Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Marquee for Your Wedding or Event
Picking the venue is usually the first big decision and it’s the one that decides how much of everything else you get to choose. Hotels and function rooms are easy enough to book. But the layout is set, the catering is often tied to the venue, the room has to be cleared by a certain time and there’s a ceiling on how many people you can invite.
A marquee works the other way round. You decide where it goes and how it’s laid out and when your guests walk in, it feels like your event rather than a room you’ve hired for the night. We’re Star Marquees, a local team across West Yorkshire and we do the planning, putting up, styling and taking down.
Here are 10 reasons to consider marquee hire for your next celebration.
1. Pick your own venue
You aren’t stuck with whatever function room happens to be free on your date. You can start from a place that already means something to you.
Maybe that’s the family garden, a bit of land, a country house or the grounds of a venue you love but whose ballroom isn’t quite right. A marquee can make a lawn you’ve known all your life feel completely different. A countryside spot gives you a backdrop people talk about for years.
The site does have to work, though. We need to get the marquee there and put it up and your guests need to get in and out safely. Ground, space and local rules all matter, so we look at them before you book. Tell us where you’re thinking and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’ll work.
2. A layout that fits your day
In a hotel, somebody else has already decided where the tables, bar and dance floor go. With a marquee you start with your guest list and think about how you want the day to go.
Want a formal sit-down? A comfy lounge corner? A proper bar? Loads of room for the band? You can have it. For a company event, we can fit a reception area, a presentation space and seating under one roof. For weddings and parties, the dining and dancing areas can sit close enough to keep the energy up without anyone being crushed against the wall.
3. A blank canvas for your theme
There’s no old carpet, no curtains and nothing to work around.
Some couples go traditional with ivory linings and chandeliers. Others want modern, with bold lighting and clean, contemporary furniture. Rustic, vintage and festival-style all work too, if the inside is planned properly.
It’s the lighting, the furniture, the table layout, the flooring and all the small touches that set the mood. You end up with something that looks like your event and nothing like a standard function room.
4. Room for exactly the number of guests you have
Getting the room size right is trickier than people expect. Too small and everyone’s squeezed in between the tables. Too big and a small party looks lost in it.
With a marquee, we start from your guest count and work outwards. Fifty people sitting down to dinner need a lot less space than fifty people with a dance floor, a bar and a band on top. The caterers need room too. So we ask what you’ve got planned, not just how many are coming.
5. Make the most of the view
The nice thing about a marquee is that your guests get the view without standing outside in the cold. Park it at the end of the lawn and the garden is right there through the windows. Put it near the trees or facing the fields and you get that instead.
We can fit clear panels along the side that has the best outlook, so people can see out while they’re eating. In the evening, once the lights are on, it glows. It looks lovely from the outside too.
It’s worth deciding early which way you want to face. That tells us where the entrance, the tables and the windows should go. The best way is for us to come and see the site and we can check the access, how exposed it is to the wind and what the ground is like at the same time.
6. Comfortable whatever the season
People assume marquees are a summer thing, but they work all year round. We’ve put them up for spring parties, autumn birthdays and winter weddings and they’re lovely in all of them.
The trick is getting the basics right. A proper roof and sides, a solid floor, decent lighting and some heating when it’s cold and your guests stay dry and warm even if it’s blowing a gale outside. It still feels like being outdoors, just without the soggy shoes.
What you need changes with the season and the spot. A sheltered garden in May is a very different job from an exposed field in December. So we look at the ground, the access and the surroundings before we put anything up. West Yorkshire weather can be unpredictable and we know plenty of sites around here, so we plan for yours rather than handing you a standard setup.
7. More say over your budget
A marquee isn’t always the cheaper option. What it does is let you decide where the money goes.
At a traditional venue the room, furniture, food and styling often come as one package. With a marquee you choose what’s worth paying for. Maybe it’s lovely lighting and flooring or nicer furniture or keeping the décor simple so there’s more left for the food and the music.
Tell us your budget early and we’ll suggest a structure, a package and any extras that fit, before anything is booked.
8. Bring in the caterers and suppliers you want
With a marquee, the food is up to you. If you want a proper three-course sit-down, you can have it. If you’d rather have a pizza oven going on the lawn or a barbecue, that works too. Plenty of people bring in a caterer who knows their family’s food, whether that’s halal, vegetarian or a big traditional spread, and that’s much easier than trying to fit it around a hotel’s set menu.
The same goes for the band, the flowers and the bar, though it’s worth asking the landowner first if the marquee is going on someone else’s land. Some places have rules about who can work there.
One thing people forget is the caterers themselves. They’ll need a space to work, plus power, water and a way to get food to the tables without walking through the dance floor. Tell us who you’re using and we’ll plan for it.
9. Privacy and a finish time that suits you
On private land a marquee feels much more personal than a shared venue. There’s no other party next door and no hotel guests walking through. It’s just you and the people you invited.
You usually get more say over how the day runs and when it winds down. Finish times can still depend on noise rules, licensing, neighbours and the terms of the site, so find out early. Don’t just assume the party can go on all night.
Within those limits it’s your call: a relaxed afternoon, an evening reception or a whole weekend if you’ve got the energy.
10. One team to deal with
An outdoor event is more than choosing a marquee. It has to be delivered, put up, furnished and made safe before anyone arrives, then taken down again afterwards.
That’s much easier with one team. We go through your site, numbers, layout and extras well before the day and we deliver, install and collect. Flooring, lighting, furniture and styling can be added if you want them.
We think clear communication matters as much as how it looks. You’ll know what’s included, when we’re turning up and what needs to be ready, from your first enquiry to the last clear-up.
Plan your event with Star Marquees
The marquee enables you to have your special event that is unique to you in terms of location, design, lighting and even the food served without having to fit your event into a standard box.
Our services include weddings, parties, asian and corporate marquees throughout West Yorkshire and surrounding areas such as Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Manchester, Wakefield and Sheffield. Our team will assist in the selection of the appropriate size of your marquee and site inspection among other preparations.
For any garden party or even wedding reception, feel free to contact Star Marquees for a quote.
