There are obviously hundreds of venues throughout Scotland and there are several wedding planners who are experienced in finding the perfect venue.  However I thought I would share some of the venues where we work fairly regularly in case you are currently considering a marquee wedding.

Firstly there are venues which have their own marquees and everything is in place for you to enjoy your special day.  With these venues, although we don’t own the marquees we work with the owners to help maintain them or add in extra lighting, toilet marquees etc.  Venues we are currently working with are Hamilton Park Racecourse, Portavadie Marina and Boturich Castle. 

Some of Scotland’s best hotels offer marquee weddings if numbers are too large to be accommodated within the hotel itself – thus you get the stunning venue and first class catering offered but in a marquee “annexe”.  This service is offered by Isle of Eriska Hotel, Glenfinnan House Hotel, Knockderry House Hotel and the Royal Marine Hotel, Dunoon.  New on to the venue list would be Rudha-na-Craige Guest House in Inveraray – a first class guests house with a hidden gem of a back garden where they now offer a marquee venue

There are a wide variety of venues that offer a castle backdrop and/or spectacular gardens or views and allow you to bring in your own marquee, caterer and ancillary items.  Some suggestions would be Ardkinglas Estate, Finlaystone Estate, Duntreath Castle and Castle Lachlan. 

We are always happy to offer help or advice when choosing a venue as there are several considerations such as whether you need to budget for toilets, generators, ground protection etc – all which can add to costs.  Different venues offer different facilities so it is always worth checking before settling on your ideal venue.

Modern frame systems are much more robust and whilst it should always be remembered that they are temporary structures they can now be installed in almost all weathers.

That said, the comfort of guests is paramount and therefore the heating of a marquee in the winter is one of the most important considerations.

We heat wedding marquees all year round. In our experience, even on a hot summer day, the temperature can drop in the evening enough to make guests feel cold, especially if they are wearing flimsy clothing as is so often the case at weddings.  Brides often tell us they won’t require heating – one thing less to budget for in a never ending list of costs.  However, in our experience, when a marquee is cold, it tends to be the marquee company which gets the blame. Nobody seems to consider that perhaps the bridal party were trying to save on costs!

Summer marquee heating is relatively easy; one good sized heater will heat a marquee in a matter of minutes with a quick blast.

Winter marquees are a whole different story! There is no point in blasting the heat in at one end of a marquee so that some guests are far too hot and guests at the opposite end are freezing.  It is important to ensure that heaters (some can have two vents into the marquee) are strategically placed around the exterior of the marquee to ensure an even heat throughout.

Thought should also be given as to whether the toilet and kitchen marquees will require heat.  In our experience, for winter events the answer is more often than not “Yes”.  Although the kitchen may remain hot whilst the ovens and hot cupboards are in full use, later in the evening they will chill down and be a source of cold air into the main function area.

So, winter events in marquees are entirely possible as long as some careful thought and planning go into the heating aspect.  It might cost a little more in fuel but it can make the difference between success and failure.

Certainly when the weather is good and the toilet trailer can be located outside the marquee there are no issues and nobody thinks twice about the position.

However, if the weather is wet then no matter how close the toilet trailer is it is never close enough.  Toilet marquees linked to the main marquee allow guests to access the toilet facilities without having to go outside at all.

Toilet marquees can be fully lined, with lighting and heating (dependent on time of year) and therefore give some added extras other than simply shelter from the weather.  They can be used for coat rails, cheval mirrors, dressing table with accessories for guests (e.g. spare tights, tissues, sweeties or whatever little “extra” you wish to give your guests).

The photo below is a good example of how a toilet marquee can be made to feel like part of the whole event.

Toilet Marquee

This was a winter party so the lighting was atmospheric in keeping with the colour themes of turquoise throughout the marquee.

Our advice would be that in the winter a toilet marquee is absolutely necessary and in the summer – if budget allows – it just finishes off the whole look for your event marquee.

The Royal Highland Show is always a favourite – partly because we enjoy working with the team at Ingliston and also because every year is different with a slightly different mix of clients.  This year we once again looked after the President’s Marquee and the Shopping Marquee but there were changes to the Renewables Area and 2010 also saw the inclusion of a marquee for The National Grid and BBC Scotland who were broadcasting live at the Event.

The weather was fabulous throughout the month which enhanced all the events and also gave our brides getting married at Duntrune Castle and Glenfinnan House Hotel spectacular venues for their special day.

Ideally this works best if the dance area can be kept covered until it is time to open a lining reveal – giving guests the wow factor.  A black out area with star cloth ceiling and colour changing LED lighting is all that is required to give the desired effect.  However, depending on budget, it can be further enhanced by the inclusion of a specialised dance floor – this can be simply black and white or nowadays there are a wide variety of LED dance floors, mirrored and coloured.

LED lighting and Black/White Dance Floor

Virtually nothing is impossible to achieve in the event world – the only constraint being one’s imagination….and of course budget!

