Suitable Place For A Marquee?

by Nicola
(Rochdale)

We’d love to our wedding marquee on my fiancé’s family farm. The only problem though is that it’s a working farm with lots of cows and around 60 horses on livery. There’s a lane full of pot holes that’s a mile long that people would need to drive along.

We already own a couple of new marquees, but we’re not sure that the farm is clean enough or pretty enough for all the guests. Also, with having to kit out the marquee with flooring, lights and loos, I’m not sure it would work out any cheaper than a venue. What do you think?

Answer:
You’ve got two questions there really. The first is about whether or not you should have your wedding on the farm and the second is about whether or not you’ll be able to save by using the marquees you have. I’ll address them separately.

Should you have your wedding on the farm?
I personally think if that’s what you want, then you should do it. It sounds like you’ve got plenty of land – so could you not use a flat, even field close to the farm house? You could clear an area for the marquee, a car park and set down walkways to protect shoes in case it’s muddy.

You’d need to do some careful planning and preparation. It would also take a lot of effort on your part and your fiancé to ensure that everything is just right for your reception, but having it in a field would probably be ok, especially if you prepared the ground well and considered the proximity to loos etc. Keeping your guests away from the working farm would definitely be a good idea – especially since farms tend to be mucky! It’ll also keep your animals safe from your guests!

I grew up in the country and I remember going to big parties and balls in marquees on farms. I never remember the dirt or muddiness. If you think that would be a concern for your guests, then notify them on the invite.

I wouldn’t worry about the lane with pot holes – I think that only adds to the charm! You can have a wonderful country theme which would be really special! You’ve bought a smile to my face thinking about hay bales, barn dances, wildflowers and the bride arriving on horseback or even a tractor!

Would a marquee be cheaper than another venue?
Given that you’d need to prepare the land well and probably put down walkways, loos, a catering tent, power and the contents inside the marquee, your costs are likely to reasonably high. You’d also have a lot of work to do in preparation.

I had my wedding in my in-laws’ back garden, but we had so much already there. The kitchen was a stone’s through, we used power from the house, we used the loos inside and no walkways were needed. We also kept the decor inside very basic in order to keep our costs down. It was still the most expensive item within our budget.

In your case, I’d be prepared to spend at least a couple of thousand pounds in this area as you’ll have so much to do. In which case, you could actually find a really good venue elsewhere – without all the effort. It certainly won’t be as personal or probably quite as relaxed as having it on the farm, but you’d definitely be able to find something cheaper, especially if you’re willing to cater yourselves.

It sounds like you live in the country, if so, why not look at a village hall? There are plenty of newly renovated halls around and they’re usually cost next to nothing. You’d be able to get your hall and all your equipment for a few hundred pounds. And if you’re really keen on a marquee, why not deck the inside of the hall out like the inside of a marquee – chandelier and all!

In summary, I think that having a marquee reception on the farm would be a wonderful idea if you’ve got the energy and budget to plan and prepare it all. If you want to save your energy and cash though, then an alternative low cost venue would be a solution.


Best of luck