A Guide To Planning a Marquee Wedding At Home

Something we specialise in here at Susie Evans Wedding Co. There is something rather magical about planning your marquee wedding at home. We often work with couples that perhaps live and work in London but have family homes in Surrey.

As you are essentially building your venue space in a garden that needs to work for you, we highly recommend you work with a wedding planner from the outset. Rather than an added cost to your budget, think of it more as an investment! 

Between Libby and I, we have over 20 years’ experience of meticulously planning weddings with the added bonus that we come with a wealth of experience and knowledge of planning a marquee wedding at home. 

Photo Credit -Fresh Shoot Studios

marquee Wedding at your family home

More often than not, the marquee weddings at home are at the parents or family home so it is so important that we build a trusting relationship with your family and work with them as well so that on the day, not only you as the couple get to relax and enjoy the day, the family can also. Building a trusting and open relationship is key to running a seamless and amazing wedding day!

One of things that gives us a buzz is seeing the garden coming to life as the owners or their gardeners work tirelessly around the clock to ensure the garden is in prime condition for the wedding day. We have worked in so many stunning garden settings and if you know me, you know I LOVE a greenhouse. 

Photo Credit - Kat Hill Photography

  consider your marquee space

Something that works so well but so many people see it as a obstacle is perhaps a pond or ornate structure in the garden means that you have to work round these. Well, to be honest these make a fabulous focal point for any marquee structure. Likewise, maybe you have a swimming pool? Did you know that many marquee companies can build a structure over them so you can host a wedding reception on top of the swimming pool.

It may be that your garden space is on a incline or on tiers but fear not, there are solutions for all of these scenarios and you’ll be amazed at how well the space can be transformed for your marquee reception.

Photo Credit - Colin Ross Photography

toilets for your marquee wedding

So often we hear – ‘our guests can use our downstairs toilet’ In short…no, no they can’t. Firstly, do you really want large numbers of guest traipsing through your house throughout the day and night?!  Also, a single household toilet is not made for continuous use throughout the day and there is nothing worse than a long queue of guests waiting for the bathroom! 

The general rule of thumb is to have 1 toilet per 50 guests so based on 150 guests, you need a 3 +! Unit. What is a 3+1 unit I hear you say? Basically, it is 3 ladies’ cubicles and 1 men’s cubicle (plus urinals). If you can have larger then we suggest you go for it. 

Also, worth noting if you intend making a weekend of your wedding celebrations, perhaps a poll party the next day or a BBQ then ensure you consider having the toilets cleaned, flushed out and water refreshed ready for this as the units can only hold a limited amount of water and waste for one day. 

Image Credit - Fresh Shoot Studios Photography

focus on your PRIORITIES when planning your wedding

You will need to think about the practicalities and logistics of your marquee wedding at home. Things to consider include; is their sufficient access to the marquee site for the suppliers and their vehicles? Is there a power source or will you need to hire a generator? Please note that when you have a full kitchen in the marquee and things such as a band, these cannot be powered off a normal domestic power source! Where will the waste and refuse be disposed of? Where will your guests and suppliers park? Is their running water for your caterers on site? Have you considered local accommodation for guests that have to travel?

These are just a small number of questions and elements you need to consider for a wedding at home. 

Remember anything is possible as long as you are prepared and we highly recommend investing in a wedding planner from the outset – especially one that specialises in marquee weddings at home and has plenty of experience in this field. Trust me, there are so many elements to consider and be prepared for.

If you are considering a marquee wedding at home and would love an initial chat to see if this is right for you, then please do contact us. We are more than happy to have a chat and talk you through the basics of the day and whether it is right for you or if it is something we can help with. 

Please contact us or give us a call, we are here to help whether you want a wedding planner on board or not we can help you with the initial questions you may have. 

With Love

Susie and Libby x