A marquee gives you a blank canvas for your wedding day, and that is a big part of the magic. It also means the light, the power and the weather plan are all yours to decide, and each one shapes your photographs.
A little planning before the day goes a long way. Here is how to think about your wedding photos when your venue is a marquee.
How does a marquee change the light for your photos?
A marquee lined in white fabric works a bit like a giant softbox. Daylight comes through the walls and ceiling gently and evenly, which is flattering for skin and kind to colourful details. Clear roof panels and open sidewalls let in even more.
The flip side arrives in the evening. A marquee has no light of its own, so once the sun drops, your photos depend entirely on the lighting you have hired. Ask your photographer how the light in your marquee will change across the day, and plan the evening look with your lighting or marquee supplier.
What lighting should you plan for the evening?
Lighting decides how your evening photos feel. Festoon or fairy lights swagged across the ceiling give a warm glow over the tables, while uplighting at the base of the poles adds depth and colour to the white fabric. This marquee lighting guide shows how suppliers zone a marquee, keeping the dining light warm and steady and giving the dance floor its own colour and movement so the party feels different from the meal.
Share the lighting plan with your photographer before the day. If your agreed coverage includes the evening, they can plan your photos after dark around it.
Where will the power come from?
A field or garden does not come with power where the marquee stands, so everything from the fairy lights to the band runs on a generator or a feed from the house. Caterers, the band and the lighting all draw on the same supply, so it is worth asking your suppliers how the power will be shared between them. These marquee wedding tips from photographer Anna Rainbow flag power as one of the unsung heroes of a marquee day.
For photos, the practical point is simple: lighting only exists if power reaches it. Ask your marquee company where the power comes from and who is coordinating it, and make sure your lighting supplier is part of that conversation.
What is your wet-weather backup for photos?
British weather does not check your wedding date. Plan B deserves to be almost as good as plan A: a marquee that is properly waterproofed and secured, umbrellas or parasols on hand if any part of the day is outdoors, and heaters for chilly evenings even in summer.
Think about space too. If rain keeps everyone inside for much of the day, a marquee with room to spare keeps guests comfortable and gives your photographer space to work. It is also worth asking about covered spots outside the marquee, such as a porch, a tree line or an outbuilding, where couple portraits can still happen in a shower. Our post on what happens if it rains on your wedding day goes deeper on wet-weather plans.
How do you make the most of the space around the marquee?
One of the best things about a marquee wedding is the setting around it. Your marquee company needs access for vans and build days, and your guests need lit paths once it gets dark, whether that is festoon along the walkways or lanterns guiding everyone back to the house.
For photos, the grounds are your backdrop. Walk the site with your photographer if you can, or send them the marquee layout and a few photos of the garden. Together you can pick spots for couple portraits, an open area big enough for group photos, and the angle that shows the marquee glowing from outside once the lights are on. That exterior shot, with the marquee lit up against the night sky, is one to ask for.
A marquee wedding rewards the couples who plan the practical bits early: light, power, space and a weather plan. Get those right and the canvas does the rest.
Planning a marquee wedding? We would love to hear about it - get in touch and tell us what you are dreaming up.
