Almost at the end of the year!

November 23, 2022

We're Almost At The End Of The Year And What A Year It's Been!

We always knew that 2022 was going to be a busy year and we were not wrong!

Having been through lockdowns and having social distancing restrictions for the best part of two years, the nation was ready to ‘get out there’ and festivals, events, weddings and family celebrations were eagerly anticipated. Our booking schedule still had a few weddings that had been postponed from 2020 and 2021 so it was great to finally be able to host these special, long awaited days.

Wedding celebrations incoming!

There were certainly weddings a-plenty which stretched from the start of the season in the lovely spring days in April right through to chilly November. Every wedding is different and having a marquee allows wedding couples to create their bespoke space within their ‘venue’ by choosing their own decor and we have had some absolutely fantastic weddings this year. Several of this year’s weddings were local to our depot in Dunoon, which was so lovely, and it was great to work with people that we have known personally for years!

Vintage wooden trestle tables laid with white crockery, glasses and flower pots in marquee with globe chandeliers and festoon lighting decorating the ceiling.

Vintage wooden trestle tables laid with white crockery, glasses and flower pots in marquee with gold balloon-shaped-lights decorating the ceiling. A view of the beach, loch and hills across the water is visible from the windows running the length of the marquee. — Looking perfect on the shores of Loch Fyne.

Internal wedding marquee view of lights and circular flower decorations hanging from ceiling above long wooden dining tables set with dark orange and dark pink napkins, plates, cutlery, wine glasses and bottles of wine — Autumn wedding with colourful table settings and crossback chairs

White marquee set up on grass beside a loch. To the left of the marquee is water and hills across the water and to the right are some trees. Another marquee and a white building are visible behind the trees. — Gable view and the link adjoining the house for a summer wedding in Cowal

Marquee in private garden in Argyll on bright day with trees, grass, blue sky and clouds. — Main marquee with a bar running alongside, all nicely nestled into the Cowal hills.

Table settings inside a wedding marquee. Tables are dressed with white cloth covers and napkins and each table has a wooden candle holder with a white candle inside. Chair seat covers are white and the marquee ceiling is decorated with small faux leaves. — Wedding marquee with tables set

Stunning winter wedding marquee with a flambeaux entrance.

Elegant wedding ceremony marquee with chiavari chairs and festoon lighting.

Internal window view from marquee looking onto the grounds of Inveraray Castle. — Ceremony taking place in the grounds of Inveraray Castle.

Long wooden trestle tables inside a marquee dressed with alternating blue and green cloth napkins. The Chiavari chairs are painted gold with cream padded seats. The marquee ceiling is decorated with large drop bulb lights and large faux leaves. — Reception marquee for a winter wedding, bringing the outdoor in!

Black and white LED dance floor illuminated by disco ball, spotlights and small LED lights. — Black and white dance floor illuminated by disco ball, spotlights and small LED lights.

One of our lovely couples sent us this very special drone footage of their wedding marquees. They chose to have a separate marquee for their ceremony with a marquee link to take guests around their house to the dining and reception marquee. It shows the incredibly beautiful area that they live in – with Bute and Arran photobombing in the background!

Events and festivals were back with a BANG this year, there has been so much out there and we are so grateful to be back working at events we love!

This season kicked off with the return of the Fort William Mountain Bike World Cup – held in Fort William, of course! This weekend of thrilling downhill biking in stunning Scottish scenery attracts spectators from all around the globe. In 2023 the event moves into August and is part of a national event right across Scotland – we can’t wait to see how all the planning comes together for this fabulous event: https://fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk/2022/08/03/2023-cycling-world-championships-fort-william-hosts-downhill/.

During the summer we worked at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh, and then the following weekend we were are Scone Palace for the Scottish Game Fair. It’s a quick turnaround when these two events run back to back, as the build for Scone takes place straight after our RHS build and well before both the shows take place. This year we were lucky in that it was only a large floor that we had to take from one event to the next as all the other infrastructure was already in place – forward planning is paramount! Getting in and out of large-scale events when every single supplier is moving out can be so tricky.

