Marquee Malarkey: Marquee Hire, Wedding Marquees, Marquee & Wedding Lighting

Cheshire - Wedding Marquee in Mellor, Marple

2009-08-09T21:11:00.009+01:00

Marquee Malarkey recently went to Cheshire to provide a marquee for a "classic country wedding".

How lucky we were with the weather! During the set-up on site we had lovely sunshine, everyone was hoping that we would have glorious August sunshine for the big day.

The marquee was set up just a short walk from Mellor Church, on possibly one of my favourite sites of the year so far. Looking out of the marquee there was the most fantastic view of the local countryside. Put simply, it was idyllic. We've taken a series of photos from on top of the marquee that we shall stitch together to make a panoramic view. (I'll post it up once a photoshop wizz has finished joining up the photos)

The excellent weather allowed us to have an open sided marquee during the day for dining, with the walls rolled down for dancing after.

The Marquee was a tension pole marquee lined with a flat (non-pleated lining) and then carefully selected blue sash lining under the lighting, adding a subtle splash of colour, combined with a lovely diffuse, warm lighting effect. We had a lot of compliments on the marquee, the lining and the lighting.

The reception started at about 3.00 PM. Following the service in the Church, everyone headed over to the marquee for a Champagne reception. Whilst the guests were enjoying the sunshine and champagne, I was really impressed by Sadie Baker who came with a pianist to sing some soulful jazzy numbers early on. She really helped to get the reception off to a good start.

The caterers were happy in their own 9m marquee, they supplied some lovely food, with some particularly exquisite antipasti. (Much to my delight)

The bar was well stocked, and I'm glad to say, very well attended. There was a good fun and relaxed atmosphere. A good number of young, and the not quite so young meant there was a wonderful balance of guests.

We supplied a large dance floor as the bride and groom were keen to have a good space for a dance! The band were excellent. The dance floor was full almost instantly. It was a delight to see such a full dance floor all night. The hardened party goers were still dancing at 3AM!

Lastly, we'd like to wish the bride a groom the very best of luck for the future. We all thoroughly enjoyed working on the event.

Some of the basic details of what we took to Mellor near Stockport, Cheshire:

18m x 27m Marquee
9m Catering Marquee
Solid Flooring
New, Honey beige flooring
6x6 Dance Floor
Fully Lined
Full Lighting Rig
60KVA Generator
Luxury Loo Trailer
PA System + Disco Equipment

Photos to follow shortly.

Marquee Malarkey
Wedding Marquee Hire Cheshire

Wedding Venue Malvern, Worcestershire - Two Beautiful Wedding Venues

2009-07-28T13:34:00.005+01:00

We are delighted to announce that as of August 2009 we shall be able to offer two beautiful wedding venues in Worcestershire:

A traditional English Country marquee wedding reception venue at the foot of the Malvern Hills, and a complete, fully licensed wedding ceremony, and reception venue.

www.marqueemalarkey.com/weddingvenue

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

BBC Hereford and Worcester - Wednesday 15th

2009-07-14T20:10:00.002+01:00

We've been invited to talk to BBC Hereford and Worcester on Wednesday 15th July during the breakfast show at approximately 8:00 - Listen out for Marquee Malarkey on the BBC!

Marquee Malarkey go to Presteigne for Sheep Music

2009-07-14T20:00:00.004+01:00

This week Marquee Malarkey have been to the beautiful town of Presteigne to provide a marquee for the Sheep Music Festival that is taking place this coming weekend - 17th, 18th, 19th July.

The Team arrived bright and early this morning to build an 18m x 27m twin pole tension tent. The festival organisers were wonderfully hospitable providing plentiful quantities of tea! Much appreciated by all on site.

Marquee Malarkey also installed a flown aluminium truss rig for stage lighting within the marquee.

We hope the weather stays good for the festival, the line-up looks fantastic!

We'll add some photos of the site a little later.

Thanks for reading,

The Marquee Malarkey Team

www.marqueemalarkey.com

New youtube video - Marquee Malarkey in Warwickshire

2009-07-03T21:25:00.004+01:00

Marquee Malarkey recently returned to Warwick School to build a 60' single pole tension marquee.

We put the same size marquee in exactly the same spot last year - at the same time we made a time lapse video of the marquee going up. We posted the video on youtube - it has now had over 450 views!

One year on we have made another video..

Time-lapse again, we present: "How to put up a marquee by Marquee Malarkey"

This video shows in slightly higher quality the various stages involved in building a tension marquee.

