Gary
The perfect wedding venue… is there such a thing? It all comes down to personal choice and personal point of view. What’s perfect for one couple may not be quite right for another. One thing’s for sure, weddings are once in a lifetime events, filled with special moments that should be treasured forever. Getting the details right makes all of the difference to the perfect wedding day. From catering to floristry, entertainment and interior décor – every element is crucial.
None perhaps more so than the wedding venue itself. After all the venue is the base for everything else. The blank canvas for the décor, the platform for the floristry. It’s the space that your guests will dance in, dine in, and create memories in.
So, what makes the perfect wedding venue?
The setting
The setting for your wedding venue is so important. It’s not just the location, accessibility, availability of parking and all of those other important but rather functional considerations. It’s the look and feel, your connection to, and the soul of the place.
Try to find a venue that speaks to you. A place that you have a connection with. Is there a local venue that you visited every summer whilst growing up? How about the venue that your parents were married? Or how about something even more personal?
Your home, your parent’s home or the home of a close relative could provide the perfect backdrop for an ultra-personalised marquee wedding. A marquee in the grounds of a private home is the simplest way to ensure that your wedding day will be special, memorable and completely unique.
The layout
Whatever venue you choose, it’s important to give careful consideration to the internal layout. Many of us will have been to weddings in beautiful locations, stunning country hotels or stately homes that have seemed perfect at first glance. However, a mix of smaller rooms and disjointed dining and dancing spaces can spoil the flow, separate guests and lead to a loss of atmosphere.
Consider the flow of your evening carefully. Do the venues that you are considering lend themselves to the atmosphere that you are trying to create? Bricks and mortar venues can be amazing and full of character, but they do tend to be ‘one size fits all’ – will the venue be too large for your guests? Or too small and overcrowded perhaps?
Marquee wedding venues are designed bespoke to each occasion. Not just the theming and styling, the furniture and interior décor, but the size, layout and flow too.
Many people think of a marquee as a rectangular canvas (or PVC) box, but in reality a marquee can be tailored to offer separate spaces that help with look and feel and the flow of the occasion. Think reception spaces, cloakroom facilities, chillout spaces and so on.
Reveal curtains are a great way to hide surprises such as a stage, set up and ready for your five piece band to strike up! It’s features like this that really wow guests and create memorable occasions.
Styling and décor
Whatever type of venue you choose, consider how it can be styled and personalised to represent you and your partner. Some venues offer plenty of character of their own, others can be a little bland without some decorative touches.
Many venues help with styling, but the options may be limited and somewhat generic. No matter how lovely your venue might be you’ll want to ensure that you add the personal touches that make it feel like your special occasion, not just another wedding.
Marquees really are like blank canvases when it comes to theming, styling and décor. The sky really is the limit. Florists and stylists can create a magical backdrop, but the marquee itself can bring flair, individuality and wow factor style.
We’ve already mentioned reveal curtains, but how about clear roof panels? A marquee with half of its roof clear, decorated with floral elements, roof sails and lit by LED uplights can be spectacular.
With a marquee venue you get to choose your furniture too. Do you want long tables or round tables? Ghost chairs, Chiavari chairs, wooden benches or something else? Bricks and mortar venues are likely to include furniture in their fees, but your unlikely to have much of a choice as to what you’re getting. Check if your venue will let you bring in your own choice of hired furniture.
Timings
Not strictly part of a venue’s anatomy, but certainly an important factor to be considered. Venues are likely to have strict rules around start and finish times. After all they will have local residents to consider, licencing rules to adhere to, and hotels and stately homes are likely to have guests in residence that they’ll want to keep happy too.
Check what time the music must stop by, the latest departure time for guests and any other restrictions that could affect the evening.
The same applies to marquees in hired spaces such as the grounds of stately homes. However, if your marquee is set up at a private home then you get to set the start and finish times. In fact, you can even choose to use the space for more than one occasion. It’s common for marquees to be used for a family get together before the big day – and even for ‘survivors’ breakfasts the following morning.
Are you looking for the perfect wedding venue?
If you’re weighing up your options then why not include a marquee wedding venue? Marquees almost certainly won’t be the cheapest option, but they will be the most unique, personal and bespoke.
We offer no obligation estimates, quotes and site visits and would love to discuss your perfect wedding venue with you. Call 01483 322070 or email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk to find out more.