Visitors to the 3d2d marquee which has different stalls inside it at the Scottish Game Fair at Scone July 2022.

A large marquee (15m x 45m) from the RHS Edinburgh which has had the floor removed

Craft marquee at the Royal Highland Show. — Crafts aplenty!

The end of July brought us Butefest over at Ettrick Bay on beautiful Bute and what a weekend of great weather, music, food and drinks – and not forgetting the drop-dead gorgeous views into the bargain! Check out Arran in the festival backdrop – not many festivals can boast views like this. Huge thanks to Butefest for allowing us to post these images!

Butefest took place on the same weekend as Hamilton Park Racecourse Ladies’ Night and was closely followed by the Piping Live! festival of bagpipe music, which takes place at the National Piping Centre, Glasgow, in the lead up to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green.

Back-to-back events all summer long…

Butefest 2022, circus tent and marquee in a field on a bright day with crowds of people. — Butefest 2022 - great weather and fun for all!

Butefest 2022, marquee in a field on a bright day with people lying on the grass chatting and eating ice cream. — Revellers enjoy ice cream in the sun at Butefest

Marquees in Hamilton Park on a bright July day with people dressed in suits and dresses.

The end of August saw our local Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon take place. After hosting online events in the previous two years there was great anticipation in the area for this much-loved local event. We were not disappointed: the weather was amazing and there was a great turnout. If you’re interested in coming along to the Cowal Gathering next year you can get information at: https://cowalgathering.com/.

View overlooking the stadium and dancing platforms in Dunoon Stadium at Cowal Highland Games. — Looking towards the stadium over the dancing platforms in Dunoon Stadium at CHG 2022.

Main dancing platform with the winners being announced at the Cowal Highland Gathering

Silverware galore on the floor and tables in the Trophy Room fully lined marquee at the Cowal Highland Gathering .

Top field of Cowal Highland Gathering with marquees, families and activities including a large dartboard and cycling. — Plenty of free activities for the children in the top field on Saturday!

Band members play keyboard, accordion, violin and guitars onstage in front of crowd of indoor marquee. — Brilliant Friday night fun at the Gig at the Gathering!

Sundown at the Gig at the Gathering marquee aglow with soft coloured lighting at Cowal Games with crowds, banners and hills

Further on in the year we were back at Wigtown Book Festival in Wigtown, Scotland’s very own National Book Town! The five day build transforms the town with temporary venues for all things literary for the next 10 days – talks, interviews, storytelling. This wonderful little video shows the festival in all its glory (with thanks to the Wigtown Book Festival and Colin Tennant for allowing us to use their video). Take a look! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUWw7lcRlvw.

And whilst we weren’t doing all of this we were out and about across the country in all sorts of locations carrying out filming support work. From March 2022 we have been working constantly with one company, supplying marquees for hair, make up, costume, supporting actors’ marquees and holding areas for extras. The filming teams have tight COVID protocols, as any outbreak can hamper the tight filming schedule and push things back. Having additional temporary space in a marquee is a perfect solution for the filming industry.

Temporary structures in filming village. — Supporting the filming crew on site with our temporary structures for the actors, supporting actors, support staff and extras.

A filming village with marquees, vans and portable toilets in the Scottish countryside. — A filming village deep in the Scottish countryside.

Hair and make up stations filled with accessories within a TV filming marquee. — Hair and make up stations within a marquee.

Another year draws to a close. The events are over, the wedding ‘season’ is finished and filming wraps up for winter so we are back at the yard and the maintenance cycle begins. Weeks of washing, mending, varnishing, painting and scrubbing are all on the agenda so we are all ready to begin our marquee magic again in 2023.

Huge thanks goes out to all our wonderfully hardworking team for working in all weathers, in all locations at all times of the day and to our loyal clients, suppliers and supporters who make Tents and Events the quality marquee supplier that it is!

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