The rise in popularity of the use of marquees as wedding “venues” has been phenomenal in recent years. After all, they are far less expensive than a hotel venue. If you always dreamed of staging your wedding in the gardens where the proposal took place, a wedding marquee offers a means of doing so. They offer much more flexibility for your wedding. However, one thing that can hold a couple back from going down the marquee route is the worry over weather. Well, never fear, wedding marquees can offer the perfect wedding party venue whatever the weather – really!

Toilets and smoking areas can be attached directly to the marquee so that your guests never have to encounter whatever weather lies outside. If rain is threatening, buckets of umbrellas can be provided all around the grounds and at every entrance to the marquee. You can even hire some staff to carry the umbrellas as they lead guests to their intended destination – a luxurious touch for guests! As for inside the marquee itself, you can be ensured that not a drop of rain will enter. No matter which type of marquee you choose, they are all designed to protect vigorously against the elements.

Do you plan on staging a wonderful Winter Wedding? Are you worried that your guests may find a wedding marquee a tad cold – even after all the dancing? Don’t worry, heating systems can easily be installed inside the venue to ensure that all guests stay lovely and warm. You can eliminate thoughts of guests being able to see their own breath in the air. Adequate heating systems are available for hire which can assure that guests will be oblivious of the harsh winter weather outside. You can also have proper doors on the marquee to ensure the cold stays locked out where it belongs.

Perhaps you are having a beautiful summer wedding – right when temperatures can soar. You may then fear with a wedding marquee venue that your guests could become uncomfortable due to the heat. The dance floor could even become a sweaty haven by song number three! To avoid this issue, firstly ensure that the size of the marquee is more than spacious enough for the number of guests intended. On the day itself, the sides of the marquee may be folded back to allow the cool air to circulate. When it gets cool, the sides can easily be taken back down again. Of course, you can also install some fans within the marquee for the day which will also help with air movement.

As you can see, should the weather change at all, only minor precautions or amendments will need to be made. These are not costly amendments and do not require months of planning. The reason why marquees make such an ideal wedding venue is that they are so easy to adjust and adapt to your needs – even for things that you cannot control, like the weather!

A wedding marquee, just like any wedding venue, can be decorated, to your needs and desires. Wedding colour schemes, table layouts and flower arrangements can all easily be adhered to. Having said this, there are some key tips to remember when decorating a marquee specifically for a wedding.

Lighting

During the day, your wedding marquee will be illuminated by the natural daylight outside. However, in the evening time, it will most probably become quite dark. When darkness falls, you can opt for strings of fairy lights around the walls of the marquee, similar to the style that can often be seen in an upmarket restaurant. You could also opt to hang the fairy lights from the ceiling, which can create quite a magical and enthralling atmosphere. Fairy lights are an inexpensive yet quaint form of lighting. Alternatively, you could opt for some spotlights to be placed around the room, these will light up the venue with a hint of the wedding colour scheme. The use of paper lanterns lights are also very popular. A combination of white lanterns with your main wedding colour can work extremely well.

Bunting

Bunting provides a very inexpensive means of beautifully decorating your wedding venue. You can even make bunting yourself at home, and it can be easily placed from room to room. Keep the design or pattern of the bunting minimal though so as not to risk it looking tacky. Again, perhaps follow the colours of your wedding scheme. If it is a summer wedding, you could use bright colours such as whites and oranges or pinks. If it is a winter wedding, perhaps choose some vibrant red patterns.

Lining

One major benefit to a wedding marquee venue is that you can choose the lining of the walls and ceiling. If you were to host your wedding in a hotel venue, you have no say over the wall or ceiling design. You can however have a full say in what the ceilings and walls of your marquee look like. If you are opting for uniquely designed linings, maybe you should cut back on bunting and other decorations as collectively it can prove to be a bit too much.

Seating

It is quite a popular choice to use dainty, fold up chairs as seating. However, considering how long your guests may be sitting on those chairs, it is advised to hire some slightly more comfortable seating. Some proper chairs can also be decorated beautiful with sashes and chair covers. When designed properly, they really look the part and can add to the overall look and feel of the marquee.

Flowers

Unless your ceremony is also taking place in the marquee, there is no need to splash out on expensive flowers and trees to line the aisle. Instead, it is a good idea to have a centrepiece of flowers on each table and perhaps place a small arrangement of flowers at each entrance to the venue. You do not have to use huge displays of flowers, you should be using the flowers merely as a means to add colour to the venue.

