Sailcloth FAQs

Special Event Tipis was established in 2011 after our own Tipi wedding. As well as our range of tipi tents and luxury internal items, we also offer beautiful sailcoth marquees for hire and we have now helped over 1000 couples plan their perfect day!
As a business, we are very much client led and can be involved as much or as little as is needed, from simply providing the structures, through to organising a full wedding package including styling, catering and bar services.

Our luxury sailcloth marquees include a soft oyster-coloured canvas and an iconic silhouette that offers a timeless elegance for your special event. Bright and airy, they really are versatile structures that provide a neutral space for you to unleash your individuality.

Our sailcloths cater for just about any size and any type of celebration from intimate wedding parties of 25 to large corporate events. They come in 8 stunning sizes and include clear sidewalls on 3 sides which can be raised or lowered to weather-proof a wedding or event whilst still allowing for light and panoramic views.

We offer sailcoths tents from 10m x 10m up to 14m x 32m and can best advise what size best suits your individual event based on your guest numbers and specific requirements. The size of a marquee is so much more than being able to physically fit tables into a space. Nobody wants their guests to feel hemmed in and for a successful event, practical elements must also be considered. How will your caterers access your tables? Where will guests mingle? Can your top table see all the guests? We can help with all these considerations and more by being able to confidently say what does and does not work inside our structures.
The floor plan gallery on our website gives a really good indication of guest capacities, as well as, ideas on how best to optimise the space inside the structures: Floor Plan Gallery

The amount of space needed for a sailcloth marquee really depends on the size of the structure. The overall area required equals the size of the marquee itself plus an addition 1.5m around the circumference of the structure to allow for guide ropes. For example, a 14m x 20m sailcloth marquee will need a total area of 17m x 23m. We always check the suitability of a space during your site visit.

You can give our team a call on 0800 321 3677 or fill in our online customer contact form, we will then prepare a bespoke quote for you based on your event needs. When all the details have been confirmed a booking form will be sent over to you including details of the 25% deposit needed to secure your sailcoth for your date. We will also create a personalised, flexible floor plan to help you visualise how the space could work with your numbers!

With bases in both Cumbria and Northumberland, we have excellent access to Cumbria, the Lake District, Southern Scotland, Northumbria, North Yorkshire and Lancashire and have the facilities to extend our services further afield.

Absolutely, we work with some fabulous venues across Cumbria, Northumberland, Scotland, Lancashire and North Yorkshire. A selection of these can be found on the Friends page of our website, these are all venues we have worked with before and can really recommend!
We also install on a wide range of private sites and offer free site visits to help you decide if your site will work with our marquees.

When thinking about your site there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Does it have good access for large vehicles eg. 4×4 vehicles
• How exposed is the site? Will you need extra security?
• Is the ground level and well drained?
• Does the site have access to water, power and toilets?
• Are there any overhead cables or trees near your perfect pitch?

We offer free site visits and would be more than happy to help you decide if your site will work with our marquees.

As trends and styles evolve, so too do our range of interior items. We love finding new and interesting pieces for our tipis and marquees and every year we showcase new bespoke items to accompany our existing array of luxury furnishings.

Our bi-annual viewings are the perfect opportunity to see these finishing touches in the flesh. Those all- important little touches that really help create the WOW factor for your Special Event.

Our lighting packages are also really special and help to create an amazing atmosphere. Lighting is such an important part of any event and it is definitely worth assessing the options in the flesh to make sure we can create the perfect atmosphere for your individual event.

We love getting involved with the dressing side of things, from simply chatting through ideas to full event styling.

Lighting is such an important part of the structures and is an area that we are continually developing! As standard, we use festoon lighting in a variety of different ways which gives a soft, warm light.
Our LED lighting packages include 3 sets of LED Parcan uplighters and downlighters. There are a choice of colours for the uplighters and the lighting can be zoned so that you can have different levels and colours of lighting in different areas of the marquee. There is also a dimmer switch, meaning you can set the lighting to the best level for your event. We also offer a range of chandeliers, neon signs and festoon lighting that can be used both inside and outside our structures.
Our lighting helps to create the perfect atmosphere! They are very easy to operate and full instructions on how to use it will be given during handover.

The amount of power needed for your Special Event depends on things such as lighting, caterers and music. If plugging into a mains electric supply (ideally within 20m of the tipi) we can discuss the power needed to check its suitability (A 3 phase socket would be great; however an external 32amp round pin or a number of standard 13amp sockets should suffice). If your power supply isn’t guaranteed we can organise generators for your event from excellent and reputable companies.
If you would like to organise your own machine, we can help by suggesting what kind of spec you will need for your particular event.

