The complete guide to planning your marquee wedding flowers
As wedding florists who specialise in creating show stopping flowers for marquee weddings, I want to share some invaluable advice on where to start when it comes to planning your marquee wedding. Marquees can be some of the most beautiful spaces to dress and are often in super special places such as family homes, so it is crucial that you not only get your floral look right and working with your aesthetic, but also the logistics side too.
We provide wedding flowers throughout the South West and are lucky enough to have dressed marquees in every size, shape, style all while working with some very trusted suppliers. It can be a little overwhelming at first when embarking on the marquee planning process, however I want to give you some simple steps to think about, which will ensure you will have a smooth journey!
Gather inspiration & Create a brief:
There is SO much inspiration out there in the wedding world when it comes to wedding flowers, and marquees can really be such a blank canvas it can be tricky to know what to focus on first. I would recommend that you have a good old Pinterest browsing session, looking at what images you are initially drawn too. What colours are you loving? Are there particular types of flowers you are drawn too? What about tablescapes and larger installations? You can even save images that are non flower related, just compile a collection of inspiration pics that can provide your wedding florist (and yourselves) with a clearer understanding of what aesthetic you are naturally led towards and how you want you wedding to feel as well as look.
What is your PREFERRED marquee style?
There are so many amazing styles of marquee with companies specialising in sail cloth tents, clear span marquees, traditional pole marquees, for example. It is important that you have established the style of marquee you are going for before you meet with your wedding florist. It is not crucial, but advisory, because florists will make suggestions on what will work in a particular type of marquee. What florals will work in one, may not be suitable for another. It is also useful for the florist to be able to understand what mechanics and props the marquee will have in place so any large scale installations can be discussed. If you have a CAD plan of your marquee, even if it is just a really initial layout, this will be super helpful at the initial planning stages.
Consider the size and layout of the marquee, and whether you need to create certain zones within the marquee such as a dance floor or lounge area. The height of the marquee will determine what kind of floral installations will work, again how many central poles will your marquee have?
break down the marquee into separate areas to flower:
To make the flower planning process as easy as possible I will give you some key areas that I think are crucial to decorate with flowers in your marquee. Save this list as a checklist or take along to your florist and marquee meeting!
Marquee Entrance: I always advise decorating the entrance, make a statement and go bold here with a full floral arch, creating a real ‘wow’ moment as your guests arrive. It is the first thing your guests will see after your ceremony, so really go to town here to provide a warm floral welcome. Big vases in various heights can also create a beautiful look here, clustered amongst lots of seasonal plants in pots too, this is a really natural and more relaxed way to dress your entrance.
Installations: most marquees allow for hanging installations, so big floral chandeliers or planks look fabulous and a real statement piece. Garlands can be hung throughout the marquee ceiling or just concentrate on certain sections of the ceiling to create impact. Marquees can be a really blank, overwhelming space and so it is important to use flowers to make the space feel more intimate and decorated.
Bar: I would recommend placing flowers on the marquee bar, quite often now marquees have beautifully big round bars surrounding the central poles, so this is an opportunity to create hanging florals above, or a couple of large statement vases with overflowing natural blooms to ensure the bar is part of the whole marquee look.
Tables: whether you are having long banquet tables, or round it is crucial to dress your tables with flowers. Round tables lend themselves to low bowls of blooms, or tall statement vases with large natural arrangements on the top can be a way to add height and interest to the ceiling, without having ceiling installations.
Poles: either the central poles or the surrounding poles around the edge, need florals, either big branches of natural foliage to add height and interest, or create a ‘tree like’ feeling of bringing the outside in. Foliage branches work well around the edge of the marquee, softening the whole look and making the space feel more intimate.
Any blank space! If there is a cake table, drinks table, lounge area or welcome table, think about the backdrop and what is surrounding the space? Add florals behind or on the table to really make these areas feel super special and thought of.
Research your wedding florists:
There are plenty of amazing florists in the wedding industry, however I would recommend searching for florists who work in marquees regularly. The amount of behind the scenes work, logistics knowledge and attention to detail that is involved with providing flowers for a marquee wedding really is next level, so ensure your florist has examples of marquee weddings in their portfolio and can answer any of your questions.
Consider setting A budget for your marquee flowers:
In order for your wedding florist to provide you with accurate floral designs that not only reflect your desired aesthetic, but also meet the logistic requirements it is important that you provide them with a budget. I can appreciate that it can be difficult to allocate a budget on something that you have never done before, however it will ensure that you and your wedding florist will get the most out of your consultation or initial correspondence. If you are wondering ‘How much do I spend do marquee flowers?’ then I can give you some initial ballpark figures that will hopefully help. Each marquee design will be unique and bespoke and therefore your wedding flower quote will be the same, however I can give you some cost examples of marquee flowers as a guide. Marquee entrance arch structures can cost anything from £1500 /£2500 upwards to £4000 depending on the size. Hanging installations can cost from £1000 upwards, again depending on whether you are opting for foliage based designs or to include flowers. There are so many options for marquee table decoration flowers from low bowls, through to clusters of bottles and votives, to tall statement designs. I would recommend budgeting a cost you are happy to spend per table and asking your florist for their recommendation. Factor in whether you will be needing other decorations like candles and candlesticks and whether your florist can provide these.
Practical considerations of the marquee logistics, set up and clear down:
At the heart of a successful marquee installation is seamless logistics. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to ensure a smooth set up and installation so do make sure your wedding florist has experience in designing and installing marquee flowers. An experienced florist understands the intricacies of working with marquee companies, from installation timelines to the subtleties of clear down. We have been flowering weddings for over 13 years, and previous to that I have been working on weddings throughout Somerset so I am very aware of what it takes to form a good working relationship with your marquee company.
My team has mastered the art of bringing the marquee to life, however I will personally collaborate with your marquee company throughout creating the set up timeless and managing logistics on the day. Weather permitting, we often choose to set up hanging installations the day before, if this is not possible we will arrive very early on the morning itself, to ensure all flowers are placed before the tables are laid out as the caterers will need the space. Quite often we transport flowers from the church or ceremony location, back to the marquee so they can be enjoyed throughout the whole day. So your church urns can be placed behind your top table, or your floral aisle meadows can be used to line the end of your banquet tables. Our team is used to executing this turnaround from venue/church to marquee in a discreet and timely manner.
When it comes to the de rig of your marquee wedding flowers, it is my team's responsibility to disassemble the displays with care and respect. We do so discreetly and I will always encourage guests to take away any suitable flowers that can be enjoyed, quite often the table vases can be given away as gifts. A lovely idea! Any green waste will be composted and removed accordingly.
Our commitment to personal service extends to our professional conduct and myself and the team will work professionally respecting the sanctity of your home. We completely understand that we are being welcomed into your family home to provide a floral service and we relish that as a huge privilege. And a final behind the scenes promise from me to you and a vital one in the world of marquee planning, if you know, you now! I can safely guarantee that there's one thing you'll never catch us doing: walking on your marquee carpet with our shoes on during set up! It's a small, but extremely important detail that speaks volumes about our care and consideration for your home and your wedding.
If you are looking for wedding flowers in Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire or the Cotswolds then I would love to hear more about what you have planned for your big day! You can peruse more of our marquee weddings in the portfolio and of course the journal.
Photo Credits: 1-4 Tara Statton Photography 5-7 Anneli Marinovich Photography 8 Bizzy Arnott Photography