If you plan on hosting a party, you may find that a marquee can prove to be one of the most affordable options. Rather than hosting your special occasion in a local bar, restaurant or club, why not host it in your own back garden? It is certainly more affordable for guests as they can then bring their own beverages of choice and not have the pay the prices charged in licenced premises. You can prepare food in your home and easily transport it out to the marquee, undoubtedly allowing you to make savings on food too. It is separate from your actual home too, so you do not have to worry about your place getting messed up. If you do intend on hiring a marquee for a party, there a couple of tips that are worth considering.

1. Keep The Weather In Mind

Although it may be bright throughout the day, the nights can turn cold and even wet at times. If you are holding an all day event, you need to ensure that your marquee can hold its own against any weather condition. Make sure that you have heaters installed in the marquee for night time and that the walls are removable to either let air in or keep in the heat when needs be. Keep some umbrellas by each entrance for your guests too.

2. Make Sure That There Is Enough Room

Don’t try to cut costs by going for the smallest marquee possible. When people are dancing and crowded inside, they can get quite hot and sweaty! You want to ensure that your guests have the space to move about easily, dance and thoroughly enjoy themselves. Be sure to ask your marquee hire company to advise on the most suitable size marquee for your intended number of guests, taking a DJ booth, bar or tables into account too.

3. Check Your Power Supply

Assess how many power points you will need for lighting, heating and other equipment. Could you possibly run the supply out from your house? Do you need to hire a back up-supply? The last thing that you want is for your power to go during an event. A party without any light, heat or music would make for quite a dull affair!

4. Give Yourself Plenty of Time

If you want to ensure that you can hire the appropriate marquee for your event, be sure to book it as much in advance as possible. Settling for a smaller marquee with less amenities will affect the quality of your event. Give yourself plenty of time to map out the exact space that you will need as well as any additional features, equipment or supplies that you may need. Otherwise, you could end up having quite a stressful time planning your party.

5. Check For Insurance

If you are going to hold a large party on your property, there is always the chance that someone may get injured or that the marquee or equipment may suffer some damage. To save yourself a major headache, be sure to ask any marquee hire companies that you contact about their public liability insurance.

Marquees are a very popular choice of “venue” for many events including weddings, parties, luncheons and more. They are very versatile, allowing you to host your event pretty much anywhere you like, no matter the weather. They can prove to be a more affordable option than hiring out a restaurant, bar or hotel function room too. If you are considering hiring a marquee, there are 5 questions which you need to put to the hiring company before committing yourself to a booking.

1. What size marquee would I need to cater for my event?

The last thing you need is to hire a marquee and find that your guests feel cramped and squashed, and in turn end up spilling out onto your lawn. Equally, you don’t want to find yourself splashing out for a marquee that is far too big for the amount of guests you intend on inviting. Provide a marquee hire company with an idea of the number of guests you intend on hosting, along with details of catering, entertainment or amenities which may occupy space in the marquee. An experienced marquee hire company should be able to then recommend the most appropriate size marquee to suit your requirements.

2. What exactly is included in the package?

You don’t want to agree for a price for marquee hire only to then discover that flooring, lighting, heating, covers and other necessary elements are charged additionally. Tell the marquee company exactly what you require, not only in terms of marquee size, but in terms of power, lighting, heating, toilet amenities, flooring, dance floor space, seating and other elements. You may decide that it is more cost effective to hire the whole lot together as a package or perhaps to arrange some facilities separately yourself.

3. Do you have appropriate insurance?

You need to be clear before hiring a marquee where the liability lies should anything go wrong. If anything should get damaged or if the marquee turns out to be faulty, you need to know that the marquee hire company is insured against such occurrences.

4. How long will I have the marquee for?

Some marquee companies may provide and set-up your marquee a day or two in advance of your event as part of your package. Others may not allow for the marquee to be set-up until the day of the event itself. If you need the marquee for a little while the following day after an event, as is often the case with weddings, are they okay to wait two days before pick-up? You don’t want a marquee occupying your garden space for a week either so you must be sure before committing to hiring a marquee that you are fully aware of what date it will be set-up and what date it will be picked up again. This will be crucial to your planning of the event too.

5. Is my property suitable?

Before taking a deposit, a marquee hire company should inspect the site on which you intending on placing the marquee in. Issues such as uneven ground, unavailability of appropriate power sources and site dimensions can easily be identified from a site inspection. Such issues may require the purchase of additional extras so it is important that a site inspection takes place before any price is agreed or any money is handed over.

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