Following on in our series chatting to local wedding suppliers, we asked Henry from Your Marquee if he could provide some tips on what to look for when picking a Marquee company. 

Henry and his team are passionate about what they do & offer "Marquees are fantastic structures and we firmly believe that there isn’t a more special and personal wedding reception venue than a marquee. However, a marquee has to be done correctly…"

Here are a few things to understand and look out for when choosing:

Company

Suss out the type of company that is providing the marquee and the people that run it; Are they genuine? Will they turn up when they say they will? Do they respond to your questions in a timely manner? Do you trust them to provide a gorgeous looking marquee that works as it should? You are asking a company to potentially turn up on a set day at a set time maybe one year in advance no matter what the weather, no matter what (staff, vehicle issues etc) – can the company you are chatting with make this happen?

Testimonials – ask to see them. We can show you lots from members of the general public to corporate customers such as local councils.

Where do they work? Your Marquee work at most of the stately homes in the local area – this is a massive compliment to our services as they have seen lots of companies over the years, yet they use and recommend us.

Flooring

Raised wooden flooring with brand new carpet for a frame marquee.

This is vital to ensure that the marquee and your guests are protected and comfortable no matter what the weather. New carpeting is something we do for every single job – it gives the customer flexibility in colour scheme but also ensures the marquee looks immaculate.

Raised wooden flooring with matting overlay for a pole marquee. 

As far as we’re aware we are the only marquee company to insist on wooden flooring for our pole marquees as well as our frame marquees. If you need it for frame marquees (which you do) then it’s no different for a pole marquee so just as important. A solid base will raise up the flooring ever so slightly, so rainfall will go under the floor and not into the marquee itself. It will stop the ground becoming soft and muddy. As well as keeping the matting more level so it’s not a trip hazard. On soft ground matting will bunch up and sink into the floor which not only looks unsightly but can be very awkward to walk on. 

Beware of quotes that say ‘Flooring’ – it’s dishonest of companies to call it this when actually what they mean is material matting/rugs/carpet straight onto grass. But despite this, they still call it flooring. Be careful.

Dance Floor

Quality dance floors – the dance floors that we have at Your Marquee are top of the range and British made, as such they look fantastic. We also have some variety, offering them in black, black and white, plain white or wooden effect. So ask to see the range if the company has one.

Accessories

Will the marquee company deliver generators, loo’s, catering marquees? Position them with walkways, extra doors for ease of access? Be a one stop shop for any queries you have? Deliver any items like heaters last minute should you need them? We do all these things and more which removes a lot of risk and also worry.

Linings to the roof, walls, window drapes and swags in frame marquees (no linings required in pole marquees). In the grand scheme of it all these add little to the cost but ensure a high standard of finish.

Wind Tested

Lastly and most importantly – the marquee be wind tested. There are almost as many makes and models of marquee as there are cars on the road and just like these some are new, some old, some tested and approved and some unfortunately not tested and approved. We get a lot of confidence from our Roder HTS wind tested frame marquees and our experience has known them stand up in all conditions. Our pole marquees are also wind tested to the same high level as our frame marquees. This means no matter where the site is, we can advise in confidence knowing that whichever marquee you pick it will be able to stand up to the harshest of Yorkshire weather. 

So always check that it’s a framed clear span marquee provided by Roder HTS – the world’s leader in marquee construction. Or, if a pole marquee then wind tested to the same degree.

Quality

Check how modern the marquee that they are providing is – we look after our equipment incredibly well and replace it every few years. At least once a year we hold an open day where you can see our marquees up and look around. This shows our confidence in our marquees. At the other end of the scale to this are other companies out there who don’t want you to see their marquees until it’s too late to do anything about it – a scary thought!

At Your Marquee we are proud of our reputation and work very hard to stock only the finest quality equipment.

If you would like to know more about Marquee Weddings at Newburgh Priory please see Dinner & Dancing or get in touch at weddings@newburghpriory.co.uk

If you would like to know more about Your Marquee hop over to their website here.