We hope to return to Warwick School next year!

Marquee Malarkey - Marquee Hire.

www.marqueemalarkey.com

Marquee Hire - Malvern

2009-06-24T10:18:00.003+01:00

Marquee Malarkey recently provided a 30' (9m) marquee for a small party at Malvern College.

The Marquee was built on a lawn within the beautiful grounds of the school. We lit up the trees in the garden using our outdoor lighting equipment - we also provided a small PA system to allow background music playback during the party.

The marquee is pictured with the walls on, though during the event the walls were removed to to allow the guests to take in the wonderful surroundings.

The marquee that we used was one of our popular '30' rounds' - a fantastic tent that can be built on a grass site in under 45 minutes! The 30' round marquees are fantastic for smaller, informal garden events, as well as a drinks and canapes marquee for larger events (when used in conjunction with other marquees also).

Our record for building this particular marquee was set at West Malvern - setting up for a music event - two Marquee Malarkey labourers set the marquee up (including hammering the stakes into rocky ground) in under 30 minutes! Rapid tenting!

Event lighting Hire - Wedding lighting

2009-06-01T21:43:00.004+01:00

The name Marquee Malarkey implies that everything we do is in, on, or around a marquee. It is true to say that the bulk of our work involves marquees, it is not always the case.

From the very beginning, we have always offered an exiting, and adventurous lighting service with our marquees. We have a wealth of experience gathered from season after season of marquee hire. We want to to bring this experience, knowledge and creativity to other events and venues. Indoor, or outdoor. Wedding, party, or corporate function - Marquee Malarkey can bring the stylish finishing touches for any event.

We use an extensive stock of conventional theatrical lighting, and also intelligent moving head lighting fixtures. Lighting design is our forte.

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

Lighting hire - Wedding lighting

Marquee Malarkey - Now on Twitter

2009-05-31T11:51:00.002+01:00

No one really knows what twitter is for, but apparently we should be joining in..

so we have: twitter.com/marqueemalarkey.com

Brilliant.

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

Marquee Malarkey - Sunny on Friday

2009-05-29T17:32:00.003+01:00

Marquee Malarkey HQ is bathed in sunshine this afternoon. Really fantastic (and about time).

Its been a busy week in and out of the office. Festivals, parties, weddings - plenty of variation for sure. This weekend includes a trip to Wales for some of the team - I hope this excellent weather shall continue over the border!

Have a good weekend..

Marquee Malarkey

Marquee Malarkey - Northampton

2009-05-21T11:57:00.007+01:00

Marquee Malarkey has recently provided marquee hire services for a wedding in Northamptonshire.

The beautiful location allowed for a simple but effective wedding marquee with clear gable and walls, giving a great panorama of the surrounding coutryside and church in which the couple were to be married. Although the marquee is unfinished in this picture, it gives an idea of simple, traditional style the client wanted to achieve.

Marquee Malarkey also provided outdoor event lighting - we lit up several very well-established and beautiful trees, now in full leaf - simple, yet wonderfully effective. Architectural lighting was used on the charming church, to ensure that it was the central feature of the wedding throughout the ceremony, daytime reception (clear gable) and evening reception.

It was a wonderful feature for a wedding marquee that all guests were delighted by, as was the client. The inside was lit with ceiling floods and uplights. The marquee was a great success and the bride and groom made the mostof the warm weather during the wedding event. The only thing remaining to clear up is the ghost living somewhere around the church......

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

www.marqueemalarkey.com

MarqueeMalarkey.co.uk / Updates

2009-05-12T11:43:00.003+01:00

We can now be found at www.marqueemalarkey.co.uk, as well as www.marqueemalarkey.com

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

Marquee Hire FAQ

2009-05-07T21:58:00.007+01:00

What Size Marquee?

Firstly, consider what you are using the marquee for, taking into particular account the number of guests. Allow 1.125sqm/person for a seated dinner at round tables, 0.75sqm/person for a standing reception, 0.5sqm/person for a dance floor space.

Secondly, consider the space you have available. Marquees generally come in fixed widths. 6m, 9m 12m, 15m, 18m up to 50m for the really big ones. Frame marquees or (clear-span marquees) have bays of 3m, so can be built in multiples of 3m, but tension tents, larger clearpans and other structures have differing bay lengths.

What Type of Marquee / Temporary Structure?

