We’re here to get your show on the road! Weddings in remote places and tight spaces are our jam. Ror’s Kitchen rolls in 4x4s and we pack our gear in trailers: we relish a logistical challenge. We’ve got our own gazebos and awnings, will work whatever the weather, and can operate without power.
There are quite a few things to consider when it comes to a marquee wedding. Luckily, we’ve thought of them already.
General considersations and planning
Site Choice and Terrain
You’ll need somewhere flat- if the marquee’s on a slope it will make it difficult to dance! You may get away with coir mat flooring, or you may need wooden flooring if the ground below is soft or uneven. If there is heavy rain, think about where puddles might form, and consider that a wooden floor can get slippery when wet.
Access
For vehicles, you’ll need a solid track to the marquee site, free from low-hanging branches. Marquees often come in on lorries, and the same goes for cater hire (furniture, glassware etc. usually comes in a 7.5 ton DAF lorry, which is 3.6m tall and up to 8m long). Unless you have good access up to the marquee site, things will need to be carried or trailered in from the closest accessible point. You may also need to use porta-loos, or consider the walk to the nearest accessible drop off point for a nice loo. For your guests, is the route suitable for walking in nice (/high-healed) shoes, and do you need special arrangements for anyone in a wheelchair? You also need to consider drop-off points, signposting, and parking if you’re arranging buses or taxis. Parking attendant is a great job for an unlucky usher!
Water
You don’t necessarily need running water – we can bring that. But it’s helpful if it’s there. A garden tap or hose pipe will do fine.
Security
Security- depending on where you are, it could be worth considering security to cover a marquee full of booze on the night before the wedding. This is usually something we can help with if you need.
Heaters
When are you planning your marquee wedding? How warm will it be? You’ll probably need heaters for when it gets cold, as even in midsummer, the temperature drops on a clear night.
Loos
You’ll need them. But they typically have their own water supply.
Site Choice and Terrain
Power- you’ll need power, probably in the form of a generator. Even if you’re next to the house, running a modest wedding can, at peak times, use the same amount of electricity the equivalent power to boiling 8 kettles (about 24kw). That’s 8 individual sockets, most likely from 3+ different 32A circuits, and if something trips in the house, this will create a headache for whoever knows where the fuse board is!
Weather
Consider what happens if it’s rainy or windy. What about renting umbrellas? British weather is unpredictable; you’re as likely to have a monsoon in July as you are in January. And stilettos + muddy grass? Some people offer stiletto caps, and couples have given out flipflops in the past. As a bare minimum, you need to consider having an inside space for your reception, so probably a larger tent than you need.
Catering Tent
A catering tent is almost always a good idea. This should be at least 6m x 6m, but possibly bigger, depending on your numbers. This will also house the crates for hired glasses and plates.
Midges
It’s going to be a still, glorious day for your wedding (we promise!), but with that comes the possibility of midges. The odd fire pit smoking outside will help, as will midge repellent on tables just in case!
Where we really come into our own is in tricky situations when an important logistical element is missing. Ror spent eight years working as a building contractor, and our team have joined us from all walks of life, from removals and mechanics to landscaping. We’re more than a pretty plate of food!
Timelines and working with other suppliers
1. When is the Marquee going up?
Ideally, it needs to go up on a Wednesday/Thursday, so that other providers can start setting up or delivering from Thursday. The catering tent can be used for storage of deliveries as required, but if your lighting team are planning on storing items there, or having lighting boards or sound boards, we need to know in advance!
2. Are you hanging lights?
If lighting needs to be rigged, this typically happens next.
3. Are you hanging flowers?
After lighting, if you have any hanging florals over the bar or tables, this goes in next. Ideally, this needs to by done by Friday, but we can discuss this with your florist, as it’s equally important that the flowers are in good condition.
4. Please by tidy!
A general (and perhaps obvious) note on suppliers: ask them to be neat and tidy, no skids marks on the grass, no muddy feet on the carpet. We don’t want mess that we have to clean half an hour before guests arrive.
5. Furniture in place and table setting
Once the flowers are in place, the tables can go in. We’ve had florists work on arrangements over tables that were fully set on a Saturday morning, and it was a nightmare. With twigs and moss falling on pristine table cloths, we had to re-set everything. You may wish to set your own tables so you can get the look right. That’s absolutely fine from our perspective, and it’s a nice team-building activity for family and friends.
6. On the day
On the day – we’ll usually arrive between 10am-1pm, depending on a variety of factors. If you’re having Asado lamb, we’ll be there on the earlier side.
7. 11am weather call
Making a call on the weather is important! Usually we’ll make a decision around 11am on the day, as this gives us time to adapt as required. The big question is whether we have the reception inside or outside. If the weather is bad, we can usually deal with it to an extent. Wind is harder to deal with than rain, but we can work with winds up to about 25mph. And if it rains, as people often ask, what we do? We get wet, and keep the fires covered!
8. It’s WEDDING TIME!
(Get the fizz popping!)
During the wedding, it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll probably have suppliers you’ll need to feed.
9. Sundowners
At dusk, it is time to light the flares and firepits. We can provide an external coordinator on the day who is separate from our event manager, if needed. This is someone to make the day less stressful.
10. Home time
Carriages at: time TBC.
11. Home time
An hour and a half after carriages, our team should be finished and heading home to bed. It’s important that we have our team there until the end to keep on top of the mess, or there will be a lot of tidying to do. This can be discussed, but don’t say we didn’t warn you! We’ve had marquee wedding parties that have galloped on unattended until 5am in the morning, and the mess we encountered when we came in at 9am the next day for the Sunday BBQ was ungodly.
11. De-rig and take down
When does the marquee come down? We would recommend that it comes down on the Monday, allowing suppliers the morning to remove their kit. If cater hire needs to be collected on Sunday, there is usually a premium charged of around £150 or so, depending on location. (And it gives you the chance for a ‘do’ on Sunday, which we’d happily help with!)
