A garden marquee is a fantastic way to lower the cost of an event, such as a wedding or outdoor party, while providing full control of its layout, design, and flow. However, if you’ve never hired a marquee before, you might be scratching your head about the best design for your event, how to keep your guests warm, or the furniture and extras you’ll need for a successful day.
We realise the planning process can sometimes feel daunting, which is why we have taken the time to create the following essential garden marquee checklist to ensure you don’t make a single mistake.
The Perfect Location
Before hiring a marquee or creating a marquee equipment list, we recommend identifying the best place for the temporary structure. You must carefully consider whether your garden or venue will provide adequate space for your guest list. Also, review its parking, utilities, and accessibility to prevent issues throughout the event.
We recommend positioning a marquee in the flattest area possible at your venue, as you’ll want to avoid the additional expense of floor levelling.
The Right Marquee for Your Event
At Dynamic Marquees, we offer a variety of marquees for gardens to suit different events and themes. After all, the design you choose can shape your wedding, party, or corporate event’s appearance and atmosphere. This is why we encourage you to take your time during the selection process.
With us, you can hire:
- Traditional pole marquees – these feature a central pole that creates an elegant, peaked ceiling, perfect for romantic weddings and engagement parties.
- Frame (clear span) marquees – made from high-quality aluminium frames with PVC, ideal for creating a flexible layout and design.
- Stretch marquees – features a lightweight, stretchy material to create unique layouts and a striking contemporary design.
- Small marquees – perfect for residential garden parties or tricky outdoor spaces
It is also advisable to carefully consider the marquee size, as it should provide ample space for your guest list.
Follow the rule of thumb:
- 50+ guests – a 25 square metre marquee (minimum)
- 100+ guests – a 50 square metre marquee (minimum)
- 200+ guests – a 100 square metre marquee (minimum)
Of course, you must factor in the furniture, live entertainment, catering, and seating arrangement when choosing a marquee size. For instance, round tables will require more floor space than rows of seats or banquet tables and chairs.
The Interior Layout
Once you have identified the best marquee type and size for your outdoor event, turn your attention towards the layout and ambience. The floor plan you choose will not only determine the look of your wedding reception or garden party, but it will also determine how much room your guests will have to move, mingle, and dance.
First, consider how your guests will use the space throughout the event. For instance, if you’re hosting a wedding, it is typical for a marquee to feature a reception area, dining tables and chairs, a dance floor, and a bar. If you’re struggling to visualise how to create an attractive layout that flows well, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for advice.
In addition to providing stunning marquees, we also offer equipment hire and have extensive experience in positioning furniture, lighting, bars, and dance floors.
Of course, if you’re planning a more corporate event, you may need to provide floor space for networking, a dining area, and a stage for presentations. However, if you’re hosting a small gathering with your nearest and dearest, you might prefer to keep the event simple with a relaxed seating area.
Permits and Insurance
It is imperative to apply for any necessary permits and insurance before the event day, such as:
- A bar license
- Wedding insurance
- A music license
The correct permits and insurance will ensure your event is legally compliant, allowing you to enjoy the day without interruption or consequences.
If you want to arrange Nigerian wedding marquee hire to accommodate 300-500 people, for example, we can help you secure the required insurance policies before the big day.
The Access Points
Every garden marquee should have an access point, which is an open, unobstructed area that allows people to easily enter and exit to prevent a bottleneck. It may also be helpful to hang clear signs throughout the marquee. Areas where signs are considered mandatory include the entrance, a designated smoking area (if you want one), and the toilets. This prevents confusion and frustration.
The Entertainment
The last thing you’ll want is for your guests to sit quietly during a garden party, wedding, or corporate event. For this reason, aim to inject a little fun into the event, which could encourage guests to get on their feet and let their hair down.
Getting a sturdy, non-slip dance floor will convince guests to dance when the music is playing, or a live band or singer is performing. We can provide a wooden parquet dance floor to elevate your marquee and impress your guests. It’s available in various sizes to complement the size and layout of your chosen marquee, and we will handle the full installation so you can focus on other aspects of the event.
You can even improve your event’s style and convenience by hiring a bar from us, ensuring your guests can quickly grab a drink between dancing and socialising. We’ll also stock it with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to cater to all guests inside a garden marquee.
Consider whether you’ll need to make space for a stage to deliver a speech or presentation, or for live entertainment, such as a DJ or wedding singer/band at this point, too.
