Blog: Top Tips to Heat a Wedding Tent or Marquee
Outdoor weddings in a wedding tent, a marquee or similar garden structures can be successfully held during the autumn and winter seasons. Not only do they make weddings in colder temperatures possible, but they also provide a beautiful and versatile outdoor space for your special day.
However, depending on the season and location, the temperature inside the tent can be unpredictable and uncomfortable for guests. One of the most undesirable scenarios is having guests who are shivering. Cold temperatures can dampen the mood and leave a lasting negative impression on your event, potentially being remembered as a freezing catastrophe.
Here are some tips to help you heat your wedding tent or marquee and keep your guests warm and cosy throughout the celebration. You wouldn't have to hear stories about guests leaving early anymore.
You will know everything about how to heat a wedding tent after reading this guide. Be well prepared for an unforgettable and amazing big day!
Plan with an attitude
Getting married is about the two of you. But a wedding party is about everyone, including your guests. It is extremely important that you have factored in as many potential risks or scenarios as possible. If you are about to host your wedding in the autumn or winter, precipitation, rain or snow should be considered.
Enjoying the moment and celebrating your love with those closest to you is the main goal of the day. So, keeping your loved ones warm and cosy by heating your wedding marquee or tent should be your top priority!
How to heat a marquee safely
As long as you are in the U.K., for any event you are planning that is not in the middle of a hot summer, you need a heater! There are different types of heaters available on the market. When it comes to outdoor heaters, you can choose from patio heaters, electric fan heaters, direct fired heaters and indirect space heaters.
Patio heaters might be the first thing that pops into your mind. They can be easily spotted in the alfresco dining area of a bar or restaurant. However, they are mainly used to ensure a cosy and inviting outdoor area.
They are not friends with fabric ceilings or hunting. It is important to ensure that they are kept a safe distance away from the sides or roof of the tent. As a standalone unit, you will also have to worry about where to put it. Kids running around and guests moving the heater can lead to the heater toppling over. Of course, serious consequences follow.
People may also opt for electric fan heaters. However, similar to patio heaters, the fact that there are extension cords may increase the chance of guests tripping over them or even fire accidents. Sometimes, it might also be quite difficult to find an electrical outlet. A generator can surely be used to solve all these problems. However, it produces great operating noise and might smell, which is not ideal for your wedding party at all.
Then, is a direct space heater a better option? The answer is probably no. Direct oil-fired heaters offer an efficient outdoor heating solution for outdoor and well-ventilated spaces. These heaters generate significant amounts of warm air, but they do not release exhaust fumes through a flue. Therefore, they should not be used in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation, like your wedding tent.
The best way to heat a wedding tent
Indirect space heaters, on the other hand, could be your answer. These heaters generate completely clean and fume-free warm air, which is perfect for heating your enclosed wedding tents and marquees. The warm air is delivered into your tent via long, flexible ducting, while exhaust fumes are removed through a flue and vented into the air above head height.
Portability & convenience
Most models are effortlessly portable and not dependent on electricity. They run on a variety of fuels, including propane and oil. As long as the fuel tanks are in place, they can be placed wherever you want to keep your wedding tent nice and tidy. Indirect heaters are available in an extensive range of sizes and heating capacities.
Silent operation that you need
They also don't produce a lot of noise, so your guests can 100% hear your wedding vows. They are also considered more durable as fewer sensitive electronics are involved. Marquee packages that include ducting, thermostats, and other accessories serve as excellent heating solutions for outdoor weddings and various other events.
No compromise on aesthetics
Unlike patio heaters and the others, indirect wedding tent heaters are more discreet in operation. The external heaters do not occupy valuable space within your event structure and remain hidden from guests as they are placed outside, typically at the rear of the wedding marquee.
How to choose the right heater
Now that we have come up with the type of heater we should use, let's move on to picking the most suitable heater for your wedding party.
A much needed sizing guide
To begin, determine the size of the wedding tent or marquee requiring heating. Next, assess the necessary heating power for the space. See if a single unit will be enough or if multiple units are required.
Keep in mind that a single large unit might struggle to be placed in your tent area. You might also want smaller ones to spot heat certain areas, depending on your wedding party setup. Fortunately, most indirect heaters are designed with wheels and can easily pass through a single gate or doorway.
Let’s calculate how much power you will need for a wedding tent. As a general rule, approximately each square foot of space typically requires 10 watts (W) of heating capacity, which equals 34.12 BTU. The rule applies to closed rooms in general. Since there is heat loss in a wedding tent, we will have to make up for it by increasing the heating capacity by 50%.
A common range for wedding tents in the UK is between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet. For a typical wedding tent that has a decent dining area, standing area and dancing floor, it would be about 30 x 60 feet (1,800 square feet) or 9 x 18 metres (162 square metres).
Therefore, you would need a space heater with a heating power of 18kW / 62,000 BTU. To make up for the heat loss, 27kW / 93,000 BTU would be more applicable. Simply adjust your measurements and you can get a result for different sizes of tent and marquee.
How to deal with odour
The fuel, such as propane gas, is intentionally given an unpleasant odour to serve as a warning sign in case of a gas leak. However, when properly maintained and burning efficiently, propane heaters typically have minimal odour.
As a result, the brand that you select is critical. At National Heater Shops, we have carefully selected a range of high-quality brands, including Arcotherm, Heylo, Master and Thermobile.
Moreover, get one that comes equipped with a flue pipe so that the exhaust air is properly discharged outside your wedding tent, mitigating any potential smell concerns.
Heat a wedding tent smartly
It would be wise to calculate the amount of fuel you need before the wedding so that you have everything under control. The amount of propane needed to heat a wedding tent depends on various factors, including the size of the tent, the desired temperature, the outdoor temperature, and the insulation of the tent. Therefore, it is hard to come up with an exact number.
In terms of propane, a rough estimate would be between 1 and 2 pounds (0.45 and 0.9 kilogrammes) per hour per 10,000 BTU of heat output for typical propane heaters. For the aforementioned heater, approximately 20 pounds of propane per hour might be enough.
Remember to consult a professional or your wedding planner in order to be sure of the amount that you need. Although you need heat smartly, it's okay to get more than you need.
The hottest package deals available
If you are looking for low-cost heating for your wedding party, we have got you covered. We have a range of space heater package deals available for you, so you can get everything you need at a fantastic price.
More importantly, all of the marquee heater packages we offer come with FREE delivery to UK mainland addresses. How to heat a wedding tent smartly? Check out the great package deals now!
Looking to hire?
Some may prefer purchasing a heater so that they can use it for more events in the future. However, if you are really on a budget or don't really want to bother storing the heater after your big day, just hire one to heat your wedding tent!
National Tool Hire offers a range of marquee heater hire deals nationwide at great rates. Both collection and home delivery are available!
Conclusion
Hosting an outdoor wedding party in the autumn and winter is possible if you are well prepared for it. As long as your wedding marquee is kept cosy and warm, even on a freezing evening, you and your loved ones are going to have one of the most unforgettable nights of your life. Remember, the wedding party is about everyone!
