Marquees for weddings

So you’ve decided to get married! Congratulations! But now the real work starts…planning it.  Many people like the idea of a wedding in a garden, park or at the beach so need to find out about marquees.  Marquees are fantastic for creating the romantic atmosphere that couples desire at their wedding.

Here are some quick tips to help you start working out what size marquee you will need and what information you will need to provide to your supplier when hiring a marquee.

Marquee size

Marquee sizes vary from quite small (4m x 6m) to extremely large (30m x 120m).

In order to work out what size you need for your wedding, you will need to know the number guests and whether they will be standing only, seated theatre-style or seated at tresle tables or round tables.  We’ve prepared a Marquee Size Calculator to estimate what size you will need.

If the marquee is 100m2 or over you will need to contact the council about a siting permit.  For more information on this see our previous article on Permits. Your event hire company should also be able to assist you with this requirement.

You may also need a permit if you are erecting a marquee in a park, foreshore area (beach) or other public space. Contact the relevant local council to see if they issue permits for the area or if it is controlled by Parks Victoria or a Foreshore Committee of Management. 

Weighting requirements

Marquees are subject to council regulations for temporary structures and must be erected by approved suppliers. This means they should be pegged to the ground to ensure that they are stable and secure in all weather conditions.  If you are planning to have a marquee on a hard surface (eg concrete, asphalt or a surface that cannot have pegs put in such as a tennis court) then the marquee will need to be weighted to meet building regulations.  Make sure your event hire company is aware of these requirements and inspects your site to check what equipment is required to safely erect the marquee.

 Clearance from other structures or trees

A site inspection will also ensure that the marquee can be safely erected in the designated area and have appropriate clearance from other buildings, trees or other structures.

 Underground services

Similarly, depending on where the marquee is going, you may need to provide a map of underground services such as water and gas pipes and drains. If your wedding is happening in a public space then the local authority (see above) should be able to assist with plans of underground services.

Sustainable events

Even though most events are inherently one-off occasions or at least infrequent, there are numerous ways event organisers can improve their event’s sustainability.  Here are just some easy ways you can start reducing the overall environmental impact of your event.

Transport

Most events will require patrons to travel to the event but you can reduce the environmental impact of travel by choosing to hold your event in a location that is easy to reach by public transport. Additionally, you can offer incentives for patrons to travel by public transport by offering them a reduced entry fee if proof of public transport is provided.  If your event is not able to be reached by public transport then you can provide transport which more efficiently services your event. A good example of this is the shuttle buses that are available to the concerts in the wineries that are now so popular. Here are some more ideas on ways to offset emissions from travel.

Waste Management

Many events already try to reduce waste to landfill by providing recycling bins for paper, glass and plastic bottles.  However, you can go further and encourage exhibitors and/or vendors to only provide consumables with a minimal amount of packaging.

For large events, it is possible to engage a a waste management coordinator who can identify where potential waste can be reduced or recovered. The coordinator can work with the event staff and contractors to coordinate various waste management strategies for the event. The waste management coordinator can also work closely with the venue operators as this will make the task of implementing effective waste management plans a much easier task.

Resource Consumption

Energy (electricity and gas) and water usage can also be minimised by establishing ‘switch it off’ policies for areas or equipment that is not is use.  You can also seek venues or energy suppliers which use/provide green power.  There are more hints on how to achieve this at Origin Energy.

Communications

This includes promotion, ticketing, signage and any other communications involved in organising and running an event.  Many event organisers already rely heavily on e-mail, SMS and other online communications channels for promoting their events and even supplying the tickets which saves on printing, postage and other transportation costs.  When considering how to promote your event, consider channels that don’t require printed material such as radio, online directories and social networks (eg Facebook).

Catering

This is an area where a lot of waste can be generated both in terms of excess food and excess packaging.  Ensuring your caterers have accurate numbers of patrons is  a start to ensuring that food wastage is reduced. Similarly, you can insist that certain food items are supplied in larger containers (eg. salt, sauce and other condiments in large containers not in single serve sizes).

There are also many other ways to reduce wastage and improve sustainability in the food & beverage area.

It may seem daunting when starting to think how to make your event environmentally sustainable but even starting with one the above ideas  can make a difference.