Sharing our industry insights and inspiration on how an outdoor wedding can make your day special and remembered for years to come.
Dreaming of a wedding under a starry-night sky? Is your vision board willed with images of beautifully styled marquee, tipi or sperry tent receptions? Well here in Noosa with our wonderfully warm evenings and vast open spaces, your outdoor wedding vision can become a reality.
We’ve always expressed how we love helping engaged couples create out-of-this-world outdoor weddings and the flexibility that comes with this style of wedding, but there is a catch. Planning an outdoor wedding is completely different to hosting a wedding at a venue. From the logistics to hire requirements there’s a lot to consider when it comes to pulling off an epic and functional outdoor reception.
So if you are planning a marquee, tipi or sperry tent wedding here on the Sunshine Coast, we’re here to help. From finding the best wedding venue for you, to working out the right marquee, tipi or sperry tent hire requirements, keep reading as we take you through the process step by step.
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Locate an outdoor-friendly wedding venue
If hosting an outdoor wedding is one of your key priorities to create a completely unique and personal wedding, first you will need to locate a venue. Some of our couples wish to utilise their private properties which is great, however we highly recommend organising a site inspection first, so the hire company can check out the space to ensure its safe for installation.
If you don’t have a family property available, no need to worry. We have so many incredible wedding venue options available on the Sunshine Coast. From epic hinterland homes to private garden sanctuaries, you can check out some of our favourite venues below.
- Maleny Retreat Weddings
- The Old Dairy Maleny
- Beach Stone House, Noosa Northshore
- Beach Road Homes, Noosa Northshore
- Flaxton Gardens
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Pick the design and size of your marquee, tipi, sperry tent
The next step will be securing your wedding structure hire. One of the wonderful elements of a marquee, tipi or sperry tent, is that they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so its easy to match to your requirements. As this is essentially your venue, we advise to book in at least 9-12 months prior. When considering the best fit for you, there are a few factors that come into play. These are:
- The space available at the venue site;
- Your guest numbers;
- The style of your event (sit down vs cocktail style).
Another factor to think about is which aspects of your day are going to take place in the structure. Will it be set up for absolutely everything from your cocktail drinks to your reception and dancing? Or will canapes be hosted outside first then dinner for your guests in the structure? Being clear with these requirements in the early stages is the easiest way to ensure you choose the perfect fit for your needs. Best to have this information available when speaking to the hire companies as they will be able to suggest the most appropriate size for your needs.
Hire companies sometimes calculate the size requirements based on a “square metre per guest” rule of thumb. For a sit-down reception, work on 1.2m square per guest, or 0.75m square per guest for a stand-up event. Also consider the additional space for your dance floor, cake table or lounging areas. As a guide, for a 150 pax sit-down wedding that also requires a dance floor and lounging area, you would be looking at a marquee size of 10m x 33m or a 14m x 26m oval (or oyster) sperry tent . Another consideration when working out the size of your outdoor set up is table layout. Do you want long rows or individual tables? Will you have a bridal table?
Once you have roughly worked out your size, you will need to choose a style too. Marquee hire companies stock clear marquees, silk lined marquees each that can be customised to suit the weather and your design vision. Tipis include options to have sides up or down and sperry tents can come in round or oval (oyster) sizes with clear walls and sail connectors. Using photos from your design board will help communicate your needs to the company but be aware that different styles and inclusions have varying price points.
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Consider any additional hire items
Once you have decided on your structure size and design, consider the rest of the wedding reception. Depending on the venue requirements, make sure you have the flooring, portable toilets, generators, lighting, cool rooms, heaters or fans and kitchen equipment.
See if the hire supplier can assist with these, if they don’t supply the items directly, we can definitely provide recommendations.
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Compile your furniture list
Next on the list is the fun part – compiling your marquee with a beautiful selection of furniture and decor to bring your wedding vision to life! Remember you are working from the ground up and you will need to consider the following:
- Dining tables and chairs;
- All tableware like plates, cutlery, glassware, napkins;
- A service bar;
- Lounge furniture;
- Table décor like vases, candle holders, charger plates.
Our biggest piece of advice is to create a checklist of your furniture requirements and tick them off as you go to make sure you have everything. We can assist with piecing together the floor plan to make sure it all fits comfortably. And when it comes to budgeting for all the above, we recommend putting aside at least 10k as a minimum to cover the structure, flooring, furniture and lighting.
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Keep logistics on track
Planning an outdoor wedding involves many different suppliers. Everything you have booked will need to delivered, set up and then packed down following the event. So its super important to keep your logistics on track to ensure it all runs smoothly.
Our top tip is to have a master run sheet with the same timings and floor plans so that all the suppliers are aware of who is bumping in, where and when. First and foremost consider an easily accessible track so the suppliers can unload all of their gear. Then the structure should be completely installed before any other suppliers start bumping in. Depending on how long your hire period is, your structure company may be able to install a day or even a couple of days prior to the wedding. If you’ve arranged lighting or any hanging installations for your structure, these should be the next suppliers to bump in while the structure is empty and the floor space is clear. Your furniture suppliers should bump in next to set up your tables, chairs, and additional hire items. Catering equipment, toilets, cool rooms, heaters and styling materials can usually be bumped in on the morning of your wedding prior to your caterers arriving. Then for your pack down, everything is reversed.
We highly recommend hiring an on-the-day coordinator or planner who can really take the stress out of organising this. We work with a number of wonderful planners and would be more than happy to recommend one to assist with pulling it all together on the day.
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Ask the experts
From working out the best marquee, tipi or sperry tent size, to picking out your furniture, it’s always best to ask the experts for their insider knowledge – weddings are what we live and breathe and we’ve done it all before! Our team can assist with everything from hire recommendations to floor plan guidance and furniture suggestions to suit your styling vision.
Keeping the above tips in mind and with a little help from the experts, you should be well on your way to planning the ultimate outdoor reception. You can contact our team here to get make your vision a reality or check out our outdoor wedding pinterest boards for more inspiration.
SUPPLIERS:
Wedding venue: The Old Dairy Maleny
Photographer: Shae Estella Photo
Floral design: Willow Bud
Planning: Hinterland Tourism Sunshine Coast
Styling and Furniture hire: Simply Style Co
Stationery: Bluebird Invitations
Structure hire: Sperry Tents Sunshine Coast
Cakes: Zoe Clark CakesGET THE LOOK here.
