A busy February... Who'd have thought it???

Torrential snowfall, bitter cold and marquees? Not usually three terms that you would associate with each other is it! February, however, has bucked this trend with wedding marquees, beer tents and sporting events all using the services of Best Intent. Marquees – which are stereotypically seen as summer structures – are becoming more and more popular all year round and with the heaters that are available to keep the marquees at a nice temperature don’t limit your thoughts to summer events!

February began with a wedding in the beautiful grounds of Greywalls Hotel, Gullane. The marquee sporting a champagne carpet and uplighters was beautifully elegant and in touch with the breath-taking surroundings looking over the 2013 Open Championship Golf Course of Muirfield.

The weekend after saw the begin of Scotland’s 6 Nations Championship at Murrayfield and a marquee being erected at the MurrayfieldHotel which is a premier venue for the rugby goers to have a pre and post-match drink and also provides big screen entertainment so even those without tickets for the game can go along and be part of the atmosphere in the shadow of the national stadium. Best Intent’s relationship with the Murrayfield Hotel has been running for 3 years now and hopefully this can continue long into the future! The marquee will sit in the grounds of the hotel until the 6 Nations finishes in mid-March.

The penultimate weekend in February saw the guys back at a familiar venue, Best Western Philipburn Country House Hotel for a wedding after a year away from the venue. The tunnelling linking the marquee to the house and the interior looked stunning and brought a really intimate feeling to the marquee.

The final weekend in February saw the rearranged Jedforest Point to Point event from January arranged at Friarshaugh near Kelso. This sporting event has also been a regular event on Best Intent’s calendar and long may this successful relationship with the local hunt organisations continue.

Looking to the month ahead there are another two Point to Point Events at Friarshaugh for Berwickshire Hunt and Buccleuch Hunt. There are also the final repairs getting made by the guys before April arrives with 7s seasons the beginning of 5 months of mayhem!!    

January 2013 Blog

2013 is shaping up to be a busy year for all involved with Best Intent Marquees. We have formed a lot of new partnerships with venues for the coming year as well as renewing some of our existing venue relationships. To ensure our marquees are up to our immaculate standards we have had a restoration of all our flooring and have invested in steel sub-base flooring for our large framed marquees. There has also been an investment in glass panelling for the framed marquee, including concertina style windows which can be seen on our semi-permanent marquee at the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. The traditional poled marquees are not being left behind with a set of max clear PVC windows  - a new product in the market place - being purchased for this marquee.

The first marquees of the year will be going up at Friarshaugh, Kelso, for the Jedforest Point to Point (PTP) on the 27^th of January. There are also another two PTP at this venue later on in the year which we will be providing marquees for. Our preferred venues -which can be found on our website - are busy all year round and in February and we have our first weddings of the year at Greywalls in East Lothian and the PhilipburnCountry House Hotel in Selkirk.

As everyone knows the Spring time in the Borders is 7s season and we are glad to renew our partnership with ‘Call the Bar’ to supply the marquees for the 7s tournaments they are involved with throughout the circuit.

Thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of new events manager Louise Mitchell, Thirlestane Castle in Lauder has seen a revival and we are grateful for everything she has done in getting Thirlestane back on the map of wedding venues in the Borders. We also find ourselves back at familiar venues this year providing marquees for weddings at Aikwood Tower, Kirknewton Stables, Harmony House, Ravensheugh Log Cabins & Mellerstain House. We are also providing a marquee for our first ever wedding at Ferniehirst Castle near Jedburgh and look forward to working with our Buccleuch Estate venues at Drumlanrig, Dalkeith House and Bowhill. In 2013 we are finding that we are providing more marquees to the East Lothian, Perthshire and Northumberland areas – and we are happy to travel further when required!!

2013 also sees some of our longest running partnerships continue with our fifth year of supplying the marquees to the very successful Borders Book Festival. We feel privileged to be associated with such a well-run and highly respected event. We are also providing the marquee for St Mary’s School prize giving ceremony for the fourth consecutive year and we are also delighted to be involved in the inaugural Childrens Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) Borders fund raising event in August- details will follow in due course. As the year is drawing to a close we are also delighted to be involved with Lennoxlove BookFestival again which takes place on the first weekend in November and also has a fantastic reputation, drawing in authors like JK Rowling last year.

There is still availability for marquees in 2013 so please do not hesitate to get in contact with our team of dedicated event managers and marquee specialists can help turn your dreams into reality! Call us on 0800 4488 949 or email info@bestintentmarquees.co.uk.

The Edgerston House Party Signs off the Summer in Style

With the summer drawing to a close and the University workers winding down before another term of study the Edgerston House party was looming at the beginning of September. The team begun work 2 weeks in advance of the party – much to the disbelief of the workers – but it soon became apparent why. This was the first outing of the new 3m legs and also the clear roofs for the Large Clearspan marquee which provided a new challenge. Week 1 had flew by with all 3 of the tents being erected and the raised flooring being completed by John Laidlaw and Sons, however there was still a long way to go before the marquee was ready for the party.

