Case study: Joanne wants to hold an informal wedding in a field

Joanne and her fiancé approached us about their wedding. Her parents have a field they thought would be suitable but they wanted a very informal occasion whilst still having people seated under cover in poor weather and space for dancing in the evening.

Points that Joanne raised:

Is a field suitable?
80-100 guests expected, ideally with some seated outside but space to hold everyone in bad weather
How can it be made informal?
The meal would be from a hog-roast
What else do they need to consider?

DIY Marquees response:

A field is certainly suitable but it should be mowed regularly beforehand to ensure the grass is low and soft. If the surface is uneven then consider having it rolled during the winter before the event. The layout of the marquees should encourage everyone to stay in one area to avoid different parties in different parts of the field.
Marquees can be connected to hold any number of guests.
Use different sized round tables to instantly create an informal atmosphere, you can even have several different styles of chair. If possible have plenty of sides off the marquee so people drift in and out rather than one formal entrance.
Hog roasts are very popular but have them close to any beforehand drinks area (as they can draw a crowd) but position them so the smoke goes away from the marquee.

Other points to consider:

We can supply flooring, linings and lighting but furniture is usually hired in for each occasion as the purchase price can be considerably more than the hire price.
Dance floors can be purchased, made (18mm plywood on battens) or hired.
If the marquee is a long distance from a house then you may need to hire in a generator (super-silent preferably) and portable toilet units
Remember when guests leave it will be dark so allow some form of lighting back to the cars -if anything needs lighting (lanterns for eg) delegate it to an usher

DIY Marquees suggested solution:

We suggested creating a courtyard using two 6x12m and one 6x6m DIY Marquees (see diagram below) with all sides off that face the courtyard in the middle so people can drift in and out of each marquee. The hog-roast (shown in red) is close to the courtyard to help create atmosphere while having drinks on arrival. The toilet unit (shown in grey) is conveniently close by but tucked out of view, the generator is as far away as the length of leads allow for noise purposes.

Seating is a combination of different round tables, the ones outside can be moved on to the dance floor in case of bad weather.

Joanne also decided to put hay bales around the courtyard to increase the informal country feel of the wedding whilst keeping everyone together.

We are always happy to offer more customised advice for your event, please contact us giving a few details of the event you are planning (type of event, space available, number of guests and diagrams/photographs of the site if possible) and we will be more than happy to advise on your options.

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