Marquee Hire Guide – Frequently Asked Questions

A marquee wedding opens up a large number of opportunities to have a bespoke venue in a location of your choice. The client can tailor the internal decor to their taste including carpet colour and furniture choice and can have a choice of caterer and drinks service. https://www.queensberryevents.co.uk/10-reasons-why-you-should-choose-a-marquee-wedding/

• You have a special place in your life and want to get married there
• You want a venue that can be completely tailored to your wishes and style – all choices not necessarily available at a hotel venue (a good marquee company will gladly assist you with this).
• You want to have the flexibility to change the size of your function space as your plans evolve to maximise atmosphere.

A wedding day is one of the most important days in a couple’s life and it is important that everything goes well and it is important that they secure a marquee company that they have full confidence in. A chat on the phone or a meeting should give a good indication of the relationship that would be formed over the months running up to the big day.

• It is always wise to find out about previous marquee weddings they have provided and get examples of where they have worked and perhaps ask for venues or clients who would provide a reference.
• Read our blogs on previous weddings (or our venue website blogs www.dalswintonestateweddings.co.uk) – we run events not just supply of marquees so we know the big picture very well!
• Pinterest. Gather images of what you like and send us them – marquees can look vastly different from week to week so let us know what you are trying to achieve (we might just of done it before!)
• Marquees and equipment vary massively – ask us if you have received another quote and we will be able to tell you the differences. Type of marquee/flooring/finishes/age of marquees/quality etc – it all effects the cost.

We are often asked “how much is a marquee wedding?” but it is impossible to answer this question. Each marquee is individually priced dependent on size required, internal finish, associated equipment and location. However, with a few basic details a quotation can be supplied very quickly.

Ask us for a detailed marquee wedding quote to get an indicative price  (supply as much detail as possible).

We specialise in clearspan frame marquees.

Our clearspans can be built on most surfaces, and we’re not restricted to grass. With a frame structure, we can also adapt the roofs & use clear panels as well as hang floral & lighting from the beams.

We also offer pagoda marquees which are ideal for small receptions or entrances to a bigger structure.

https://www.queensberryevents.co.uk/choosing-the-right-marquee-hire

We advise booking well in advance to avoid disappointment (A year).

A booking is only confirmed once a 30% non-refundable deposit has been paid. We are especially busy in May-October so please book a year in advance to avoid disappointment.

We aim to be as flexible as possible with every client and the install/removal will depend on where and when your event takes place. If you are using a venue where the marquee is using their car park then they probably want it installed the day before and removed the day after.
If the marquee is in your garden and you want to do a lot of the decorating yourself then it can be installed a few days before. We are always happy to leave the marquee in place for a day or so after the wedding for another informal get together which is becoming very popular.

We have many years experience of sizing wedding marquees and we like to ensure that there is enough room to accommodate all guests throughout the day/evening in case the weather is inclement and everyone is inside at all times.
Through discussions about guest numbers for both day and evening and an understanding of what the marquee is to be used for e.g. ceremony only; ceremony then drinks, dinner, dancing; dancing only, we can work out how much space will be required.

We would normally recommend that the dance area is kept clear throughout your event so that it can be used for the ceremony, or drinks reception, or buffet layout. Using the whole area for dining and clearing furniture for dinner afterwards can leave space very tight if the weather is particularly bad and may have an effect on the guests enjoyment of the wedding.

Our standard package would typically include the marquee (sized to suit), floor (again style to suit the site), formal doors, flat white lining & basic lighting – from this package you choose the furniture and lighting and any other decorations you require to personalise your marquee!

We can tailor the marquee package to suit, for example; do you just need a roof with no floor/walls for a covered ceremony.

Standard finish for a wedding marquee is a wooden floor, windows, doors, flat white lining, lighting and heating (with a carpet being down to personal choice). After that the additional decor opportunities are endless. Please see our Finishing Touches Brochure!
We recommend our fairy light canopies and some sort of hanging floral decoration – floral rings, long wooden planks/truss, why not a clear roof!

We offer clear PVC windows and are what we call “panoramic” as they are a full clear panel to maximise the view.

You can unhook the walls and fold back – allowing guests to wander in and out of the marquee and create a through draught if a particularly hot day. We can also put a second door unit on the marquee if required.

There are a variety of upgrades available to the internal finish e.g. dance floors, a range of chandeliers, fairy light roof canopy, LED uplighters, carpets, stages, wooden cartwheels and hanging floral rings.
More major upgrades would be the inclusion of additional function areas e.g. a separate ceremony area/marquee, chill-out areas, night club area.

Yes, there is no reason for marquees not to be used throughout the year, however it is always wise to respect the weather and look at the site factors.

A marquee can be erected almost anywhere although a flat, level, grassy site with good vehicle access is ideal and would be the most cost effective. It is still possible to install marquees on difficult sites since specialised flooring systems and trackway can combat most site issues although there would often be cost implications.
A quick site visit can normally assess the feasibility.

YES. Nowadays marquee heating is so effective that it is possible to keep guests warm throughout the colder months.
We calculate how many heating units are needed (for size of marquee) and can leave you with extra fuel.

Our lighting and heating requires very little electricity which can be drawn from a nearby building/house on smaller events.

However, depending on mainly the catering requirements and the band; a generator may be required. We would always recommend a second generator as a stand by unit due to the importance of a wedding day. Within our quotations we always allow to undertake any necessary power distribution.

Most marquees are heated using indirect diesel heaters which sit outside and blow warm air through ducts and are thermostatically controlled. We can include heating in our quoted price and therefore we adjust the number of heating units supplied dependent on the size of marquee, time of year and weather forecast thus ensuring that a marquee can be adequately heated at any time of year.

A variety of lighting effects are available – please ask for our latest Finishing Touches Brochure. We can include basic lighting as standard but can provide a range of lighting effects including dimmable fairy light canopy, uplighters, cream chandeliers, festoon lights and flood lights all from our own stock.

Access to water is normally required for use by the caterer – this can be as simple as running a hose from a local water supply and putting a tap on the end.

Luxury toilet trailers are normally self contained and just need plugged in to electricity supply. It can be wise to have the toilet trailers housed within a marquee – This area can simply be a marquee roof or can be fully finished as an integrated part of the function area.

We offer clear PVC windows and are what we call “panoramic” as they are a full square panel to maximise the view.

You can unhook the walls and fold back – allowing guests to wander in and out of the marquee and create a through draught if a particularly hot day. We can also put a second door unit on the marquee if required.