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Case study: Brian owns a pub that isn't large enough to hold weddings

Brian is a landlord in a pub, the currently host parties and small wedding but their main function room has a maximum capacity of 50 so isn't suitable for most weddings. Brian approached us to discuss how he could use marquees to help him accommodate larger functions and weddings in particular.

Points that Brian raised:

• Budget is very important, times are hard for pubs
• Ideally he would like to hold functions all year round
• The pub naturally divides in two for locals and function hire
• He's got enough room for discos with larger numbers but it's sit down meal functions he struggles with
• His kitchen can cope with larger numbers as they have a lot of outside seating during the summer
• The function room has its own exit out to small patio then flat lawn

DIY Marquees response:

• The first big decision is whether to host the whole function (ie seating, dance floor food and drink) outside or whether to use a marquee as an extension on to the existing function room.
• Hosting everything outside is easiest, looks most impressive but is the most expensive
• Gaining space with an extension is cheaper but requires a lot of thought to ensure there don't end up being two sub-parties to the wedding.

At this stage Brian indicated he wanted to go for the extension option. This was due to the cost, his target market and also wanting to keep the marquee up without it taking over the garden and him losing the outdoor seating so popular in the summer.

DIY Marquees suggested solution:

We pointed out that in the evening lots of people (mainly blokes) will linger by the bar, if they weren't considering setting up an additional bar in the marquee (they weren't) then it would probably be best to have the evening dance floor in the pub's function room. This meant:

• The function room could be used as a greeting area on arrival (with access to bar for welcome drinks)
• Everyone would be seated outside in the 6x16m Commercial DIY Marquee for the meal, no one would feel separated by being left seated inside.
• Our catering partitions could be used to partition off the end of the marquee to make it appear shorter so smaller functions don't feel they are rattling round a large open space
• The evening disco/band and dance floor would be inside the function room, the marquee would be left as a quiet chill out area for people to sit down away from the music
• Keeping the music inside also reduces the risk of noise pollution to neighbours
• The marquee can be heated for winter use

We suggested using one of our 6x16m Commercial or Deluxe DIY Marquees (see diagram below for layout) that could hold 80-100 guests for a wedding with plenty of room for walking between tables. Brian could shorten the marquee using one of our catering partitions for smaller functions. For future expansion we explained that Brian could attach another marquee on the side or could extend the marquee by buying an extension bay or bays and a larger roof.

We are always happy to offer more customised advice for your event, please contact us giving a few details of the event you are planning (type of event, space available, number of guests and diagrams/photographs of the site if possible) and we will be more than happy to advise on your options.

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