People who are new to hiring marquees for functions, such as a wedding reception, may find it hard to determine the right size of marquee to hire. This article discusses some factors that you should consider in order to select the right size of marquee for your event.

The Dining Area

The dining area forms the biggest factor that determines the size of marquee that you should hire. Start by making a guest list. The number of people that you will need to seat will determine how large the dining area should be.

Each marquee is usually divided into bays. Each bay can contain a given number of tables for your guests. For instance, a 9-metre bay may be able to contain three tables that are five-feet wide. Calculate how many tables of that nature you will need for your guests. That number of tables can then help you to know how many bays the marquee should have if all your guests are to be comfortably accommodated.

You should also avoid picking very large tables, such as those that are larger than six feet. This is because such tables may reduce the amount of space between the different tables in a bay.

The Reception Area

It is good to reserve some space so that guests can mingle and chat as they are received. How big should this reception area be? Let us use the nine-foot bays in the example above for illustration. In that example, each bay may accommodate about three tables. Each table may seat about eight guests. Thus, each bay may have twenty-four guests. You can use a rough estimation that you should reserve a bay at the reception for every four bays of dining space. That space at the reception can also double as a secondary dance area in case the main dance floor gets crowded.

The Dance Area

A number of factors, such as whether a band will be invited to play, may determine the size of the dance area. In such a case, the band may take up an entire bay in the marquee. You can then reserve an extra bay or two for the dance area.

You can now have an estimate about how many bays the marquee that you need should have. Remember that bay and table sizes may differ so you should adjust the figures according to what you find at the marquee hire company. Request the staff of the marquee hire company to fine-tune the figures above based on the specific type of marquee that you prefer.