11 ways to dress up your marquee

How to make your marquee wow your wedding guests

Marquees are great for weddings, a complete blank canvas for you to create your dream wedding day. Whether you are using a marquee for the whole day, or just for the wedding reception, the styling and detail can turn a marquee from simply being a large tent to a glamorous venue. Lindsey Hunter, wedding stylist at Get Knotted, shares how you can use colour, flowers and props to glam up your marquee.

1. Be brave with colour

Lift a white marquee and break up the space by adding coloured drapes around the walls in your chosen colour scheme. The bolder the better.

2. Colourful flooring

Place colourful rugs on top of wooden or carpeted flooring to create some added warmth. Colour underfoot adds interesting detailing and allows you to follow your colour theme from floor to ceiling,
encouraging guests to look at every aspect of your wedding styling.

3. Floral chandeliers

Add interest to the ceiling area with floral chandeliers. Cover them with the flowers and foliage of your choice and team with fairy lights for some soft mood lighting. Add coloured drapes overhead for a different vibe.

4. Vibrant tables

Long trestle tables are great for getting all of your guests together, rather than separating
them on individual round tables. Decorate them with colourful tablecloths to provide a striking contrast to the white walls of the marquee. Add accents of colour with plants or floral displays down the centre of your tables and place candles in between for some added sparkle.

5. Dividing space

Divide your marquee into separate areas for different parts of the day. Depending on the
size of the marquee, you could have an area for your wedding ceremony, one for the wedding breakfast, a chill-out space and a bar. Move chairs from your ceremony to create space for a dance floor later on in the day.

6. Up cycling

Add some DIY to your day by painting old mismatched chairs in your chosen colours for a splash
of colour at your ceremony or reception tables.

7. Quirky displays

Old crates, ladders and pieces of wood are great for creating additional displays within your marquee. Add quirky items and photographs that reflect your personalities to get everyone talking.

8. Greenery

Box trees, ferns in pretty pots and other greenery are great for adding some natural colour to a
marquee. Use them for different parts of the day: from lining your aisle to creating a pathway to a chill-out area outside. You can use these as additional favours and give them away at the end of the day or plant them in the garden to remember your special day.

9. DIY photobooth

Create a DIY photobooth area using old furniture and crates. Decorate them with quirky props for guests to use in photos and see how creative they can be.

10. Chill-out area

Inflatable sofas provide some comfortable relaxing seating for guests to use in the day. Scatter 
colourful throws and cushions to add some warmth.

11. Lighting

Lighting can really make a difference on your wedding day. You want it soft and romantic without
it being dark. Fairy lighting or festoon lights overhead look wonderful above your tables. Add some soft uplighters around the walls for some extra subtle light.

Images: Coloured linens provided by 88 Events