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A marquee gives you freedom that a fixed venue cannot. It also gives you almost nothing by default beyond the structure itself. You need to plan every guest-facing detail, from seating and linen to bar service, heating, and catering support. That sounds daunting at first, but it becomes manageable once you break the wedding into zones: ceremony or drinks reception, dining area, bar, service space, and any outdoor spill-out area. Each zone needs its own hire list.
Start with guest count, then build from the meal style and the shape of the marquee. A wedding breakfast with round tables needs a different furniture plan from a long-table feast. Good marquee planning means deciding how you want people to move through the day, then ordering the equipment that supports that flow.
Your chairs and tables set the look of the room before flowers, stationery, or lighting go in. Chiavari chairs with round banqueting tables create a classic wedding layout. Tiffany chairs with rectangular banqueting tables keep a smart finish while often fitting more guests into the same footprint.
Order one chair per guest and add around ten per cent extra. That spare stock covers supplier meals, last-minute guest additions, broken table plans, and any chairs moved into a ceremony or outdoor drinks space. For round tables, a 5ft 6in table seats 8 to 10 guests and a 6ft table seats 10 to 12. Rectangular 6ft tables seat six per side with good elbow room. Leave enough space for service and chair movement so the room still works once every place setting is down.
Every table needs the right cloth. Round tables need round linen. Rectangular tables need rectangular cloths. Measure the table size first, then decide how much drop you want. Floor-length linen hides the legs and gives the clean finish most couples want for the wedding breakfast. A shorter drop can work on cake tables, gift tables, or service stations where practicality matters more than formality.
Napkins usually sit in the same order because colour matching matters most when it happens all at once. If you are dressing a top table, cake table, or gift table in a different cloth style, list those separately rather than assuming the standard dining linen will cover them.
A 100-guest marquee wedding often needs 10 to 12 round dining tables, each with a 132-inch circular cloth and 10 napkins. Add linen for the top table if the couple sits separately, plus any buffet, cake, registration, or present tables. Ordering a small spare margin helps if the layout changes during setup or one cloth gets marked before doors open. The linen hire guide covers sizing and drop measurements in more detail.
If you are using an outside caterer, ask for their exact equipment list before you hire anything else. Do not ask what they need in broad terms. Ask what they are bringing, what they expect on site, and what they assume you will provide. The usual gaps are hot holding equipment such as hot cupboards and bain maries, fridges for drinks and cold courses, and serving counters for buffet or plated service support.
Marquees often need a temporary kitchen or prep zone. That means the catering equipment order has to match the power supply, access, and service route. If the kitchen sits outside the main marquee, think about how food travels into the dining area and where reserve plates, trays, and drinks wait during service.
The bar needs its own plan. Dinner service may call for wine glasses at place settings, but the reception and evening party often need far more stock. For 100 guests over a full day, a bar may need wine glasses, champagne flutes for the toast, and highball glasses if cocktails or mixed drinks form part of the evening service. The glassware hire guide helps you scale quantities to the type of bar you want to run.
A marquee bar needs more than bottles and glassware. It needs a counter, back-up surfaces, and somewhere for guests to gather without blocking the service line. Add poseur tables and bar stools if you want guests to stay near the bar.
Put the bar where guests can approach from more than one direction and where service staff can restock without crossing the dance floor or ceremony aisle.
Marquees can cool down fast in the evening, even after a warm afternoon. Patio heaters placed around the edge of the structure or in outdoor spill-out areas help guests stay comfortable once the sun drops. They also support smokers, evening mingling, and the transition between dinner and dancing.
For a drinks reception before guests move inside, add poseur tables, outdoor chairs, and parasols. That gives people a place to gather while the dining area finishes setup.
Marquee sites need clear access. Confirm the route with the marquee company or planner before you book. Delivery vehicles need space to approach, unload, and turn. A field entrance that works for a car may not work for an event delivery.
Expo Hire delivers to marquee sites across England and Wales. Once you have the date, guest count, and floorplan, it becomes much easier to turn the wish list into a working order.
Summer dates move fast, and popular options such as Chiavari chairs or specific linen colours can book out ahead of more general stock. Aim to lock in the main order six to eight weeks before the wedding. That gives you time to adjust quantities later without building the whole event at the last minute.
Marquee weddings reward detail. If you list each zone, count each table, and ask each supplier what they are bringing, the equipment order becomes clear. From there, the marquee starts feeling like a venue built for your day.
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