During the handover our crew will show the simple steps to rolling the sides up and down so you can make the marquee suit the mood and weather of your event! If you have someone you would like to do this for you, then make sure they are around during the handover and we’ll happily take you all through the simple steps.
We can provide on-site support if you’d prefer someone to be on hand to open and close the sides of the sailcoths at your wish. Just ask for onsite support to be included in your quote…

Our Nordic pine tables are 200cm (2m) by 70cm and the matching benches 200cm (2m) by 30cm. The benches seat 3 adults perfectly but can fit 4 people on if you don’t mind a little less elbow room! As standard we recommend 6 guests per table for formal sit down dining and 8 guests per table for more informal dining such as hog roasts.
We also stock 5ft 6 round tables which seat 8 guests for formal dining and up to 10 guests for more informal dining.

Caters usually supply good quality table linen including cloths and napkins. We would recommend 108’ x 72’ for our Nordic pine (2m) tables. Do let us know if you’re using tablecloths for your Special Event as we will need to bring equipment to tape up the gaps in these tables!
For our round 5ft 6 tables we would recommend a 120’ table cloth drop.

Yes absolutely! Our fire pits run of bio ethanol fuel instead of logs meaning there is no need to manage the fuel! They are basically smoke free, smell free and hassle free! During your handover we will take you through the very simple steps to light and put out the fire pit.

Our wonderful British climate can make it rather tricky when deciding to heat or not to heat! Although our fire pits look fantastic they don’t give off a lot of heat and we wouldn’t recommend them as the only source of heating if it is a bit nippy! With this in mind, we stock our own specialist heaters and are happy for you to book them at the last minute (latest 5 days before your event) and pay for them on set-up.

You will receive an email from Special Event Tipis 5 weeks prior to your event asking you to confirm table numbers, furnishings, extras and all of your details for our crew. Before this point you can change any part of your order apart from the structures themselves. Please be aware though that as the time ticks on we cannot guarantee the availability of our bespoke extras. Once we have received confirmation we will issue you with a final quote and invoice for any outstanding balance.

The remaining balance on your account must be paid 28 days prior to the date of the Special Event.

Set-ups are at least 1⁄2 a day before your event meaning there will be plenty of time to decorate & enjoy the space! We do set-ups on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday and we will let you know 5 weeks before your Special Event which day it will be. If you have a preferred day please let us know and we will try to work around you.
Your marquee will be taken down 1 – 2 days after. Our clients are more than welcome to use the structures the day after their event (we love an after party!) at no extra cost, but this is on a first come first served basis ☺

We offer a damage waiver fee (3% of the total hire cost) that is automatically included into your quote. If you would prefer to provide your own insurance we can advise you on the amount of cover you will need. We would also stress that you need insurance to cover you from the day of set-up to the day we take down and also recommend that you get ‘public liability’ cover in the unlikely event that an accident occurs involving one of your guests.
If you choose to provide your own insurance we will require a copy of your certificate no later than 14 days prior to your event.

When the set-up is complete the on site crew chief will hand over the sailcoth to you (signature required) and take you through how to work the lighting, sailcoth sides, fire pits and heating (if applicable).

Yes, we work with amazing loo suppliers and can organise a unit for your event at no extra cost.

We have received amazing feedback over the years which can be viewed on our testimonial page:
Testimonials.

Our knowledge and experience of the structures and our customer service. We basically love our jobs! Working in the wedding industry is a privilege and we never forget that we are playing a vital part in a couples big day! Our interior items are also pretty special☺
We have a 100% track record of successfully delivering events and over the years have overcome many challenges from the COVID 19 pandemic to tricky sites, complicated builds, constrictive time restraints and the unpredictable British weather!

Toilets, rubbish disposal and water for your event! It is also a very good idea to let your local taxi firm know approximately what time your event will be finishing so they can be on standby.
You may also need to think about tables for presents, cakes, welcome drinks, outside seating (maybe bales, kid’s picnic tables or extra benches) and racks for jackets!
In terms of your actual event, we recommend that you do a breakdown of what is going happen and who is going to help you achieve it. For example, for a wedding, a detailed list of what is going to happen and at approximately what time from the ceremony through to the evening’s entertainment (remember speeches always over run!!). Top Tip – we have always found caterers to be an excellent timings and planning resource, so make the most of them!
The companies you work with when arranging your Special Event such as caterers, florists, photographers and of course Special Event Tipis are a mine of information when it comes to timings, jobs and the order of things – talk to them and be amazed as the uncertanties of event planning becomes clear!