Marquee weddings- the good, the bad and the ugly

I wouldn't pick a marquee unless I was getting married in the height of summer and was confident of good weather. I think a marquee in a rural location relies on decent weather. Especially if guests have to leave the marquee to walk to the loos, if it was pooring with rain this would make wet guests, and possibly muddy guests!

I agree with the weather aspect and I'm really fussy about loo's (they would have to be the posh portaloos not the ones on building sites). In regards to DIY it would be nice to have options- maybe a package deal for those brides (like me) who arn't very creative or don't really want to go down the DIY road and then an option just to hire for those who just want a blank canvas.

Even with a DIY aspect I would still think a wedding co-ordinator or someone who could reccomend suppliers would be useful

HTH

WSS

We're having our reception in a Marquee, and have toilets attached to the marquee so once your in you dont need to leave unless you want to smoke!

The only other thing i would really want would be heating/fans depending on the weather

I personally would prefer the option to DIY but offering both would be good.

Another consideration for a rural venue is whether there is any on site accommodation and, if not, how close it is to the nearest hotel.

Having done a fair few marquee weddings.... all in the height of summer I might add..... the biggest problems have been the drop in temperature at night, so decent heating available. Good toilet facilities. walkways to and from the marquee as ground can be very muddy even in summer.

On a plus side for marquees..... they lend themselves to beautiful uplighting effects, you're not governed so much by a venue's restrictions (the last marquee I did went on till 3 in the morning!!!) and some designs are perfect for weddings and in my opinion can look better than a function room.

I went to a marquee wedding last summer, during the heatwave and it was a stunning setting. The also paid a lot of money for particularly nice toilets- which was appreciated.

They had someone organise the whole lot for them inc afternoon tea for the wedding breakfast and a hog roast in the eve. I think since the vintage tea party theme is so popular at the moment is definitely (seasonal) scope for people wanted marquee weddings.

Marquees are best left to the professionals. You can have loo's that are part of the marquee (they join on the side seamlessly, you can have heating, solid floors, sound proof panels, properly distributed power etc.. A good marquee company will deal with this. Many venues have an arrangement with a marquee company where they errect a semi permanant marquee for the season

Thanks everyone.

I agree completely about toilets being the best you can afford. And the idea of a package where you pick and choose what you want from what's on offer could be doable.

There is no accommodation within walking distance although there is plenty of room to camp- something I think they are quite keen to encourage. I suppose links with local private hire firms could come in handy for shuttles to local hotels.