We supply many different structures, always selected according to the specific needs of each individual client. Any struture selected must be practical, but this should not deter from getting the aesthetics right. Clearspan marquees are almost always practical, but other marquee styles, including traditional (pole marquees), more modern tension tents, and other more unusual structures such as saddlespans, are absolutely perfect in the right setting.

Each have there own disadvantages and advantages - we will work with you to determine the most suitable structure accoring to practicality and taste. There are several key factors:

1. What size area you have available

2. Type of surface (grass, hard-standing etc)

3. Time of year

4. Overall event style/theme

5. Interior decor, theming and layout

Grass of Hard Standing?

Marquees can be built on virtually any surface. Grass is easiest, and offers the greatest possible range of structures, but most hardstanding surfaces can be easily built on.

How long does it take to put up a marquee?

Depending on the complexity of the job, the size of structure, and various other factors, anywhere from a couple of hours to many days! We will be able to advise on build times.

Can a marquee be built on an inclined slope / uneven ground?

Yes! Very gentle slopes are normally require no special work, slightly steeper slopes/unveven ground often needs a ring-beam floor. For more severe slopes and terrain, a full scaffold stage may be required.

Are marquees only suitable for summer events?

No - We use marquees for events all year round - don't worry, heating is always available!

Do we need a generator?

We will carry out a detailed assessment of your event power requirements. We will only allow safe, reliable power supplies. Larger events normally require generators, unless there is a nearby 3ph power supply (63-125amp). We may also specify a second generator combined with an AMF panel. (Stand-by generator)

Can a marquee be directly attached to a building or other structure?

Yes, although care and consideration must be taken with allowing for guttering etc.

I want a stage for a band in a Marquee - is this possible?

Yes - Absolutely! We use an excellent system - litedeck - to create raised areas. We may need to use a marquee on taller legs (3m) to allow a stage of good height.

Marquees are often lit by tacky gold effect chandeliers - can I have something more modern?

Absolutely! We encourage the use of lighting effects. We use a lot of theatrical lanterns - profiles, fresnels, Par Cans to create all manner of lighting effects. We also love to light outside areas - trees, buildings (churches especially!)

Should I shop around for quotes?

Yes, by all means - however, always ensure you are comparing like for like, both in terms of quality and structure.

What style of interior can I have?

Anything you like. We encourage you to use your imagination and come to us with an idea. We really enjoy working with creative/imaginative clients to turn their dreams into reality - just about anything is possible.

Unusual marquee hire requirements

2009-05-06T15:47:00.004+01:00

As the year trundles on it would seem that the appeal of Marquee Malarkey's marquee hire services is growing, especially in relation to associated event equipment hire. Our bespoke and luxury services, as well as our large marquee hire, are proving popular with many slightly unusual requirements coming in thick and fast from London to Manchester. From magnificent dance floors (no details - its still a secret), to beautiful coloured linings and traditional tribal tents, the requests are becoming ever more diverse.

We hope that the reason for this is now that people are counting their pennies a little more, they really seek great value and something a little different from their marquee hire services. Long may it continue!

Marquee Malarkey Team

Facebook marquee hire group

2009-04-23T18:43:00.003+01:00

Well the Facebook group for Marquee Malarkey is going well and, provided it continues to grow in this vain, we will think about putting on a special marquee event for all our fans to attend. Our marquee hire services are obviously available to all our fans, and we hope that they will hire marquees from us at some point, probably wedding marquee hire or party marquee hire since corporate marquee hire is not exactly a booming market these days! However, even for those who do not use our marquee hire services, we will be inviting them just for showing their support to our luxury marquee hire company. So keep sharing the marquee hire love on Facebook and we promise your loyalty will be rewarded in the end!

Rock on marquee hire UK!

Marquees in Malvern - Midweek

2009-04-22T18:03:00.007+01:00

The weather has been fantastic for the last couple of days - ideal weather for building marquees. It has been interesting week so far.. We've launched our new website, I've been busily planning all sorts - marquee lighting, transparent staging - we are going to be building a transparent dance floor over a swimming pool - plus all the usual day to day jobs.

We are preparing for a trip to Edinborough, where we are providing services for one of our corporate clients.. It'll be a long drive from Worcestershire, but hopefully we'll have a nice few days up there as the work should not be overly taxing.

Regards,
Marquee Malarkey

marquee hire, wedding marquee hire, event equipment hire

Facebook - Marquee Malarkey

2009-04-20T16:46:00.004+01:00

Marquee Malarkey are now on facebook:

facebook.com/pages/Marquee-Malarkey

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

www.marqueemalarkey.com

Marquee Focus

2009-04-19T20:08:00.005+01:00

Creative specialists join forces with leading clearspan provider to cover pole to pole and beyond.

