The Best Furniture Choices For A Marquee Wedding

It’s not always easy choosing the best furniture for a marquee wedding but here are some useful tips.

When you are planning a marquee wedding, start by planning out the whole day and night as a series of small events.  Once you have worked out the running order, take each mini event and think of that in isolation in terms of a. What will we be doing? b. What will our guests be doing?  c. What do we need to supply to make everyone comfortable and happy?  This will start to give you an idea of the best furniture for your marquee wedding set up.

When the guests arrive

As guests start to arrive, they find comfort in heading towards a focal point, like a bar. People don’t like to think ‘Where shall I stand?’, or ‘What do we do now?’. Aim to have a drinks bar away from the main entrance to draw people in initially. Don’t have too many places for people to sit as once they sit down, people often don’t move or mix. We suggest standing tables or barrels where people can put their drinks down or gather around to chat and mingle.

Time to Dine:
Round or Rectangle Tables?

Round tables can seat up to 10 people and give a more traditional feel. They really unite everyone on that table so it’s good for groups of people who don’t know each other. Don’t forget you’ll need table cloths for round tables, but your caterers can help you with that usually.

Rectangle tables can be set up with more of a ‘dining hall’ experience. It feels inclusionary and fun but be careful not to seat anyone over where the tables join.  Follow the advice from your furniture supplier as to how many people can be seated comfortably. With our rustic rectangle tables you won’t need table cloths if you don’t need them.

Chairs or benches?

Cross-back chairs are a gorgeous addition for traditional or formal settings, or if you want people to sit comfortably for longer periods.

Benches feel relaxed and easy to move about on. More people can join or leave a bench without it seeming like a ‘departure’ so often this is fun if you want people popping up and down to dance.

Party time:
Stage, dance floor and bars

If you are having entertainment (a band or singer) then you’ll need a stage.  We do stages that can be 3.6m long or 4.8m long but ask your band how big the stage needs to be for their set up.

Dance floors work really well as a focal point for dancing. Of course they are not necessary as it’s possible to dance on the matting that our marquees come with, but if you want a solid surface then a dance floor is a must. Different size dance floors suit different sized marquees so work out a floor plan when choosing the best dance floor.

Bars are a must for topping up the drinks, taking a break from dancing or just a central point for social interactions. Remember that a bar always attracts a crowd so don’t put your bar too tucked away or too close to the dance floor. Straight bars suit being placed next to the edges of marquees and round bars look great as central pieces.

Timeout:
Don’t forget the chill out furniture

Chill out furniture is often overlooked.  Everyone will need some time out.  Often younger and older guests need to step out from the busy parts of the day so having some well positioned chill out furniture scattered around is a great idea.

Finishing Touches:
A few suggestion that we think make all the difference

There are loads of finishing touches that will make a huge difference to your big day.  Here are three of our favourites:

1. We always recommend a fire pit. You can put these inside Tipis or outside of any marquee. They are wonderful places for people to gather. The flames always draw a crowd and when the temperature drops they are perfect for taking the chill away.
2. Don’t forget the cake table. Your cake will be one of the main attractions and you don’t want it lost in amongst the other furniture. Make it centre stage with it’s own table.
3. Lit walkways into your marquee look absolutely stunning as the evening draws in. Think shepherd hooks and festoon lights making the entrance even more spectacular. See our Walkway Package in our Finishing Touches range for an idea of what this can look like.

Now you’re all set.  You have furniture for the whole day and night and you have thought about all your guests and their comfort.  If you need more help, our team in the office is always delighted to talk about additional items they might suggest, or help you with a floor plan.

We have been supplying luxury marquees for weddings for over 10 years and we’re experts at what we do. So get in touch via our contact form or email us directly and we’ll guide you on your way to a Spectacular Wedding.

About Events Under Canvas

Events Under Canvas Ltd was launched in September 2013. The mission was to create magnificent outside events under beautiful Giant Tipis, Sailcloth Tents and Stretch Tents, with impeccable service and attention to detail right across the East and South East of England.

We cater for events of all sizes from small garden parties to festival spaces, corporate events and spectacular weddings.

If you’d like to hire one of our amazing marquees, contact us.

Why do marquees make such great wedding venues?