Marquee Wedding Catering
Marquee Weddings in Wiltshire
A wedding under canvas gives you… well, a blank canvas to realise your ultimate wedding dreams. There is no venue that is more flexible than a marquee, teepee or stretch tent in the glorious countryside; the options are endless, from which marquee style you choose to what furniture you fill it with! This flexibility can be a little overwhelming of course, but DIY brides and grooms, this blog post is for you. Below, we explain a little more about the marquee wedding catering process, and how we can guide you through planning with our expert wedding team.
Marquee Caterers
It can be difficult to know where to begin when planning your marquee wedding catering. Without a physical kitchen it might seem challenging for a caterer to produce fine-dining quality wedding food… but choose wisely and you will have a team of event professionals well versed in the world of marquee weddings who are able to guide you on all aspects of marquee wedding planning, including how to produce a wedding feast fit for kings and queens.
Booking a Catering Tent
No kitchen? No problem! Parish’s House has the most beautiful country house backdrop, but the kitchen facilities are not for use for your special day. The best way around this is to book a catering tent with your marquee provider. The size required depends on your guest numbers and the menu you choose, but the average catering tent is around 6m x 6m. Your catering team will also require trestle tables with high legs (we have to look after our chefs’ backs!) and ample power for their equipment.
Our wedding planners love a marquee wedding – simply introduce us via email to your marquee provider and we’ll have a chat about our catering tent requirements, taking the weight off your shoulders.
Choosing your Marquee Furniture
Your marquee provider will usually have a catalogue of beautiful wedding furniture for you to choose from to bring your space to life. They’ll be armed with tips and tricks for ensuring you have ample space while providing a stylistic interior, but feel free to chat with us or your chosen caterer too. We’ll guide you from a catering stand-point, offering our advice on table sizes to accommodate certain wedding breakfast set ups, such as buffet catering or family-style dining.
For feasts shared across the table, we often suggest at least 3ft of width for trestle tables. We can then liaise with your florist to work out how best to arrange the floral decorations while providing space for wooden boards of delicious local meats and sharing bowls of colourful salads.
Marquee Wedding Menu
Your chosen caterer will work with you to produce a wedding menu that not only tastes delicious, but is suitable for service from a field-kitchen. They’ll use their knowledge and expertise to guide you to a wedding menu that can be served efficiently in a marquee setting. Our high standards of catering remain whatever venue we provide our services at, and marquees are no different! That means we’ll only suggest menus we know will look lovely, be served in a timely manner and will still be delivered hot to the table in a marquee setting.
It's also important to us that your wedding menu sings with its surroundings! The beautiful setting of Parish’s House lends itself so perfectly to British cuisine. English Country Garden themed menus will tie your catering in with your venue; beginning with fresh and light canapés finished with lemon zest and garden herbs. At the table, rustic focaccias and dipping oils set the scene for your banquet! Then, for the main event, a feast brimming with colour, local produce and slow braised flavourful meats for guests to enjoy while chatting over your chosen wines. Seasonal berries as the star of the show for your dessert – jewel-toned and tart for a light finish to your wedding breakfast.
Drinks Options for a Marquee Wedding
Serving drinks at a marquee wedding requires logistical planning too! Though, you can still enjoy restaurant quality drinks service at your special day. One of the most important aspects of drinks service for a marquee wedding is planning how you’ll chill your drinks. Your catering team will have oodles of advice on this matter, but ultimately a chiller trailer is required.
If you choose to have us serve your own drinks, we’ll provide a quote for a chiller trailer to keep your bubbles at the perfect temperature. If you opt for our drinks packages, chilling is included, and we’ll provide a chiller trailer free of charge throughout your wedding to keep our delicious range of drinks chilled down. Galvanised buckets and rustic wheelbarrows work well for displaying local ales and ciders at your drinks reception, or for guests to help themselves during the meal. In the evening, under-counter fridges are a great choice to provide a professional bar area for your party!
Your marquee provider will again offer a catalogue of options for a physical bar – from impressive round bars that centre around the marquee pole to rustic L shaped bars. It’s important to choose a bar that has shelves, plenty of top space for glassware, and preferably space underneath for a small bar fridge to house an array of enticing options.
Our bar manager Duncan thoroughly enjoys planning a marquee drinks menu! From crafting your dream cocktail menu to greet guests, to building an evening bar selection that your guests will love, Duncan will work with you every step of the way until your drinks menu is exactly how you’d like it. He’ll offer expert advice on which cocktails work best for your numbers, as well as ensuring you’ve hired everything required for a seamless drinks service.
Planning your Marquee Wedding
With the right team behind you, planning a marquee wedding needn’t be stressful or daunting. Parish’s House recommend some truly exceptional suppliers who work well together to make sure every aspect of your special day will run as smooth as silk.
Do you have a question about wedding catering at your marquee wedding? Feel free to get in touch, or visit our website for more information.
Author: Jasmine Ebdon-Taylor
Wedding, Event & Marketing Manager at Wild Fork West
Photography Credit: Adam Alex