The Lighting and Décor
Carefully chosen and well-positioned lighting will set the mood for your outdoor event and create an inviting ambience. Our exceptional lighting solutions can transform the atmosphere and be customised to your specific needs and vision.
For instance, we can provide:
- LED fairy lights – the enchanting lighting will create a romantic backdrop at your wedding reception or engagement party.
- A black, brass, or silver chandelier – add instant elegance and grandeur to a marquee while improving its task lighting.
- LED starlight roof lights – mimic the effect of a starry night on a marquee’s ceiling to wow every guest.
- LED bar uplighters – a fantastic way to create an energetic and colourful party atmosphere, perfect for an evening wedding reception or a fun party.
- Ivory pleated lining with LED lights – a subtle yet magical way to illuminate a marquee and create an elegant backdrop.
- Pinspot lighting – an ideal way to shine a spotlight on specific areas, such as beautiful décor, a stage, or a focal point.
- LED furniture – illuminated stools to create a fun and inviting party atmosphere.
We also provide tailored lighting solutions to help you create the atmosphere you envision for your wedding reception, birthday party, conference, or other event.
Climate Control
Climate control shouldn’t be overlooked when considering marquee hire essentials, as it can make or break your event. For instance, the sun might be shining at the start of your wedding reception, networking event, or family party, but the weather may suddenly take a turn for the worse.
If the rain starts to pour or temperatures plummet, you can trust your guests will head inside a marquee to get warm and dry. Unfortunately, a lack of heating could lead to guests saying goodbye early and heading home.
Extend the fun by hiring reliable marquee heaters to keep people warm and cosy when the weather takes a sudden turn. Of course, on the flip side, if you’re hosting an event in the height of summer, consider introducing a cooling solution to keep guests comfortable. It will ensure they aren’t counting the minutes until they can go home and can prevent heat stroke.
A Power Source
Of course, you will need electricity to power your lighting and music throughout your event. Unless you have access to a domestic power source, consider hiring a generator for a reliable flow of electricity throughout your outdoor wedding or party.
High-Quality Catering
You can guarantee your guests will be excited for a wedding breakfast, buffet, or dinner at your wedding or garden party. Put a smile on their faces by taking the time to find a superb caterer to match your budget and preferences. Choose a company with a great reputation and that has the appropriate equipment to serve delicious dishes.
If you’re struggling to find the right catering company for your event, we are more than happy to recommend one or more fantastic caterers near you.
The Little Extras
You likely will not want to overlook an important detail when planning a special outdoor event, such as a wedding or birthday party. For this reason, we have taken the time to create a rundown of items many people often forget during the planning process.
For example, you might need:
- A coat rail – it will provide guests with a dedicated area to store their coats, jackets, and other layers.
- A luxury toilet – if you’re hosting in your own garden and don’t want your guests going in and out of your home all day, or you’re hosting in a garden for hire and don’t have access to indoor facilities at the event, this is ideal. You get the facility, and it matches your vibe perfectly.
The Noise Level
A fun wedding reception or garden party will likely be full of laughter, chatter, and music, which is great for guests but less than ideal for your neighbours. If you’re hosting an outdoor garden at your home or business, you must be mindful of local noise regulations.
For instance, the police are unlikely to knock on your door for a noise disturbance until after 11 pm. Once nighttime hours begin, you’re legally required to reduce the noise to no more than 10 dB. If it does and a neighbour makes a complaint, the police could arrive, or you may receive a legal notice from your local council.
If you suspect your outdoor event will be a little noisy, provide your neighbours with advance notice of the party to prevent noise complaints and allow them time to make alternative arrangements.
The Marquee Setup
We understand the time and effort required when planning a romantic outdoor wedding or a fun party. While we can quickly and easily set up your chosen marquee on any surface, you will need time to decorate the interior and welcome any deliveries.
For this reason, we suggest organising for a garden marquee to be set up two to three days before your big day or event. It will give you ample time to bring your vision to life, helping you feel less stressed and more excited on the day.
Tick Marquee Hire Off Your Checklist
If you are ready to tick marquee hire off your checklist, get a free quote from us here at Dynamic Marquees.
We are confident we have the perfect marquee to suit your needs and budget. Our team will carefully listen to your needs to help you achieve your vision for an upcoming event, such as a wedding, birthday party, or corporate function.
