When starting to plan your wedding, the endless possibilities can feel both exciting and overwhelming. After exploring different options, you may find yourself drawn to the idea of a beautiful outdoor wedding celebration. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a marquee wedding, the next big question is naturally, “how much will it cost?”
Unlike a Tipi, which has a distinct style, marquees come in may different shapes and designs, and this will ultimately affect the overall cost. For the purpose of this guide, we’re going to focus on a Sailcloth marquee Wedding – one of the most popular and visually striking choices for an outdoor wedding celebration.
A Sailcloth Marquee wedding will typically range between £18,000 and £50,000 all in, but what does “all in” actually mean? Let’s break down the costs to give you a clearer picture
What costs are associated with having a Marquee wedding?
As with any wedding venue, you’ll have standard expenses like flowers, stationery, catering and entertainment. However, with a marquee wedding, there are additional costs that wouldn’t typically be required for a more traditional venue. Why? Simply as what you are creating is your own pop-up venue! These may include:
Toilets
Generator
Heating (depending on the time of year)
Creating a Catering Kitchen
A Field/Site
Additional Lighting
Unlike a conventional wedding where you have your venue that comes with everything you need, a marquee wedding is about building, literally building from the ground up, the day that you want. Giving you total flexibility to create a unique celebration that reflects your vision. This makes it super exciting, but it does require some extra planning to bring everything together.
What Factors Affect The Price of a Marquee Wedding?
Guest Numbers
One of the main factors influencing the cost of hiring a Sailcloth Marquee is your guest count. Whether it’s for the ceremony, reception, or evening celebration, the more guests you invite, the larger your marquee needs to be, and naturally, the cost increases. Fewer guests mean less space is required, which can help bring down the overall price.
The Site
Do you have your own site? If not, don’t worry, as we have a number of local sites offering land and venue hire for outdoor weddings. However, if you need a field, this will add to the overall cost. Each venue will vary in terms of what is included, with some offering extras like power, toilets, or even basic infrastructure for an outdoor wedding, which can impact the final price.
As a guide, a venue field hire can cost between £1,000 to £10,000.
Not all outdoor wedding sites are equal. A field hired for £1,000 will be a basic field hire, more of a DIY option. hile other, more established wedding sites may include added services, like assistance with setting up or providing utilities. These additional services can be reflected in the venue cost but can also save you the hassle of sourcing and managing those services separately.
One major factor that can affect the venue price is the level of support offered during your planning process and on the wedding day itself. Some venues offer full coordination services, helping with logistics from the day you book until after the event, while others may take a more hands-off approach. The extent of support you receive can be a deciding factor when choosing between venues, as it greatly impacts the ease of planning and execution.
Functionality
To make your wedding function, the two key items needed for this are toilets and a generator.
Water onsite is ideal, but you can manage without, bringing water onsite with bottles or a water bowser.
Generator Hire Cost for a Marquee Wedding
Your event generator will be needed to power everything that you have on-site. This includes the tipi lighting, the toilets, your caterers and band.
Several specialist generator hire companies offer packages specifically for outdoor weddings, typically including:
- The Generator,
- Distribution,
- Power sockets,
- Fuel,
- Delivery and Collection.
You can expect to pay between £600 to £700 plus vat, plus delivery.
Alternatively, tool hire companies may offer generators at a lower base price, around £160 plus vat. However, everything else would need to be added in ie fuel, distribution, power sockets etc. Which can end up making them more expensive and logistically challenging.
Toilet Hire Cost for a Marquee Wedding
For a marquee wedding, luxury toilet units are the preferred choice, ensuring comfort for your guests. These units come in various sizes, the size is based on the number of physical toilets they have inside them. Other considerations for your toilets is if you also need an access unit or even baby change facilities – these will come as a separate toilet unit to your main toilets.
Luxury toilet units typically come fully equipped with handwashing stations, toilet paper, and paper towels, making them convenient and hassle-free.
The key consideration is ensuring the unit has a large enough water tank to accommodate the number of guests and the duration of your event. It’s always better to go slightly larger if you’re unsure.
Toilet hire prices can range from £460 to £750 plus vat, plus delivery.
Insurance
Regardless of the style of wedding style you choose, we’d always recommend having insurance. This is there to provide you with cover in those “just in case” eventualities. For an outdoor wedding, this needs to cover all of your hired-in items, this includes the marquee (marquee cover), toilets, generator, fridge trailer etc.
The Marquee Hire Cost
So, let’s get to it. How much does the marquee hire cost? As with every element of your day the driving force will be your guest numbers, both day and evening. Why? Well, we want to ensure you have enough space to be comfortable in the day and transition seamlessly into your evening party.
What we provide isn’t just the Sailcloth Marquee itself; we take care of the entire setup, including flooring, lighting, and even festoon lights to create that magical atmosphere. In addition, we can supply all the practical essentials like tables, chairs, dance floors, and even a disco ball if you’re looking to add that extra sparkle.
Creating your 3D’s
What we always want to create for you is what we call our magic 3 D’s, that is making sure we’ve provided space for:
Dining. The space for your seated daytime guests, if you choose to have a sit-down meal
Dancing. Ensuring you have enough space for your DJ, your band and of course the dance floor.
