products during the day, and transform that same area into an open concept bar with a dance floor in the evening. They come in all shapes and sizes so finding an option that will perfectly cater for your specific requirements won’t be a problem.

Whether you’re organising a small, intimate get together with a few important clients or you’re planning a product launch with a guest list of a few hundred people, hiring a marquee for the event will give you an open space that’s truly versatile.

4. Weather Resistant

Outdoor corporate events can be a great way to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air but many companies shy away from hosing events outside, as the weather in Ireland doesn’t like to cooperate a lot of the time.

You can enjoy the perks of entertaining your guests in the great outdoors and you won’t have to worry about finding ways to save your colleagues, business partners and guests from torrential downpours. In fact, hiring a marquee will completely weather-proof your event creating a win-win situation for all involved.

Long gone are the days of stuffy and un-inviting venues for business networking opportunities. Breathe some life into your corporate event by taking things outside and using a marquee to create a space that will reflect well on your brand and form the basis for a successful event.

Wedding, birthday parties, barbeques, christenings, hen do’s, corporate events – marquees have become THE venue for all special occasions.

Equipped to brave the elements, customisable to your own preferences and with the ability to be erected almost everywhere (flat surfaces are best!), it’s no surprise that you’ve got a marquee listed as a “potential venue” for your next event.

If you’ve never hired a marquee for an event before, you undoubtedly have some burning questions. To help you better understand the “why”, the “what”, the “how”, the “when” and the “who” of marquee hire, we’ve put together a quick guide to the most frequently asked questions.

• How do I decide what size marquee I require?

You’ll need to determine some key factors first – How many guests will be attending? Do you plan on providing seating for your guests? Do you need to include space for a bar area and/or dance floor?

If you can clarify the answers to these questions, a marquee hire provider will be able to provide guidance on the marquee size that is the best fit for your requirements.

When in doubt, it is recommended that 8 sq. ft. per person is suited to a standing event and, for a seated event, that should be increased to 15 sq. ft. per person.

• Can the marquee be heated?

If you are planning on holding a marquee event in the Winter time or are even a little concerned about the slight chill that can set in on a Summers evening, don’t worry – marquees can be heated.

Ducted marquee heaters can be supplied, which are thermostatically controlled. They will usually be positioned outside and will blow warm air into the marquee via air ducts.

• In what ways can a marquee be customised?

Several elements of a marquee can be customised to your requirements – you choose the flooring – hard, carpeted or matted flooring, the linings, the lighting arrangement, tables, chairs, centrepieces, bunting and other decorative elements you require.

In many ways, a marquee can be more customisable than a traditional function room venue.

• How safe is a marquee?

Hire marquees are typically staked and weighted to ensure they are firmly attached to the ground and remain safe in the face of up to 60km/h winds.

The material of marquees is naturally fireproof and weather proof to be in accordance with EC safety standards.

• How can a power supply be provided to the marquee?

If you require additional power supply for caterers or musical entertainment, cables can be ran to the nearest power supply or a power generator can be used to meet your power requirements.

• Where can a marquee be erected?

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits that a marquee offers is that it can be erected on any flat surface ensuring that an idyllic, dream venue location can become a real possibility.

• Can toilets be supplied?

Many marquee hire providers will also offer toilet hire as an additional add-on. Toilet units including flushing toilets, hot water, hand soap, towel/tissue dispensers, air freshener, mirrors and pedal bins can be hired to facilitate guests at your event.

If you’re tasked with organising or planning a party, event or other special occasion, hiring a multi-functional marquee as your venue is certainly an option you should consider.