18th December, 2018

Marquee wedding venues

by Liz Gatherer

Liz Gatherer chats with Gary Duarte from Inside Outside Marquee Hire to find out about the exciting opportunities marquee wedding venues can offer.

Inside Outside Marquee Hire was created in 1980 and has been at the forefront of the marquee industry in Surrey and the south east of England ever since. We focus on luxury marquee hire with an exceptional finish, outstanding customer service and unrivalled attention to detail. We deliver a complete service, arranging and coordinating elements such as furniture and bar hire, dance floors, lighting, electrics, power and heating and offer a 10 point 'Stress Free' service guarantee on every marquee venue that we create.

We love what we do and we've been doing it for a long time. There really isn't much that we haven't seen, done and found solutions for. We enjoy a challenge and have the experience, gained over almost four decades in the industry, to find answers to marquee builds in even the most complicated or awkward spaces.

Oh, and we won the 'Wedding Marquee Supplier of the Year' award for the South East of England 2019 at this year's Wedding Industry Awards! I hear that Wedition won the 'Best Wedding Day Special Touch' for South Central England 2019, see you at the National finals!

Marquee wedding venues

One of my favourite things about marquee wedding venues is the fact that no single one is the same. There must be a huge level of personalisation that goes into a marquee wedding venue, just as there is a huge level of personalisation that goes into Wedition. Are you able to spend time getting to know the story of your wedding couple which you can then reflect in their marquee wedding venue?

We try to get to know our wedding couples from the very first moment that we meet them. Weddings are already very personal occasions, but a wedding in a marquee venue is even more so. A marquee wedding is about creating a unique and intimate space for celebrating the joining of two unique personalities whilst reflecting their new identity as a married couple. The shared experiences that bring couples together will always be important to them. Sharing the memories of those occasions with family and friends is a great way to personalise the big day. We're often asked for ideas on theming and have built lots of themed marquees as a result. For example, we created an Alpine Ski Lodge styled marquee for a couple who had met whilst working the ski season and an Indian themed marquee with bespoke linings (manufactured in house) for a couple that met travelling. Often it's just small touches that hint at a variety of shared and meaningful experiences that really set a marquee wedding venue apart from others and it's our job to help clients understand what does and doesn't work when styling a marquee.

Fun fact about marquee wedding venues

What’s you favourite marquee fun fact that you love to share with wedding couples?

We've suspended performing acrobats from the rafters of our marquees! An individual apex point in a marquee roof can support up to 100kg in weight and by straddling two points you can suspend a weight of up to 200kgs.

Marquee wedding venues ceiling suspension

Unusual places for marquee wedding venues

Where is the most unusual place you have set up a wedding marquee?

We recently built a series of three marquees over a lake! It was quite a feat of engineering, first requiring the lake to be drained so that we could install scaffolding before building three connected marquees over the top. The main marquee housed the reception area, dining space and dance floor, it also incorporated the fountain from the lake. We connected the main marquee, via a small bridge, to a completely clear bar marquee and the third marquee housed the caterers. The views from the marquee were stunning so we used clear glass doors and windows along with clear gable ends on the main marquee in order to take maximal advantage of the natural light and beautiful scenery.

How do the Inside Outside team make a wedding day so unique?

From the moment we first speak to potential clients we try to make their experience unique - we take a consultative approach to marquee hire, so we're not telling people what they should have or how they should do things, we're asking them questions and trying to understand what they want. Along the way we'll advise and make suggestions and we might even steer clients or manage expectations according to their budget, but ultimately it's their big day and we'll do everything we can to deliver their dream venue. Something that we like to point out to clients using a family home to house their marquee venue is that they can incorporate garden features into their marquee - flowerbeds, small trees, statues, ponds, pergolas and so on. What could be more personal than bringing the features of your family home into the marquee? Another way to make a marquee event ultra personal and unique is to light up special garden features, trees and even buildings so that they can be seen from the marquee.

What do wedding couples love most about their Inside Outside marquee wedding?

The unique nature of their wedding marquee - they can guarantee that no other couple have had the same experience, photos in the same spot or the same theming and styling. That's the beauty of a marquee wedding, it's personal, tailored to each couple and reflects their personality much more than an off the shelf wedding venue package ever could.

Inside Outside Marquee Hire recommended supplier: Wedition

Why do you love having Wedition as one of your recommend suppliers and what is it about a Wedition wedding that stands out so much?

Enthusiasm, passion and personalisation! Liz genuinely loves weddings and making every couple's big day as unique and special as possible. Passion shines through in everything that Wedition does. We're passionate about what we do too, so we truly appreciate working with suppliers, such as Wedition, who share our enthusiasm and who we know that we can trust to work to the same incredibly high standards that we do.

Marquee hire Surrey

'Marquee' is a coverall term (excuse the pun!) and is used very loosely. There are lots of marquee companies out there providing structures at all price points and to varying quality standards. You really do get what you pay for so if you are getting several quotes then make certain you are comparing like for like. The brand names may not be as well known but try thinking of it this way - If you were buying a new dress then you'd know the difference between Prada and Primark. It's the same with marquee hire, you can always find something that fits but if you want a quality product then expect a price tag to match.

Quick facts about marquee wedding venues

A tennis court can hold a marquee for 250 guests for formal dining and dancing - including a caterers area too.
We can build completely clear marquees.
We manufacture our traditional pole marquees in house.
If you'd like something a little different, we can manufacture bespoke linings in house.
We can install glass windows and doors in our marquees.
Marquees can be built and levelled out on sloping ground.
Marquees can be built over ponds and swimming pools.
Inside Outside's marquees are rated for winds of up to 80mph!

For more information on hiring a marquee you can download a full copy of our comprehensive Marquee Hire Guide for free here.