‘How do I hire a marquee?’ – It’s a good question, and one we’ve been asked before. There isn’t much that we haven’t seen or done; It really isn’t as complicated as it may at first seem but there are certainly a few things worth knowing about before you start making phone calls and gathering quotations.
Have an idea of your budget
At this stage you probably have no idea as to what a marquee costs, however you should have some idea as to how much you want, or are willing to spend.
Marquees can be created to cater for most tastes and budgets but it will be easier for marquee suppliers to guide you toward something that satisfies both finance and flare if you can at least offer a suggestion of your upper limit.
Once you’ve considered your budget you’ll find it easier to understand what is truly important to you and where you want to allocate the majority of your spend. For some of our clients keeping the marquee beautiful but simple means more budget to allocate to other elements of their event. For others creating a stunning space is paramount.
Know your event
It sounds obvious, but every marquee event is different and we find that client tastes, ideas and visions vary hugely. In our experience no two events are ever the same – even if the differences are subtle they are always there.
Think about the vibe you are going for
Are you looking for something with the ‘Wow!’ factor? Do you want to impress your guests with a high end, extravagant and showy marquee? Or is low key luxury more your thing? Perhaps you’d prefer a chilled out vibe or a rustic, festival look and feel?
What do you picture when you think of a marquee?
There are lots of different marquee types and lots of different ways that they can be styled. Have a look at the various types of marquee available (Our gallery pages are a great place to start). Set your mind on a particular style of marquee and take note of any images that really catch your eye.
Have you decided how many guests you’d like to invite?
This crucial detail goes someway toward helping us understand the size of marquee you’ll need. There are a variety of other factors that affect marquee size too; for instance, will your guests be dining? If so, do you want them seated for a formal dining experience or are you considering a buffet or a more sociable (and currently rather fashionable) bowl food event with guests standing and mingling as they eat?
Will there be drinking, music and dancing?
At this stage it’s all about what you’re planning on doing in the marquee. Perhaps it’s just a meal or perhaps you’re looking to create party central? The more that’s going on, the more space you’re likely to need.
Elements such as bar choice may be dictated by budget – will a simple trestle table suffice? or do you want a flashy LED unit? Bar prices can range from a few pounds for a trestle into the thousands for certain types of LED bar and there are many options in between.
Think carefully about budget allocation.
The flashier or more luxurious the styling of certain elements are the higher their price tag. You may well decide that an ultra cool LED bar is a must, if budget is no issue then that’s great, but if you are keeping an eye on the figures then you may need to compromise in other areas in order to accommodate it within budget.
Do you have a venue in mind?
Many of our clients have marquees built in their own back gardens, but many others hire a venue. We’re happy to work in most locations but there are a few factors you should consider when choosing a site for your marquee.
Consider power requirements – If the marquee is near a house, garage or outbuilding we’ll be able to run a power supply from there, however if it isn’t you’ll need a generator and this adds considerable additional costs.
Think about where you’ll want the marquee to be placed.
How accessible is the marquee site? Will it be a long walk for your guests? Can the toilets be positioned close enough to keep them viable? If your marquee is on a hard standing space then you may incur extra charges for weighting to keep the marquee in situ.
What we would want to know when you contact us?
In truth, as much as you can tell us. If you can paint a clear picture of what you’d like to achieve and if you can give us an idea of your budget it will be much easier for us to offer guidance, advice and an accurate estimate.
We’ll certainly want to know your location, approximate guest numbers, the type of event you are planning (Wedding, party, corporate event etc…), whether there will be dining, dancing or just one or the other. If your guests are dining then we’ll need to know whether you’ll need a caterers area. Will you want toilets? Do you need a generator? and are there any particular features that are a must – LED bars, special lighting, hard flooring etc.
That should give us enough detail to be able to provide you with an initial estimate. You won’t need to go into huge detail at this stage. The next step would be to meet up with you, look at and assess the marquee site and – this is where the fun begins – start discussing the deeper details of your event.
Compare quotations and estimates on a like for like basis!
This is vital – Not all marquees are created equal!
There are lots of companies offering ‘marquee hire’ but they are not all offering the same level of product or including the same elements in their quotations.
If you were buying a car you’d undoubtedly understand that there’s a difference between a Lada and a Lamborghini and you’d expect and understand the difference between the price tags, yet when it comes to hiring temporary structures the generic term Marquee seems to be accepted as a standard.
With car manufacture you’d understand that there are differences in the quality of materials used, the levels of workmanship and the levels of customer service given, the same is absolutely true in the world of marquees.
Why Lifestyle marquees?
Lifestyle marquees provide luxury marquees – premium products with levels of workmanship and customer service to match. Our estimates and quotations include everything you need for your event (except, guests, food and drinks of course!). In other words, once you’ve described the event that you’d like to create we’ll give you realistic numbers, accounting for elements such as toilets, power supply, lighting, heating and furniture – elements that many other suppliers leave out in order to make their quotations sound more competitive.
Check the details carefully when you compare your quotes and make sure that you are truly comparing like for like before you make your final decision.
…and it’s worth noting that Lifestyle marquees GUARANTEE all of their work too. Top service guaranteed, and we put our money where our mouth is too!
Hire a marquee with Lifestyle marquees
If you’re thinking that you might like to hire a marquee for your wedding, party or corporate event then get in touch. We’re always happy to offer guidance and advice and we also offer free, no obligation estimates over the telephone. You can contact us over the telephone on 01483 322070 or by email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk