Hiring a marquee is a wonderful way to bring your guests to a location that means something to you.  Whether that’s erecting a marquee in your garden, your family’s garden or a treasured location – or simply to avoid expensive venue costs, we can help you find the right marquee solution.

Things to consider before selecting a marquee for your event.

• What space do you have available?
• What surface is your marquee going to be on?
• What time of year is the event – is a marquee the right venue?
• Do you need seating and tables for the event?
• Is access restrictive or easy?
• How big do you want your marquee?
• Do you have power to your marquee, or will you need a generator?

So, once you’ve had a think about all these things, you’ll then have a good brief to give our marquee suppliers and get a range of prices.

Different types of marques

Party tents come in different shapes and sizes – generally they can be adapted for your number of guests and the available space you have. You can have them free standing or marquees that can butt up against your house or other venue to extend that space.

You can choose whether you want plain sides, roll-up sides or marquees with windows (clearspan marquees). Again, this will probably depend on the location where the tent is going. You can also get tunnels to bring two marquees together or to cover the entrance or join from another building.  This is handy if it’s a rainy time of the year.

One type of marquee we particularly like is the traditional canvas marquee.  These marquees have beautiful canvas sides and traditional wooden poles – they really set the scene for a more bohemian wedding or stylish Birthday or anniversary event.

Kitting out your marquee

Generally as a rule, Events Made Fabulous marquee hire suppliers provide flooring and lighting as included in the price as a minimum. But check with the event supplier. After this you can add a range of internal features.  These include marquee linings, carpets, heating options, disco lights, a range of furniture – from canteen style tables to beautiful luxurious seating and table styles – dancefloors and bars.

This is where your quotes will go up – so really consider what you’ll need and think if you can supply some of it yourself, or want to hire everything. Importantly, if you need power, think about whether your home/location can supply electricity or if you’ll need a generator.  Again, this might cost more, but be careful to consider how much power you’ll need. The last thing you want in the middle of your party is all the fuses blowing!

Another option would be to use an event decorator or event planner – they’ll be able to help you with all of this and make sure you select the right options for your event.

So how much do marquees usually cost? 

Well, because of everything above, the costs vary enormously. But, this is a rough guidance for you.  Please note that difficult locations or hard to access sites, may incur extra charges for more marquee staff or machinery.

• 3m by 6m marquee which would fit approximately 30 guests would set you back around £450 – 600

• 4m by 8m marquee would fit approximately 40-50 guest would set you back around £550 – 700

• 4m by 12m marquee would fit approximately 60 guests would set you back around £750 – 900

As your requirements for tent size get bigger, prices can really vary depending on all those external factors we mentioned, so when you ask for a quote do give as much information as you possibly can for what you want to use your marquee for.

So what else is important to know before deciding on a marquee for your wedding or event?

There are a few extra things you should consider

1. Make sure your chosen supplier has the right insurance. It’s essential that you tell them everything you plan to use it for. It might be that you need extra insurance to cover special entertainment, for example.
2. We’ve done checks on our suppliers, but it’s always a good idea to ask your marquee supplier if their tents have the correct safety standards.
3. Depending on the surface your marquee is going on, there will have to be either guidelines (wires/ropes/straps) and pegs or special heavy weights to secure the tent. So, think about this as you may not want large weights surrounding your marquee – just something to consider.
4. Remember that a marquee is a blank canvas – think big and talk to your supplier. They are so helpful and really can make your dream wedding or event come alive.

Tell us about your event or wedding below – we’ll find those suppliers for you with a press of a button. Just fill in a few details below and we’ll get those quotes to you. We don’t charge our suppliers any commission, so you’re getting their best price.