Week 2 started and it was all hands to the pump with 4 squads in the marquee completing the carpeting, lining, lighting and also toilets being installed. The lining for this job was provided by Stretch Fabrics and was not the usual ivory lining that everyone was used to but a different spin on the traditional lining and it looked fantastic, the unbelievable lighting which complemented the colours of the lining expertly was provided by Knight Lighting and the toilets which were out of this world and wouldn’t have looked out of place in a house were provided by the Classical Loo Company. The run up to the event couldn’t have ran as smoothly without the careful planning and guidance of Matthew from Wesley House who kept everyone in check to ensure that the event was looking out of this world for the event on the Saturday.

The weekend was spectacular with a formal event on the Saturday followed by a survivor’s brunch on the Sunday. The marquee on the Saturday evening was absolutely perfect with the lining looking spectacular and the lighting complementing it perfectly. The clear roof and gable were absolutely stunning and looked into the starry night sky and the lighting that projected the house making it a marvellous spectacle. The Sunday was a more chilled out event with everyone recovering from the previous night’s festivities.

After a weekend of festivities in the marquees the team arrived back a bit short staffed due to the students being back to University but after 2 days of hard graft the team had de-rigged the marquee and the long summer had drawn to a close!

August see's the Season Drawing to a Close

With 2 months of pandemonium in June and July there were some weary workers in the ranks but as the summer drew to a close the seasonal workers were in high spirits as they were closing in on their return to University – as most of them had already said that Uni was a much easier holiday than their supposed Summer Holiday!!

The first week of August started as busy as the previous weeks with a mixture of weddings, balls, Union Shows, Rugby Internationals, garden parties and also a new one for everyone with 3 marquees being erected near Denholm in Hawick for the Scottish National Sheepdog trials. The two weddings that were taking place this weekend were both situated very local with one being held in the Harmony House Gardens in Melrose and another literally two minutes down the road on the outskirts of Melrose. The Festival Inns (now G1 Group) had a marquee up at the Murrayfield Hotel in Edinburgh for the Scotland Rugby International that was happening on this weekend. The furniture was provided to the marquee in the grounds of the Lauderdale Hotel for the traditional Lauder Ball and there was also pagodas erected in Blainslie for a garden party and the week came to an end with a small marquee being put up in the Duns Show Ground for Countryside Kitchens in Kelso.

The following week brought a trip down to England with a large wedding being held at Lartington, County Durham. This again brought a week where the squads were split to attend to all the requirements of the clients over this busy weekend. The marquee that was up at Harmony House was kept up for a wedding this weekend which meant that extra stress of getting this marquee up and down was lifted from the team. There was also the Hendersyde Horse Trials just outside of Kelso taking place as well. The team then had trips to Cardrona and West Lothian respectively for weddings, the wedding at Cardrona being on a tennis court showing the versatility of our marquees and our ability to suit the client’s needs. There was also a Book Festival at Traquair House on this weekend and a gallery package was put together at Mellerstain House for a wedding. The end of the week brought a first for Best Intent with a marquee put up for a 100^th Birthday Party in Fairnington just outside of Maxton. No matter what the occasion is there is no tent too big or too small, Best Intent will always provide our remarkable service at all times. This week also brought the last weekend of the small marquee that had been situated in the Abbotsford House Estate for the full summer.

With the final week of the busy summer there was no respite for everyone as this week proved to be just as busy as the rest of the summer had been. With 5 weddings and the Pipe Band Festival taking place in the Gibson Park in Melrose the team were kept on their toes. There was a wedding on the Friday afternoon in Jedburgh as well as weekend weddings at Kippilaw, North Berwick, Middleton Moor and Aspatria everyone was well travelled by the end of the week. The Pipe Band Festival required a small marquee for Richie Gray’s Bar and there was also a small marquee put up at Floors Castle for the Household Cavalry event.

With all these jobs completed with style the busiest months were brought to a close. Best Intent would like to thank all the seasonal workers who helped over the summer months and wish them well with their studies over the coming year. We hope to see you all again at the beginning of next year.

July Sees The Summer in Full Flow

After a crazy month in June with Scotland and the North of England being provided with luxurious marquees for weddings, corporate events, cocktail parties and lunch parties, July seemed to start on a smaller scale. The first week brought a wedding, a 21st birthday party and the return of the Sound Music Festival to Scott Park in Galashiels. The team worked hard early on in the week with the de-rigging of marquees and the erecting of the jobs in Ancrum and St Mary’s in Melrose to earn a couple of well-earned days off at the end of the week. This rest was not to continue however with the coming weeks being very busy again and the old phrase of ‘The Busiest Week Ever’ still had a few more outings over the coming weeks.