Drinking. Space for a bar and possibly a relaxed seating area for guests to mingle.
However, you might decide to move your drinking zone outside, perhaps setting up a charming outdoor bar with seating area on a festoon terrace. If that’s the case, you may not need as much indoor space, which could allow you to downsize your marquee size slightly and save on costs.
Here’s our handy guide that references your daytime numbers, your evening numbers, and the number of tipis you will need:
As a guide, each “sailcloth pole” will be around £3,000—this includes your lighting, basic furniture like tables and chairs, and essential setup. As you can see, guest numbers play a significant role in determining your marquee hire cost, as more guests often require a larger marquee, more poles, and additional space.
In addition to the marquee itself, you might also need a catering tent or annex. Whether you need this depends largely on your choice of caterer and the type of food service you’ll offer. If required, a catering annex would typically range from £600 to £800.
As with venue hire, not all marquee hire companies offer the same level of service. At Sami Tipi, not only will we provide you with an incredible Sailcloth Marquee, but we also offer full support throughout your planning journey, which can last anywhere from six months to two years. We take the time to understand your vision and work with you to bring it to life, ensuring your wedding day is uniquely yours.
We’ll collaborate closely with you to create a custom floor plan that meets the needs of your event, your suppliers, and of course, your guests. We’ll even take care of hiring the essential equipment like toilets and generators if needed. During our planning meetings, we’ll map out exactly where electrical sockets and other key elements need to go. This bespoke service ensures your outdoor wedding space is everything you’ve dreamed of and more—creating an unforgettable experience for you and your guests.
Feeding Your Guest Costs
Feeding your guests can often be the largest of expenses of your wedding. So, what are your options, and how much is it likely to cost? If you’re going for a sit-down meal, expect to budget between £50 to £100 (even upwards), per head. So again, your numbers are a driving force when it comes to the overall cost.
When creating your guest list, it’s essential to ensure that those on your “A-list” are the people you absolutely want to celebrate your day with. Ask yourself: “If I bumped into them, would I happily take them out for a meal?” If the answer is yes, they should probably make the list. Then, decide if they’ll be attending the daytime meal or joining you later for the evening celebrations.
Meal Style & Space Requirements
The type of meal you choose directly impacts the space needed for your marquee. If you plan to seat all your guests for a formal meal, this will require more space, meaning a larger marquee. If you’re leaning toward a more relaxed vibe, where not every guest has a seat for the meal, you might be able to get away with a slightly smaller space.
For example:
- 100 seated guests would typically require three Sailcloth Marquee poles to provide enough room.
- 100 guests for a party, where not everyone is seated, would comfortably fit into a two-pole Sailcloth Marquee.
Most weddings provide seating for all daytime guests but allow for a more casual standing arrangement in the evening. There’s no right or wrong; it’s all about what feels right for you and your event.
Evening Food
Since a wedding is usually an all-day affair, you’ll likely need to feed your guests twice! Popular choices for evening food include options like a help-yourself ploughman’s table or hiring food trucks. Food trucks can be a great way to add variety and fun to your evening, with costs generally ranging from £12 to £20 per person, often with a minimum order of around 50 guests.
The Cost of a Bar Service for a Marquee Wedding
Depending on your venue or wedding site, the bar service might be included as part of the venue hire. However, many outdoor marquee weddings allow for flexibility, giving you the freedom to choose how you want to handle the drinks for your big day.
There are three main options when it comes to providing drinks for your guests:
- DIY Bar – Handle everything yourself, from purchasing drinks to hiring glassware.
- Done For You – Let a bar company or venue take care of everything, including welcome drinks, table wines, and the evening bar.
- Hybrid Option – A mix of both, where you provide daytime drinks and a bartender manages the evening bar service.
Drinks Packages
A typical welcome drinks package includes:
- One welcome drink per guest (e.g., Pimm’s or Prosecco)
- Half a bottle of wine per person for the meal
- Champagne or Prosecco for the toast
- Water on the tables
As a guide, expect to budget around £25 per head for a package like this, though the cost will increase if you choose premium drinks such as Champagne. Your guest numbers will naturally have a big impact on your overall bar costs, so this is important to factor into your wedding budget.
Of course, you don’t need to opt for a drinks package. It’s all about creating a day that reflects your vision, but using this guide can help you estimate your total marquee wedding costs.
Hiring a Bartender Service
Some professional bartenders charge a booking fee of around £300. This fee typically covers the bar setup, glassware, drink service, trained staff, and everything needed for a smooth and hassle-free bar experience. The bar will operate just like at a traditional wedding venue, with guests purchasing their own drinks unless you opt for a free bar.
The DIY Bar Option
If you prefer to take a more hands-on approach and handle the bar service yourself, it’s advisable to hire a fridge trailer, which will cost around £300 to £400. When sourcing drinks, it’s a good idea to work with a wine merchant who offers a sale or return option. This way, you can return any unused wine and avoid over-ordering.
Don’t forget to account for the logistics of DIY bar service. You’ll need to source not only the drinks, but also glassware, ice, and possibly extra staff to help serve (which can often be hired through your caterer). While doing it yourself can give you more control, investing in a professional bartender service can save you a lot of time and reduce stress on your big day.
