What does a Marquee Wedding Cost in NZ?
Planning a marquee wedding is often the dream for us here in New Zealand – it’s the ultimate in customisation. You get to design your day, where you want!
Often our wedding clients come to us with their initial questions as they research having a marquee wedding, and we’ve put all of these here for you so we can clear up the most nitty gritty questions we answer, misconceptions most couples have and list out what you need to think about in making the decision to go with a marquee wedding over a venue.
As always, this is fairly comprehensive – we like to make sure you have all the information so you can make a decision on having a marquee wedding with all the information at your finger tips!
Ready? Let’s dig in!
What does a marquee cost?
In New Zealand, marquee weddings cost anywhere from $8,000 - $20,000 for the typical wedding of 60 – 120 guests. All dependant on your needs of course and we’re here to delve into it all!
It’s important to note this is for all the aspects you may need to have a marquee wedding, and before you include florals, signage, décor, styling and coordination.
Clear marquee weddings are typically a minimum of $10,000 for marquee hire (including installation and packdown), basic lighting and install, furniture and dancefloor.
Stretch tent weddings are typically a minimum of $6,000 for marquee hire (including installation and packdown), basic lighting, furniture and dancefloor.
Some properties will require a generator for power, toilets, heating and cooling – and more. It’s important to remember that you are essentially creating your own venue from scratch, so all elements need to be delivered, installed and then taken down again.
What affects the cost?
Location
The cost of a marquee wedding can vary significantly based on where you choose to have your wedding and how easily accessible it is for suppliers. Often, marquee weddings throughout New Zealand can be in more remote landscapes which mean a longer travel time aswell as accessibility to the actual site the marquee needs to be installed. For example, we have an upcoming marquee wedding in a more remote location near Hamner Springs which has several shallow river crossings and gravel farm roads – so more time has been allocated to allow for any delays to get to and from the site, and more planning time to go through potential problems so we are fully equipped for any surprises.
It’s also worth mentioning that the actual location at the property is important.
For our Clear Marquees, we need fairly flat ground and for our Nomad Marquees (stretch tents) these are more forgiving and can be on uneven ground.
We always recommend a site visit prior to installation so we can map out the area and check accessibility.
Marquee Type
The hire costs of different styles of marquees can vary greatly depending on the size, style and features. In general, our Nomad Marquees are the least expensive, followed by our Clear Marquees.
All of our marquee options are premium quality options – they are all made with premium materials and have unique features. Which style you go with will come down to personal preference.
Marquee Size
Your marquee size will come down to your guest numbers and the type of reception you’re wanting. If you’re having a seated reception, you’ll need a larger marquee than you would if you’re having a cocktail style reception. Other considerations include room for the band or DJ, and a dancefloor area.
Larger marquees inevitably cost more, so this could be something to think about when weighing up the style and budget of your wedding. Wet weather option planning is also important here, as should you planning to use any area outside the marquee for ceremony, or cocktail seating – you’ll need to come up with a weather plan should that not be possible due to wet or windy weather.
Services
Partial or full setup and packdown of everything inside (and out) of your marquee can be added to make your entire lead-up and the day after seamless and stressfree. While your marquee will need to be installed and packed down by a professional team, you can opt to setup and packdown other items yourselves such as your furniture and styling of décor items, or have these done by your hire and styling company.
On the day coordination is a great additional service to add on to your marquee wedding and is typically around $2500. This includes some lead-up, runsheet and a professional being on-site to coordinate all aspects of your day so you can truly relax.
We offer all of these services, making a streamlined experience for our own marquee clients - you can learn about how we can assist you here.
Misconceptions
Marquee weddings are cheaper than hiring a venue
This is the first and biggest misconception when it comes to marquee weddings – the cost. For whatever reason, couples assume a marquee wedding will be cheaper than hiring a venue – which is not at all the case.
Creating something from a blank space will evitability cost you more – you’re literally building your venue from the ground up - from having to get council consent, install lighting and hire all furniture before you move on to any styling elements such as décor and florals.