The weekend 9th July saw 5 weddings and a drinks party on the calendar, which again meant long hours to ensure that the marquees were looking up to scratch for everyone’s big day. There was a local drinks party at Minto aswell as a wedding at Kersmains just outside of Kelso in the Scottish Borders area, but this week also found the team taking three different trips to Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. There were large marquees put up for weddings in Currie on a tennis court and Dunbar in a field looking onto the sea as well as a smaller marquee formulation being constructed in a small garden in South Queensferry, showing the adaptability of the team to fit marquees into any space to suit our clients’ individual requirements.
The middle of July saw some different projects for the team to deal with including doing the interior of a barn to get it up to standard for the wedding as well as a wedding at Preston Hall in Pathhead and another in Kelso. With the week after being an extremely hectic week a marquee was constructed a week in advance in St Andrews to try and take away some of the stresses the following week to make sure that everything ran smoothly.

With the job in St Andrews already up there were more weddings in store for the penultimate weekend in July. There were two weddings in the Hawick area with one overlooking the Vertish Hill and the other being just outside Hawick in Hassendean. There were also different jobs in store in this week with a party in Glasgow that required some delicate touches and also providing furniture to Kippilaw for a wedding. Best Intent are quite happy to hire out our furniture for your event including chairs, tables and staging so don’t be tricked into thinking that the business is just a ‘one trick pony’ and only provides marquees, it is a lot more diverse.
The final week in July found the team making two seperate trips across the Forth Road Bridge to the Perth area for two different weddings. Milnathort was the first venue with 4 small marquees being erected in the back garden of a private house followed by another wedding in Balbeggie. There was a triathlon at St Mary’s Loch which required a marquee for the after party at Tibbieshiels and also a small wedding at Birgham just outside Kelso. The end of the week brought the Medics party at the Borders General Hospital, pagodas at Musselburgh Races for their latest meeting and the Border Union Show at Kelso where we had been contracted by 5 corporate clients all requiring small marquees where they could meet and greet their customers and showcase their wares.

July came and went in the blink of an eye and August, the last month of the seasonal workers before they all head back to their respective Universities, was looming fast.

June - The Month of Madness

With the Rugby 7s season closing up at the end of May and the Hearts for Heroes Challenge behind us, June brought the beginning of the busy wedding season. The start of the month found an extremely big job at Haddington being coupled with a wedding in the Tweedsmuir valley. The team were also back at Musselburgh Racecourse to put up pagodas for their latest meet and we also did a lunch on the Winton Estate in East Lothian. The following week the team had to de-rig these jobs quickly as the busiest 3 week period of the year was looming. There were weddings all over the country this week with the team rushing round to ensure that everything was perfect for all the clients. This even involved a late Friday night trip to Aberfeldy to cater for a customer’s last minute needs – displaying the flexibile and personal service that Best Intent prides itself on. There was a mixture of traditional poled marquees (in Westruther and Melrose) and clearspan framed marquees (in Gifford and Aberfeldy and at Traquair House).

There was no rest as the next week brought the Borders Book Festival at Harmony House Gardens with 7 tents being erected of all different sizes to cater for all the different Festival events. With all the marquees required to be up for the Tuesday the start of the week was hectic – we had to get the previous weeks’ marquees de-rigged and there were some long hours worked to ensure completion for the Book Festival’s deadline. There was also a meeting at Musselburgh Racecourse this week –as well as the usual pagodas that go up there was also a marquee required on the Queens Lawn for the Owners and Trainers. The end of the week was also busy with weddings at Cardross, just north of Glasgow, and Sprouston to end a strenuous week and the week that Charles proclaimed to be ‘The Busiest Week Ever’ (this isn’t the first time this term was to be used over the course of the summer).

The following week was the one that had caught the attention of Philip and was the week that he had pinpointed as ‘The Busiest Week Ever’ so the team were once again prepared to work around the clock. With the Borders Book Festival finished the large marquee was transferred just down the road to Annay Road for the Melrose Ball. There were 3 weddings in this week with the squads being split to be able to get all the jobs completed in time for the weekends festivities. Half the team went west to Ayrshire and the other half went South for a foray into the North of England for another wedding in Alnwick. There was also a local wedding in Selkirk and a party in Maxton to keep the team busy before the week ended with everyone being reunited for a trip to Annan to rig up a marquee for the Pipe Band Championships over that weekend.

This weekend brought to the close the end of the hectic month that was June. There were a lot of tired bodies and minds but a very successful month and a lot of happy customers. Bring on July!!!!!

May day mizzle, but the parties carry on!

May continued the 7’s trend, with Earlston and Selkirk in quick succession - well done Richie Gray at The Bar for keeping going!!

Other sporting events in May were more equine minded, with Mosshouses Point to Point at the beginning of the month and Floors Castle Horse Trials towards the end. We saw more adventure based events with the Hearts and Heroes challenge mid month, taking participants from Tibbieshiels to the Greenyards via Traquair and Fairnilee, and an Action Challenge stop off at Moffat RFC.

May marquee celebrations included a 21st birthday party in Thornhill, a christening in Kelso and weddings in Selkirk, Kinross, Galashiels, Melrose and Arrochar!