How we chose
We started from the seven marquee hire firms Google Maps shows across Telford. Trade memberships were sourced from the MUTA member search, each firm's own website and the platforms checked [1]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Four firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then trade credentials, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated 4 September 2026.
How to hire
Match the structure to the job first. A clearspan frame has no centre poles, so it suits a larger wedding or corporate event where you want an open layout for tables, a dance floor and a bar. A traditional pole marquee gives the classic canvas look but needs extra ground for guy ropes and stakes. A stretch tent fits sloping or awkward ground and smaller parties, with a relaxed modern feel. Tell each supplier your guest numbers, your date and what the ground is like.
Check trade membership before you book. MUTA runs the member directory for the marquee, tent and structure industry, searchable by postcode or structure type [1]. Members sign a code of practice, must maintain adequate insurance, follow an industry best-practice guide and submit to audits [2]. Membership can't be sourced for any of the four ranked Telford firms in this round, so treat the directory as a live check to run on any shortlist, not a badge to assume.
Insist on a site visit before anyone quotes. The supplier should walk the ground, check slopes and drainage, look for overhead cables and buried services, confirm vehicle access for the build, and decide between stakes and weights. Ask what happens in high wind: who monitors the forecast, who calls off the build, and where that promise sits in the contract. National safety guidance covers good practice in putting up and taking down temporary structures [6].
Get the quote itemised in writing. It should name the structure size and style, the delivery, erection and breakdown dates, flooring, lining, lighting, furniture, heating, power and toilets, crew arrival times, the VAT position, the deposit and cancellation terms, and the damage arrangements. Published guides price each extra separately, from lining to generators, so a single headline figure tells you little [3]. Compare two or three quotes on the same written scope.
Confirm cover and identity in the same pass. Ask for the public-liability insurance detail in writing and check that the name on the policy matches the name on your quote. If the firm is a limited company, look it up on the Companies House register to confirm it is active and at the address you were given [5]. File the insurance note alongside the quote so both documents travel with the booking.
Sort licences and paperwork before the build. A Temporary Event Notice from the council is needed for alcohol, entertainment or late-night hot food on unlicensed premises, for events under 500 people, applied for at least 10 working days ahead [4]. Keep the notice where it can be seen at the event, keep the signed contract, terms and itemised invoice together, and ask for the fire-exit and assembly-point plan for the finished structure.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, the published national guide we found puts a wedding marquee at £650 to £3,000 per event, with a small marquee from around £650, a mid-size one at £1,400 to £2,000 and a large one at £2,700 to £3,000 [3]. The guide notes that price moves with size and season. Treat these as starting points for Telford, not quotes, since none of the four ranked firms publishes prices.
Extras add up fast. The same guide prices a lined interior at around £485 on a mid-size marquee, lighting at £165 to £400, heating at £150 to £650, a generator at £480 to £840, toilets at £140 to £1,100 and a dance floor at £100 to £2,000, with chairs at £4 to £12 each and round tables at £8 to £10 each [3]. A dressed wedding marquee can easily cost more in extras than in canvas.
Three things move the price most: guest numbers and the structure size they demand, the season, since guides note prices move through the year [3], and how much of the extras list you need, especially power and toilets on a site with no mains or plumbing. Awkward access and sloping ground add crew time. Say all of this in the enquiry so the quotes come back comparable.
Ask whether VAT is included or added on top, and get the scope, the deposit, the cancellation terms and the damage arrangements in writing before you pay anything. Agree payment stages tied to the build rather than a single upfront sum. Keep the quote, the invoice and the terms together where you can find them on the day.
Red flags
Quotes for a wedding-sized structure without visiting the site or asking for photos, measurements and access detail.
Claims trade-body membership you cannot find on the member directory when you search it yourself [1].
Will not put the structure size, dates, extras and total price in writing before taking a deposit.
Dodges questions about what happens in high wind or who calls off the build.
Names no insurer and shows no cover detail when asked.
Asks for full payment in cash before the structure goes up, with no written terms.
Leaves power, toilets and waste off the quote with no named supplier for any of them.
The bottom line
For most Telford events, start with Show Systems Marquees: the widest choice of structures, clear contact routes and a long company record behind the name. Ask for an itemised quote and proof of cover, since neither is published, and check the diary early for peak summer dates.
Match the firm to the job from there. Class Events Marquee Hire suits a wedding or party where you want furniture, WCs and power bundled in. Shropshire Stretch Tents suits a smaller or modern party under canvas that moves with the wind. Hinstock Marquees suits a traditional summer wedding or fete where the classic look matters most.
Then get two itemised quotes on the same written scope, run the trade-body check, and confirm who handles licences, power and toilets before you pay a deposit. Keep the contract, the invoice and any event notice together where you can find them on the day.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.