It’s mid-February and we’re excited to embrace the ever so slightly warmer weather, in anticipation of the wedding season that’s just around the corner.
Whether you’re planning your wedding this year, in future years, or you’re just getting some inspiration for your wedding Pinterest board, one of the key things to nail down is a venue for your big day. The location sets the atmosphere for you and your guests. It could be a cosy barn, an elegant hotel or – you’ve guessed it – a luxurious marquee, offering a blank canvas where your dream wedding can come to life.
As an ethical business with substantial experience of hosting marquee weddings across the Midlands, we thought we’d provide some key things to consider if you’re wanting a marquee wedding. So without further ado, let’s begin!
The Best Location for a Marquee Wedding
Having a marquee wedding can provide great flexibility with location, as essentially all you need is a piece of land to pitch it. It also means you can make use of charming, scenic places that others might not have thought to utilise. Having said this, there will be some elements to think through about the land you want to use:
It needs to be large enough for the size of marquee you need, and other facilities such as toilets and car parking for guests, caterers, and other service providers.
The land needs to be the right type of land. If it is an uneven surface or hard floor (such as concrete), this will affect the way the marquee is set up, and can incur additional costs. If the land gets boggy, you might need flooring outside the marquee to ensure your guests don’t ruin their best shoes.
Be mindful of any noise limits or curfews in the surrounding area.
Finally, it is worth considering where you are able to legally marry, as this is usually not possible in a marquee. Registry offices, churches and other institutions have prerequisites for getting married, and travelling from different locations will impact the logistics of the day.
At Jubilee Events, we do a site visit for new locations, and satellite mapping software to work out the best position and orientation for the marquee. Our consultation process ensures that all these questions are resolved, so you can look forward to the big day.
A Marquee Wedding Provides a Blank Canvas
As previously mentioned, a marquee option gives you the freedom to take your wedding in any direction you see fit. This comes with a lot of great benefits including:
Your choice of catering, music and entertainment. A lot of venues will contractually oblige you to work with partners they trust, and this can potentially hike up prices such as meals or entertainment on the day.
Not being inhibited by existing colour palettes. Marquees are designed to be minimalist but elegant (ours utilise a regal, soft ivory colour). This essentially means that you can let your imagination run free.
However, there will be things to think through for the wedding day:
Seating- Unless you’re wanting your guests to sit on the floor, you will need to consider seating, tables and any other furniture.
A generator- Catering companies will need access to electricity to cook for your guests and, unfortunately, a plug socket won’t quite cut it!
Toilets- Unless you're utilising an existing building space, you’re going to need somewhere for your guests to relieve themselves and freshen up throughout the day.
Lighting- Most weddings will carry on into the night, so you’ll need to think through the type of lighting you want, and the ambience you want to set.
Transition spaces- If you’re using one marquee for your ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening celebration, then you’ll want to adjust your space accordingly. This means you’ll need a space for guests to mingle when these transitions are taking place. This could be a section of the marquee, another pagoda, or an outside space.
Here at Jubilee Events, we will partner you with an experienced wedding coordinator to guide you through this thinking process. We know how and where to source and subcontract all that’s needed for the day, and we can provide various types of lighting and furniture layouts to suit your vision. We can also provide the finishing touches with our beautiful wedding decorations, which you can find out more about in this blog.
A Marquee Wedding for any Weather
Marquees are great for making the most of picturesque views and the local landscape, especially with the options for window panels and even open air marquees. However, the flip side is that they can be they are more vulnerable to the weather. All types of weather can be prepared for, so don’t stress! Here are a few top tips to consider:
Cold. Autumnal weddings can be a bit fresher, but it can get cold no matter what time of year when it’s night-time. Whilst a dance floor will provide a lot of warmth, it might be worth considering sourcing some cute blankets or a heater just in case.
Heat. Similarly, a marquee can get warm in the summer! It might be worth investing in some fans or opening the panels on the marquee to get a natural breeze through.
Rain and wind. Unfortunately, the British weather can be a bit unpredictable. Whilst a grey day provides the best lighting for wedding photos (every cloud has a silver lining am I right), it’s worth considering what to do if there is a downpour. Consider how much space you would need for all your guests to be comfortable indoors. You could also provide umbrellas, which make for fun wedding photos!
Our wedding coordinators are unwavering when responding to the British weather, and they will be able to advise you on any extra precautions that might be needed to guarantee your wedding day exceeds all expectations.
Ready to book your own marquee wedding, or want to find out more?
