Milestone Birthdays – How to use a marquee for a night you won’t forget
Whether turning 1, 15, 30 or 60, milestone birthdays are a chance to celebrate with everyone you love dearly. Letting your hair down, dancing the night away or sipping on your favourite cocktails – these events should be everything you’ve dreamt and more. The average adult has 40 friends and an extensive list of family members that should be there to celebrate. And, choosing the right location for this variety of guests can pose a challenge. You want somewhere that fits in well with your birthday theme, accommodates the entertainment you have planned and allows guests to relax in comfort.
Marquees tick all of these boxes. And, this guide will explain why we believe them to be the perfect choice for your next milestone or landmark birthday.
Benefits of choosing a marquee
Let’s take a look at all of the reasons why a marquee offers a flexible and suitable location for your celebration.
Portable
Marquees can be erected in most locations – as long as you have approval from the landowner, you’ll be good to go. In addition, different types are better suited to different grounds. Our Clear Span (Frame) Marquees have a pole-less design that is ideally suited to this.
Themes
Marquees come as blank canvases. They can be customised entirely to suit a specific theme – even if this is just a single colour or more complex set-up. By incorporating features such as marquee lighting, linings, bars and dance floors, you can easily create a space that is much more impressive than any club.
No guest limit
It doesn’t matter how many people make your guest list. Marquees can be built to accommodate small and large parties alike. So, you won’t have to scratch people off the list or whittle down the numbers in any way to meet a minimum/maximum guest limit.
Not weather-dependant
Marquees are an ideal option for those looking for garden-party chic but at the mercy of the weather. They can be built with or without sides, giving you the opportunity to bask in the sun or hide from the rain. Most designs are entirely waterproof and can be partnered with marquee heaters and/or fans to create a comfortable environment for all.
Budget-friendly
With such a wide variety of styles available, it’s much easier to accommodate your specific budget with a marquee party. You can add or remove features as wanted, choose a cheaper location (such as your own garden) or splash out for true luxury. It’s much easier to do this with a marquee than if you have to abide by the hire costs of a venue.
Different types of marquee
Marquees can be erected, paired and customised to suit your needs – that’s one of their greatest allures. Now, let’s look at the different marquees available to hire.
Clear Span Marquees
One of the most popular options in our range, Clear Span Marquees are versatile and sleek. They can be erected without any central poles. This gives you an entirely uninterrupted view throughout the entire marquee – a brilliant feature for bringing larger parties together. Alongside this, the pole less design means they can be built on a variety of different surfaces. And, can be paired with panoramic windows or no sides to draw in the beauty of nature.
They are available to hire in 3m, 6m, 9m, 12m, 15m and 25m, so truly can fit the needs of your milestone birthday.
Canvas Marquees
Probably one of the most traditional marquee types available. Canvas marquees are perfect for traditional settings. They are a popular choice for weddings but also fit in well within English garden parties or formal-themed birthdays – think whimsical and floral celebrations. As the name suggests, these marquees are made from durable canvas and come unlined, so you can truly add your mark. Internally, they are erected with wooden poles to accentuate the vintage feel and can be dressed up for full glamour if required. Marquee lights such as twinkling fairy strands or coloured marquee uplighters are all you need to transform these spaces perfectly. Canvas marquees are available in 12m (40’) widths.
Traditional Marquee
Traditional sailcloth marquees are a cost effective alternative to canvas marquees and bring an old-school charm to your birthday event. This marquee can also be lined to give a traditional yet elegant look. They are erected using straps and poles, adding a vintage edge and can be lined to suit your specific theme. What we love the most about this style are the wooden poles which can be topped with flags or bunting to extend your birthday theme even further. For larger parties, we find that people tend to pair traditional marquees with Chinese Hat marquees to create dedicated zones.
Chinese Hat
If you’re only looking to accommodate a smaller party, Chinese Hat marquees are ideal. They are also known as Pagoda Marquees and have distinct pointy roofs. This allows them to look beautiful from the inside and out, with the choice of adding sides or leaving the space open. We also find that these marquees are a popular choice, when paired with our larger options, to create an enclosed entrance hall. Or, as a chill-out pod or dedicated children’s play areas. Chinese Hat marquees are available in 2 sizes – 3m x 3m or 6m x 6m.
How to plan a marquee milestone birthday
In order to get the most out of your birthday celebration, planning is essential. Here are our top tips for planning your marquee milestone birthday.
Choose your location
It’s important to research and establish where your birthday will be held. Do you need to hire land that can accommodate your guests? Or, could you host in your own or a family member’s back garden? To hire the perfect marquee, you need to know the ground it needs to stand on, the space it can accommodate and whether you need to consider other amenities in your planning (such as luxury loos). First, establish the perfect location.
Marquee size / Guest numbers
Next, you’ll need to understand how many guests will be attending and the size marquee needed. Smaller parties can easily fit in Chinese Hat marquees, however, larger numbers will likely need the space of a Traditional or Canvas marquee. You want to make sure guests can move around easily, find quiet corners to relax and that any dining set-ups can be easily accommodated.
Theme
Events to remember generally have a strong and all-encompassing theme that runs throughout everything. Brainstorm the things that make you happy. Perhaps you’ve got a penchant for 1920’s films. Or maybe the theme tune to Toy Story makes your little one jump up in joy every time. Once you’ve identified a theme, extend this throughout everything. Consider your decorations, the marquee lining and lighting to help accentuate this. Speak to a caterer or the family chef to come up with food and drinks options that fit. And, consider asking guests to dress up or bring something inline with your theme.
Entertainment
Will you be playing a self-collated playlist to your guests? Or, do you have the budget to accommodate your favourite live band? Either way, you’ll need to consider whether hiring a generator is necessary – this will be determined by your location. Do you need to have a marquee dance floor fitted for guests to shake their tail feathers? All of these factors fall under the remit of entertainment and ensure your guests enjoy every second.
Carron Marquees have been helping guests create celebrations to remember for over 40 years in the South East of England. If you’re planning the milestone birthday of the century, get in contact today to work with our team.