Although Boturich Castle is now effectively one of our competitors, we feel that the stunning venue they have introduced to the Glasgow area is worth a mention!  With stunning views over Loch Lomond, Boturich Castle’s Marquee offers a state of the art marquee venue – with solid glazing and a high quality wooden floor finish they have guaranteed a magnificent venue for both weddings and corporate events.

I would fully recommend that you contact Laura at Boturich Castle for further information should you be currently looking for a wedding venue.  All at Tents and Events wish Laura and Rory every success in this new venture.

This is probably one of the best organised Shows in the country.  Show Manager, David Dunsmuir, is meticulous in his planning and that is the reason that the Royal Highland Show is such a success – an excellent ambassador for Show organisers, David is the ultimate professional and a pleasure to work with at all times – no matter what pressure he is under.

Organisation is therefore the key to success – a huge amount of our time is taken up with the planning process throughout the season and The Royal Highland Show poses a huge logistical challenge.  Not only do we have to ensure that we have the equipment available for the Show dates but each marquee has to be installed at a certain time in order to allow carpet fitters, electricians, shell scheme companies and of course the occupiers enough time to be set up for the show opening.

We have to ensure that the Stockman’s Restaurant is started approx. 2 weeks before the Show date so that it is ready to open early in Show week when the animals start arriving on site and the Shopping Marquee is in place early to allow the shell scheme fitters access before the stall holders arrive with their wares.   Whereas the President’s Marquee is not required until a couple of days before the Show opens – but we have to be sure that we have retained good quality equipment for this prestigious venue – especially since the Queen was to lunch in it this year!

2009 was a great year for us as the “experimental” Renewables Area grew  in size after its inaugural year with more companies becoming involved and this year saw the introduction of another marquee to promote the Homecoming initiative.

However after a job well done there is no time for complacency – it is a quick turn around to get everything out of the “The Highland” and into Scone for the annual Scottish Game Fair – a great day out for all and another well organised and disciplined show under the watchful eye of Malcolm Davidson.

Do you see the trend…..success follows careful planning and meticulous attention to detail - something we like to think we offer each and every one of our clients.

To be honest, once the marquee is installed with formal doors and in effect all sealed up then there will be no issues with midges……..until you have to leave!  Very often clients ask if the walls can be opened in case the weather is lovely and they want to feel as if they are part of the outdoors.  The simple answer to this is “yes” but it is best done with the pvc window wall area (which can be unlaced) as they will not be covered over by wall linings for decorative purposes.

However if the dreaded midge means that your venue is unlikely to be suitable for being open to the elements (as was the case with a recent wedding we did at Benmore Gardens near Dunoon) then there is a good case for using solid glazing.  Our solid glazed wall panels give a really professional finish and allow clear views from within the marquee and by their very nature provide a more solid finish in case of poor weather.  Below is a photo of a marquee with solid glazing we recently provided for the Spirit of the West Festival at Inveraray castle.

Solid Glazed Windows at Inveraray Castle

The Benmore Gardens location offered a flat and pristine lawn – ideal to showcase the solid glazed walls and by its reputation. Benmore is a haven for midges so it was unlikely that anyone would want the windows open.  The photographer on the day was Ronnie Cairns and his eye for detail always means that the bride and groom get more than the usual run-of-the-mill wedding photos.  We work regularly with Ronnie so we are hoping to get some more of the Benmore Gardens wedding photos to be able to showcase some close up images of the solid glazed walls on our website within the next few weeks.

We have just completed a ceremony marquee at the stunning location of Skipness Castle near Tarbet.  The bride obviously wanted to have the most open aspects possible while ensuring that guests are kept dry in inclement weather.

Ground guards were used to protect the grass from pedestrian traffic to the ceremony within the boundary walls of the derelict castle.  Water ballast was used instead of stakes to secure the marquee with the barrels themselves becoming a feature to hold flower arrangements.

A carpet on the ground was the final protection needed before chairs were laid out in rows.  All in all Skipness Castle provided a stunning location with no deterioration to this historic site.

This week we have two weddings – both similar in numbers but yet both very different.  There are the obvious basics of an area to dine and an area to dance and more often than not – an area for the caterer to work.  After that the permuations are endless for example this week we have a dark grey carpet going to one location and a champagne coloured carpet going to the other.  One client wants simple (fully dimmable lighting) while the other is looking for something with a more dramatic effect and is opting for our newly introduced pea lamp roof canopy and there is the debate as to whether the luxury toilet unit should be built within the marquee or stand alone outside.

These are all decisions that can affect the ambience of the marquee before the bride has to get down to the nitty gritty of size of table, style of chair and whether or not a linen chair cover is desirable or otherwise.

However – when all is said and done – our advice to the bridal party is that the most important aspect of a wedding is the fellowship - the mixing of family and friends to make a memorable occasion……albeit the added extras help to pay the wages!

Look out for the photos appearing on Tents and Events very soon.