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| The view of the marquee from Scampston Hall into the garden - the fog never lifted all day but added a bit of mystery! |
Whilst shooting for the simply brilliant Wedding Affair people at Scampston Hall a few weeks ago I got chatting to Henry - the owner of Your Marquee.
As we got chatting I realised that there are lots of questions people might have when thinking about having a marquee for their wedding (or other event) so I thought it'd be great to have Henry as a guest here on the blog to maybe help with some queries.
Here is what he had to say:
Tell us a bit about yourself and your company.
Your Marquee was started by myself, Henry Richardson, after a period of approx 4 years working for another large marquee company, followed by working as a commercial solicitor in a large corporate law firm. I like to think that I have taken the professionalism from my law career and brought it into the previously unprofessionally conducted world of wedding marquee hire.
What is the favourite thing about your job?
Putting in a long and hard day’s work but seeing the bride and grooms excitement as they see the finished marquee. This and the thought that, at the start of the day, there was nothing on the site and at the end of the day there is a gorgeous looking marquee.
Can you tell brides what to look for in a good marquee?
I could bore people for hours on what to look for in a good marquee! However, essentially it comes down to the following 3 factors:
1: A quality, relatively new marquee is a good starting point – if the company is reputable then they should be able to show you photos at the very least. We invite all our customers to wedding fairs where we put up large wedding specification marquees so our customers can see exactly what they will be getting if they book with us. It shows our confidence in our marquees and it’s what I’d expect if I were looking for a wedding marquee.
2: Specification. A wedding marquee really should have raised wooden flooring, brand new carpeting, good quality tables and chairs, ivory linings throughout as a minimum. Some cheaper/inferior quality marquees will try to miss things like the solid wood flooring out of a quote which makes the quote appear cheaper. However, without wooden flooring you are not fully protected from the British weather and heeled shoes will sink into the ground. This is why we recommend this for every marquee and with this, no matter what the weather is like, it will be toasty, warm and dry inside.
3: Good quality furniture and fittings. This means avoiding plastic tables and chairs and old style thick padded chairs with horrid steel frames around them. Also avoid old/inferior quality dance floors. All our tables and chairs, dance floors and chandeliers are of the highest quality and our customers are amazed when we tell them the cost of these items for us to buy. It makes our hire out rates seem very reasonable.
Tell us how a typical day would go for you.
A typical summer day would involve getting up approx 5.30am and preparing the paperwork for today’s marquee build/disassembly. Next, meeting the rest of the team at our warehouse where we would load up for the days’ job. We would then go in a convoy of vehicles to the site where we would remain from approx 9am – 5pm until the marquee is built. Then I would return back to the office and check all new enquiries have had suitable responses and supervise other admin type jobs which have been carried out by other members of the team. I might then go to a site visit that evening (if that’s what the new customer wants) or return home and take in some well needed food and sleep!
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| Have this fab starcloth for the roof lining of your marquee - very romantic! |
How does your service work? Do brides pick from a selection of marquee set up or do you have one set offer?
We recommend a very popular marquee size and style when brides enquire and tell us the number of guests they expect to have. The marquee we recommend will have everything we think is desirable in a wedding marquee, e.g. wooden flooring, brand new carpeting in a wide range of colours, good quality tables and chairs, ivory linings etc. As with most things though, the sky is the limit and this means that customers can add in: starcloth roof linings, coloured drapes etc should they wish. We are very personal in our approach however so will tailor a quote specifically to each bride, no two marquees are ever really the same by the time we have helped a bride make the marquee truly theirs.
What timescales do you recommend for brides to book you? Do you get busy a long way in advance?
We can get very busy a while in advance so it is definitely a good idea to book as early as possible. An unfortunate consequence of our good quality expensive equipment and our personal approach is that we don’t like to overstretch ourselves and this does mean we do have to turn away work when that week is already booked up. I think booking early helps a bride focus on the other aspects of their wedding too. Once booked things can change and we try to be as flexible as possible with things like furniture for this very reason.
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| The inside of the marquee from The Wedding Affair's fab wedding fair at Scampston Hall a few weeks ago. |
What sets you apart from other suppliers?
Our professional approach. We answer phones, emails and letters promptly. This is what we expect when we go shopping for items, for example, so we think that it’s right that we too provide a prompt professional service. We are also very open with our pricing and try to be as helpful as possible when customers requirements change at the last minute – we will always find a solution.
Our marquees are also totally unique in their style and we are very fussy when purchasing them. As far as we are aware, we are also the only firm in the York area who started with genuinely brand new equipment opposed to used stock.
What is the best way for brides to contact you?
Email and through our website is by far the best way to contact us. It enables us to concisely take details and respond with the full quote format that we would recommend. Site visits can then be requested by a bride should they wish to learn more. We don’t ‘pressure sell’ and can be very flexible with times for site visits etc. Site visits are very informal and, it sounds cheesy, but we do like to make a new friend in all of our customers.
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| A view of the marquee from the steps of Scampston Hall |
Henry Richardson
Director and Project Manager
M: 07528 863 445
O: 01904 700 566
Your Marquee Ltd
0843 289 8504
01944 759111
A big thank you to Henry for sharing lots about his marquees and for answering lots of common questions. If you'd like to know more then please get in touch with Henry - he's really passionate about making your marquee the best :)
For fabulous inspiration for your wedding day - why not visit one of The Wedding Affairs amazing wedding fairs? Go check out their website http://theweddingaffair.co.uk/ for more information - they are well worth a visit (and we might see you at one or two of them too!)
If you are getting married and would like to know more about my wedding photography, then please do get in touch - I'd love to hear from you.
Nicky x
Get in touch with me here: contact me
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