Marquee Malarkey, a creative marquee and events company specialising in bespoke products and services including structures, interiors, lighting and audio visual, have joined forces with Fews Marquees, a leading provider of high-quality clearspan marquees. This union makes the only truly creative, all-encompassing marquee team in the UK.

Marquee Malarkey create unique events whether inside marquees or buildings, or even out in the open. “What sets us apart is our desire to experiment, to try to make each event different, to really take our clients’ ideas and run with them” said the Head of Lighting and Sound.

Marquee Malarkey work with a diverse range of structures from extraordinary tension tents and big tops to more regular clearspan marquees. They are specialists in custom creative work. However, some of the more significant services provided include bespoke interior design and fitting, custom linings, specialist interior lighting from candles and colour-washing LEDs to intelligent dance lights with gobos, external architectural lighting of buildings, trees and other features, projection screens, DJing, VJing and P.A. systems.

They even offer a landscape gardener to prepare the surroundings for the event. “We are creative, we seek the unusual, the bespoke; we want clients with imagination and clients with imagination want us”. They cover all areas, particularly the more creative corporate events and festivals, but it will come as no great surprise that their primary market is weddings!

Fews Marquees is a long-established provider of clearspan marquees, with clients including English Heritage, The National Trust, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, University of Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Bosch and VFestival. The majority of their private sector work is weddings. “Clean, bright and white” says company director Ian Few “…it sounds simple but so many companies don’t do it…we put significant effort and resources into ensuring our equipment is always in tip-top condition”. With purpose built stores, a fleet of squeaky-clean vehicles and one of the strictest equipment replacement policies around, it is no wonder Fews have become arguably one of the highest quality clearspan providers in the UK. One particularly buoyant member of staff said “Ian loves everything about marquees, his passion and perfectionism is infectious so everyone in the team shares his enthusiasm. We all really enjoy working here and I think this comes across in the way we do the job.”

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

The combined abilities of the two companies present a force to be reckoned with. Fews Marquees' expertise and experience in providing top-quality clearspan structures in all sorts of locations allows Marquee Malarkey to let their creative juices flow in even the most difficult environments. Between them they have the ability to meet just about any marquee requirement anywhere in the UK. More than this though, they make the bespoke and the beautiful available to a much wider section of the market. Commenting on this, Marquee Malarkey’s Creative Director said “it makes our services not only more widely available but also more cost effective with greater economies of scale…people who may have been under the impression that there is only a standard, boring marquee format will now have their eyes opened to a world of possibilities…it’s really exciting”.

There seems to be a great deal of understanding and respect between them – Marquee Malarkey obviously know a lot about marquees and Fews realise the need for, and positively desire, the imagination and vision they bring. “We started working with Fews a couple of years ago when we needed a large clearspan structure with a ring-beam floor for a private party… now we wouldn’t think about using anybody else – they have unparalleled quality standards and put 110% into everything they do” said the Creative Director. Fews share this professional admiration: “You’d be amazed what Marquee Malarkey can do…they think completely outside the box. Working together we’ve been able to produce some of the most beautiful marquees you will ever see; all the clients have been overwhelmed. I think we have learned a lot from each other and that we’re a really dynamic team.”

It is, however, not the best time in the leisure industry. They concur, in fact they appear acutely aware of it, but remain upbeat, with both traditionally appealing to the higher end of the market. Ian Few was clear about this: “We recognise the economic difficulties we face at present, but we have a shared vision and I am really looking forward to what we might achieve together in the future.”

The market certainly is not what it was, it is likely that only the strongest will survive. There can, however, be no doubt that in combination Marquee Malarkey and Fews Marquees are very, very strong and they say that the only thing that lasts is quality, which, it would seem, they have in abundance.

A discount of 10% is currently being offered for all bookings in 2010

http://www.marqueemalarkey.com
http://www.fewsmarquees.co.uk

Marquee Malarkey - New Website

2009-04-19T02:52:00.000+01:00

Its been a long time coming, but our new website: www.marqueemalarkey.com went live this weekend.

We've put up some fabulous new photos in the gallery, information on wedding marquee hire, and a new page about equipment hire.

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey

How to put up a 60' Marquee in 30 seconds!

2008-07-11T22:49:00.004+01:00

The Marquee Malarkey team on site in Warwickshire, earlier this week:

Regards,

Marquee Malarkey