Is a marquee wedding for you?
Admittedly, a marquee-wedding is not the most straight-forward event to arrange. Every detail must be considered, from ordering enough cutlery to sorting toilets, sourcing the best-priced tables, chairs and dance floor to booking caterers who can cope with food in a field. After looking around numerous hotels in reasonable driving-distance of the church, however, we decided that there was nothing made out of bricks that was perfect for us, so we took on the challenge of creating our own venue.
We started with the marquee itself and found plenty of companies offering lovely big white wedding tents. The original reason we chose Hatch Marquee Hire was because of the lovely clear walls and bell roof we spotted on the website. The reason we’re delighted that we chose them is their faultless service.
Once the floor plan and marquee design were settled, we could start imagining our bespoke wedding space. We chose our floor type, ceiling swags, a chequer board dance floor, uplighters and a whole two-page list of other particulars and extras. Hatch took care of a lot of the interior space but there was still so much more to consider.
The really scary thing about arranging a marquee wedding is that you might forget something essential. For example, what would you do at the wedding breakfast if you suddenly realise you’ve forgotten to order dessert spoons? Or what if you run out of wine or, even worse, toilet roll? In a tent, in a field, there’s no concierge on standby: you’re on your own.
This fear resulted in a folder full of suppliers’ details. We arranged posh portable toilets, a refrigerated trailer, a generator, tableware hire, tablecloths, speakers, a bar and endless other essential odds and ends. Once we got into the rhythm of ‘wedmin’, we found that we made good progress and the best thing about taking care of every tiny detail is that you can tailor your venue to you, rather than fitting in with someone else’s ideas.
The day before our wedding saw a hive of activity at the marquee. Friends and family arrived with irons, string, bunting, wine and nibbles to help us decorate and prepare for the next day. I’d recommend this pre wedding party to anyone arranging a marquee celebration. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with people properly and lets them be part of the wedding in a really special way. The marquee took shape and looked even better than the pictures I’d cut from magazines for my scrapbook. The dropped jaws as our guests arrived the next day made all our efforts worthwhile.
Don’t be fooled that a marquee is a cheap option (far from it once you’ve added in all the extras) and be realistic about the extra effort involved, but we’re so pleased that we chose a marquee reception because it was unique to us.
If you’re up for the challenge, you won’t regret a magical marquee celebration, but get a folder and stay organised…and keep your fingers crossed for marquee-friendly weather!
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