Stretch Tent and Marquee Weddings: Sizes, Layouts and What to Ask

A stretch tent wedding turns a lawn, a farm or a field near the beach into a venue, with a roof that looks like part of the décor. A marquee does the same job in a more structured way. Which you choose depends on the ground, the weather you’re planning for and the look you want.

This guide covers the three main types, how to size a tent for your guest list, layouts that work, anchoring on lawn, sand or paving, the extras that make a tent comfortable, the paperwork, and the questions to ask before you sign. Prices vary too much with size, distance and season to quote usefully, so instead it explains what drives them.

Stretch tent, pole marquee or frame marquee?

Stretch tents are the relaxed, South African summer option: open sides, a shape that follows the site and room for the evening breeze. A frame marquee is closer to a temporary room, which is what you want for a winter wedding or a site where nothing can be pegged.

How big a tent do you need?

Start from what goes under the roof, not from the guest number. A 2025 sizing guide from a South African hire company suggests about 1.2 m² per person for seated dining, plus roughly 30 m² for a dance floor, 20 m² for a buffet and 10 m² for a DJ. For 100 guests, that adds up like this:

The same guide suggests a 12 m × 15 m tent for about 100 guests, so the arithmetic and the rule of thumb agree. Then adjust for your own plan:

• Table shape. Long tables usually seat more people in the same space than rounds with generous aisles.
• Extras. A bar, cake table, gift table, lounge corner or band all need their own space.
• Plan B. If the ceremony moves under the tent in bad weather, you need room for rows of chairs or time to turn the room around.
• Standing height. A stretch tent’s edges slope down to the pegs, so not all of the fabric’s footprint has full headroom. Ask for the usable floor area, not only the fabric size.
• Poles. A pole marquee’s centre poles land where they land, and tables have to work around them.
• Space outside. Stretch tents and pole marquees need room around the footprint for guy ropes and pegs, and guests trip over them in the dark.

The best check is a floor plan drawn to scale with your actual tables, dance floor and service routes. Ask the tent company for one before you pay a deposit. Our wedding hire checklist helps with table sizes and quantities.

Layouts that work

• Dance floor near the DJ and the bar, so the party has a centre, but not across the main entrance.
• Buffet away from the entrance, with room for a queue that doesn’t block tables.
• Kitchen tent at the back, with its own service entrance so waiters never cross the dance floor.
• Main table where everyone can see it, with good light for speeches.
• Toilets and smokers outside, connected by lit paths.
• Speakers aimed at the dance floor, not at the tables of older guests.

Wind and anchoring: lawn, sand and paving

A tent is only as safe as its anchoring, and how that’s done depends on the ground.

• Lawn and soil. Pegged, usually with long steel pegs. Before anything goes into the ground, find out where irrigation pipes, electrical cables, gas lines and septic tanks run.
• Sand. Loose sand holds a peg less well than firm soil, so ask exactly how the company will anchor it: longer pegs, more anchor points or weights. Check too whether a structure is allowed on that sand at all.
• Paving, decks and concrete. Heavy weights or concrete blocks rather than pegs.

Then ask about wind. What wind speed is the tent designed for when it’s properly anchored? At what forecast speed would the crew lower sides or take it down? Who checks it during the event, and how fast can they get there? On this coast the wind usually picks up in the afternoon in summer, so a tent that’s calm at a 10:00 setup may be working hard by 16:00.

Flooring, side walls, lighting and heating

• Flooring. On firm, dry lawn you may not need any. On uneven or wet ground, or for heels on a dance floor, consider a hired dance floor, interlocking flooring or a raised deck.
• Side walls. Stretch tents can have edges pegged down to block wind on one side; marquees take solid, clear or window walls. Clear walls keep the view on a cold or windy evening.
• Lighting. Festoons, fairy lights, chandeliers or uplighting, plus working light for the kitchen and paths. Everything needs power, so the generator list grows with it.
• Heating. Patio heaters for winter evenings need safe clearance from the fabric and good ventilation, so ask what the tent company allows. Electric heaters draw a lot of power.
• Rain. Ask how water runs off the roof and where it goes, and whether walkways between tents are covered.

Permission and paperwork for a tent

A tent is a temporary structure, and municipalities treat it as one. Kouga’s event application pack requires approval before marquees or stages go up at an event. Bitou’s events form treats tents as temporary minor building work with an application of their own, and Plett Tourism’s event checklist includes a population certificate from Bitou’s fire service, which sets how many people a venue or structure may hold.

Even for a private wedding at home or on a farm, ask the tent company what your municipality is likely to need and who will apply. Ask to see the fabric’s fire-retardant certificate and the company’s public liability insurance as well. If the tent is on or near a beach, our guide to beach wedding permits explains who to ask.

Questions to ask a tent company

1. Which type and size do you recommend for our numbers and layout, and can we see a floor plan to scale?
2. How much of the floor has full standing height?
3. How will you anchor it on our ground, and what do you need to know about pipes and cables?
4. What wind speed is it designed for, and when would you lower sides or take it down?
5. Who stays on site or on call during the event?
6. What’s included: flooring, sides, lighting, gutters, setup and take-down?
7. How long do you need on site, and on which days?
8. What access do your trucks need, and how far can your crew carry?
9. Which approvals does the municipality need, and who applies?
10. Can we see the fire-retardant certificate and your insurance?
11. If the tent is only our plan B, is there a standby option? (Our outdoor wedding rain plan covers how that works.)
12. What are the deposit, cancellation and damage terms?

What drives the cost?

• Size and type. The floor area, and whether it’s a stretch tent, pole marquee or frame marquee.
• Distance and access. Travel, and how far the crew has to carry everything from the truck.
• The ground. Hard surfaces and uneven ground take more work to anchor.
• Extras. Flooring, lighting, side walls and heating are usually priced separately.
• Season. Peak-season dates can cost more than quiet months.
• Days on site. Setting up a day or two early and taking down the day after.

Get two or three quotes for the same floor plan, so you’re comparing like with like.

Next steps

Decide the ground first, then the type, then the size from a floor plan. Book the tent once the venue and rough guest numbers are settled. For a garden reception, read hosting a wedding at home; for open country, the farm wedding guide.

Tarika’s hire range furnishes the inside, from tables and chairs to linen, crockery, glassware and décor. With full planning, we book the tent and coordinate it with every other supplier, so the floor plan, the furniture and the setup times all match.