We often get asked if our marquees can be used in winter and the answer is always a resounding YES. Our marquees aren’t just for the warmer months, with the right additions they can be used all year round. Whether you’re planning a romantic wedding, an intimate birthday party or a corporate event, a winter marquee can be the perfect setting so don’t let the weather stop you.
Here is our advice and some tips and things to consider when planning a winter event.
Things you’ll need:
A Clearspan marquee:
Clearspan marquees are best suited to the type of weather conditions we experience in the winter months. Unfortunately, our traditional and sailcloth marquees are not an option at this particular time of year. If you would like an entrance marquee a pagoda would work nicely alongside the main clearspan marquee and would withstand any wind or rain that may be around.
Heaters:
To keep your guests warm you will need to order heaters for your marquee. We stock indirect oil fired blow heaters in various sizes. We will advise you on how many you will need for your size of marquee and they will be thermostatically controlled. As standard our heaters come with 8-10 hours of fuel but more can be ordered if you think you’ll need it. The trick to preventing condensation is to heat the marquee gradually and it’s always nice to walk into a toasty marquee so if you are unable to get to the marquee ahead of your guests you might want to ask someone to take charge of this for you.
Doors:
Having a set of double doors at the entrance to your marquee will keep it fully enclosed and minimise any wind or rain coming in. Not only that but they also offer a nice ‘finish’ to the marquee and they are lockable so are beneficial from a security point of view.
Solid flooring:
We have three types of flooring – waterproof membrane, event floor and wood floor. Unfortunately, waterproof membrane isn’t suitable for events in the winter. Event floor might be suitable depending on how wet/ soft the ground is but it’s quite likely that wood floor will be required. This will not only keep the carpet dry but will also provide a firm surface for your guests to walk on (something that is particularly important for those in high heels). All of our flooring options require covering with carpet. There are a wide range of colours available. For a winter event you might want to choose something like a dark blue or red that will help create a warm feel. A darker colour will also hide any dirty footprints that are unavoidable at this time of year.
Toilet marquee:
In the summer the toilet unit is more often than not out in the open air. For a winter event you will probably want to put it in a small marquee that adjoins the main marquee. This is so that your guests can get to it without having to walk outside and get wet or cold. You could even pop a couple of coat rails in the marquee so that it can double up as a cloakroom as your guests are likely to have big coats with them.
Plenty of lighting:
With shorter days and darker nights the lighting in the marquee will be more important than ever. You will need lighting for practical purposes but you can also use it to help enhance the feeling and compliment your chosen theme. Our uplighters, with warm white bulbs, will create a cosy feeling whilst our fairy lights and starlight lining will create a magical atmosphere after dark. We also have rustic ladder lighting that would be perfect to add some seasonal foliage to.
Other things to consider:
Parking:
You will need to make sure that you have enough space for all your guests to park that isn’t in a wet/ soft field. The last thing anyone wants at the end of a great evening is to find their car is stuck!
Communication:
We think it’s a good idea to tell your guests that your event will be taking place in a marquee. This will give them the chance to dress appropriately and bring anything with them that they think they might need.
Personal touch:
To add a personal touch to your winter event you could provide some blankets/ throws. We hope that your guests will be lovely and warm but there could be some that feel the cold more than others so we think something to put over their lap or around their shoulders would be welcome.