Where will guests sit, how will you shelter them, and how will you keep food and drinks at the right temperature? A practical guide to garden party hire.
Where will guests sit, how will you shelter them, and how will you keep food and drinks at the right temperature? A practical guide to garden party hire.
Garden parties range from a casual afternoon in a back garden to a large outdoor event on private grounds. The hire requirements vary with scale, but the core questions are the same: where will guests sit, how will you shelter them, and how will you keep food and drinks at the right temperature.
For a casual garden party where guests move around rather than sit for a long meal, folding chairs are the practical choice. They are light, stack for transport, and work on grass or hard standing. For a formal garden lunch or dinner, banqueting chairs are more comfortable and look smarter alongside dressed tables.
If you are mixing a seated dining area with a standing drinks zone, use banqueting chairs for the dining tables and add poseur tables with bar stools for the standing area. Two or three poseur tables work well for a reception drinks area at the start of the event before guests move to sit down.
Round tables at 5ft seat 8 to 10 guests and work well on a lawn with enough space between them for guests to move. Trestle tables (8ft x 2ft 6in) handle the buffet run and bar. Poseur tables at bar height suit the standing drinks area.
On grass, table legs can sink if the ground is soft after rain. Round tables with a central pedestal base tend to be more stable on uneven ground than four-legged trestle tables. If you are using trestle tables on grass as a buffet run, position them on hard standing where possible, or place a board under the legs.
A 3x3m gazebo covers a single dining table with room to spare. A 4.5x3m gazebo covers two small tables or works as a shaded catering station. Gazebos are designed for light use: they provide shade in sun and some protection from light rain, but they are not rated for heavy rain or wind. Check the forecast before the event and have a fallback plan if the weather turns.
Gazebos peg into grass with guy ropes, or weight down onto hard standing with sandbag weights. Hard standing is more stable. On grass, apply guy ropes at all four corners and check them before guests arrive.
Chafing dishes keep hot food at temperature during service. Each dish holds a full hotel pan and runs on gel fuel. For a buffet with four or five hot items, hire four or five chafing dishes. Urns provide boiling water for tea and coffee; a 30-litre urn serves about 60 guests per fill.
For drinks service, a cool box or hire fridge keeps bottles cold throughout the event. Glasses should match the drinks you are serving: wine glasses for a garden lunch, champagne flutes for a reception, or tumblers for a drinks party.
Grass is soft and uneven. Chair legs can sink, and heels from guests can dig in and create a trip hazard around tables. For a formal outdoor event on soft ground, a ground protection sheet or artificial turf section under the dining area reduces this problem. A practical alternative is to choose chairs with wider feet, such as folding garden chairs, rather than narrow banqueting chair legs.
Gazebos give shelter from light rain and shade on hot days, but they are not a substitute for a marquee in uncertain weather. For events where the weather is a real risk, a marquee gives full enclosure. Expo Hire does not supply marquees, but marquee hire companies operate across England and Wales and can quote alongside your furniture hire.
Delivery to a garden requires clear vehicle access to the property. Confirm the gate width before booking, as most hire vehicles need at least 2.5m clearance. A side gate that fits only a wheelbarrow will require manual trolley work from the vehicle to the garden, which adds time to setup. Let us know about access restrictions when you book.
For morning events, request a delivery slot the evening before or first thing on the day. Summer Saturday slots fill up in advance, so book early if your date is in June, July, or August.
Tell us your guest numbers, the size of your outdoor space, and your event format and we will put together a garden party hire package. We deliver to gardens and outdoor venues across England and Wales. View our garden party hire range or request a quote.
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