Open Air Business November/December 2016

FUNCTION VENUES
Style
Trends
Dan Gill, founder of caterer and event management
company Dine, explains how a little creativity can make
a couple’s dream outdoor wedding become a reality
GETTY IMAGES
MARQUEES ARE THE perfect setting to
provide versatility for a couple planning
to put their own stamp on their big day.
They quite literally provide a blank canvas.
However, not every couple planning a
marquee wedding will know exactly how
to go about creatively personalising this
space, so it is up to you as a venue manager
to make their vision come alive.
Being faced with a large, empty white
space can make it hard for couples to
visualise a theme. Where possible, set the
venue up for a wedding or event to show
what can be achieved. During the initial
consultation with the bride and groom
suggest they build a Pinterest ‘mood
board’ with styles that they like, draw on
experience of other weddings they have
attended and look at the venue website,
brochure and social media to see what has
been done previously. Wedding magazines
and blogs can also be a good source of
inspiration as well as asking other couples
about their experiences. It is beneficial
to build relationships with wedding
photographers and to ask for permission
to use the images for your own purposes in
order to show the potential of your venue. A
picture paints a thousand words.
Share your experience of previous
weddings at your venue, and tell the
couple what works and what doesn’t. Don’t
push ideas onto them but guide them
through the practicalities of theirs. We
encourage the bride and groom to give us
all the details of what they want for their
wedding day, no matter how insignificant
or unachievable they think they might be.
People envisage the memories that they
will have from the day before it has even
happened, and we want to make them a
reality.
Theming
We work with venues to identify certain
features that can enhance the appeal
of their marquee site in order to make it
stand out. We are currently seeing a rise
in the number of lakeside locations, with
stately homes using the estate parkland as
well as the house for wedding receptions.
Carlton Towers in Yorkshire is a
quintessentially English estate in a natural
countryside setting. The grounds boast a
historic 11 acre lake with its own private
island, which is home to ducks and swans,
lending itself to an elegant, yet relaxed
wedding theme.
A marquee can be erected almost
anywhere, whether it is in a field, a garden
at home or even on the beach. However, the
couple will make the emotional connection
with the venue itself and the surrounding
area. Promote the history of your venue,
pointing out unique, quirky or interesting
features. These elements are what make
your venue different and they can also form
a basis for the theme. Bolton Abbey is one
of our newest venues and we find that a
lot of our couples choose to marry there
because it evokes fond family memories.
There are many different and
interesting marquee options, from Tipis
for more intimate weddings, Indian
tents and Sailcloth marquees that offer
uninterrupted, panoramic views, to the
traditional aluminium frame marquee.
Each one can complement or contrast
the venue style depending on the chosen
theme. Sailcloth marquees are very popular
for venues with attractive views as the
translucent fabric and floor length windows
allow the location to become the feature,
lending itself to a simple, clean and elegant
theme. However, a Tipi gives a more rustic
feel that could offer a unique contrast
by being located in a country estate and
placing elegance and informality side by
side.
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