All Marquees are the same
When you’re comparing quotes, it’s important to note why they might be different so you’re comparing like for like.
Aspects to consider
What size of marquee has been quoted for, and does this match across your quotes
Where the company’s location is, in comparison to where you want your marquee will impact the cost. If you’re wanting a marquee from Queenstown, for your Christchurch wedding then of course costs will be higher to allow for travel.
All companies have different types of marquees – from clear marquees, stretch tents, pole marquees such as the Hampton style and Tipis. Hire costs differ between different types of marquees, and different style of marquees take varying installation and packdown time. For example, our Nomad marquees are a stretch tent style, and take considerably less time to install than a pole style like a Hampton marquee meaning the install and packdown cost will be less.
Quality of marquee is also a big one – they vary wildly in quality and durability so it’s important to ask these questions at the quote stage. Where is the marquee manufactured? For example, our stretch tents are manufactured in Australia, and our clear marquess are manufactured right here in New Zealand. Quality was of the utmost importance to us, and this is why we chose to invest in the more expensive options when purchasing these, over importing lower quality options from China.
Maintenance also plays into cost. Some companies carefully maintain and clean their marquees with every single hire (as we do), and others do it routinely. Budget-friendly companies do this routinely, the main difference between this is that you will find items may not be as clean or they may appear a little tired. There is nothing wrong with this, it all comes down to what you expectations are aesthetically.
Have your quotes included the same chattels such as flooring, lighting and furniture? Is the furniture what you want? Hire companies have many options both in style and quality to consider and this can impact the overall cost.
What lighting has been included, and for the same meterage? Festoons are typically less expensive to install than fairylights so making sure you’ve comparing apples with apples.
Above: Our Nomad Marquees
What You Need
Apart from the marquee hire and installation and packdown costs, there are a few aspects to remember that you will need to include, or think about at some stage of your wedding planning.
Basics
Council consent (if required – this is required for any marquees 100m2)
Underground check of cables for power and water (this is typically a few hundred dollars and is important so when installing your marquee nothing is ruptured – particularly power as it can be fatal)
Catering marquee for your caterers to work from
Power access and management
Lighting
Flooring (whether it be full flooring, or dancefloor)
Service bar for serving drinks
Tables and chairs for guest seating
Others
Sound system
Heating and/or cooling
Generator for power if this isn’t easily accessible
Toilets if none are available
Outside lighting (to toilets, or to carparking area)
Insurance
Extras
Cocktail and lounging furniture
On the day wedding coordination
Why choose a marquee wedding
Marquee weddings are super special – they are the ultimate venue for you and your guests!
They give you the option to have all your friends and family together to celebrate wherever is special to you. That could be on family property, a place special to you as a couple, or a place that stares up at the mountains, or out to the water and is just breathtakingly beautiful.
It is a blank canvas for you to style as you like, creating something unique to you!
Why we stand out
We are so proud to offer an elevated service for our marquee clients. We’ve had marque weddings ourselves, and we know the work that goes into them from all sides – so you can trust that you’ve found a team with experience who will make it seamless and stress-free!
So, what does set The Little Hire Company apart?
Our client experience is unmatched - we will guide you every step of the way!
Custom floorplans based on your specific hire furniture for both fine and wet weather options
10% off all furniture hire when you furnish your marquee with us
Exclusive VIP access for all wedding clients - loaded with resources, downloads and informative videos so you can be supported throughout your journey.
Our extensive experience in the wedding and events industry, coupled with our renowned styling expertise. In short, we know our stuff and we love fizzing over the details and creating daydreams.
We make it simple: we won't send you elsewhere to hire additional equipment such as generators or toilets. Marquee events require additional logistics and organisation, so why make it harder? Leave the details (or planning) to us, we’ve got you covered.
Next steps
Book in a consultation with us to chat over your day - we love delving into all the details!
You can view all of our marquees, and marquee hire pricing guide and more information right here.
If you’d like a full quote, please fill out our marquee enquiry form here.
