Planning an event for the first time can feel overwhelming. This complete guide explains how to plan an event step by step, from choosing a venue and marquee to furniture, lighting, sound, and professional event hire services.
When people first search for how to plan an event, the most important starting point is understanding the type of event they want to create. This includes the purpose of the event, the number of guests, the style or theme, and the overall experience you want people to have. Whether it is a wedding, birthday, corporate event, or private party, having a clear vision helps guide every decision from marquee choice to tableware, furniture, and lighting.
At WA Carr and Son, we always recommend starting with guest numbers, budget range, and the overall look and feel you want to achieve. This makes it easier to plan practical elements like event hire, layout, and timings, while also ensuring the final setup feels cohesive and well thought out rather than rushed or pieced together.
One of the most searched questions when planning an event is whether to choose a fixed venue or a marquee. Marquees and temporary structures offer complete flexibility, allowing you to host an event at home, on private land, or in a unique outdoor setting while still having a professional, weatherproof space. The right structure also determines your layout, flooring, lighting, and overall guest flow.
WA Carr and Son supplies fully lined marquees with clean finishes, solid flooring, and flexible layouts to suit weddings, parties, and corporate events. We help clients plan everything from entrance points and seating layouts to bar areas and dancefloors, ensuring the structure works practically while still looking impressive.
Many people underestimate how many individual items are needed to run an event smoothly. Beyond the obvious tables and chairs, you also need tableware, crockery, cutlery, glassware, linen, bars, catering equipment, and often power solutions. Forgetting even one element can cause unnecessary stress closer to the event date.
By using a single trusted event hire supplier like WA Carr and Son, you ensure all items work together both visually and practically. Our hire range covers furniture, tableware, catering equipment, mobile bars, dancefloors, generators, and power distribution, making it easy to manage everything in one place.
Lighting and sound are often the difference between a basic event and an unforgettable one. Thoughtfully planned lighting enhances your venue or marquee, highlights key areas like the dancefloor or dining space, and creates atmosphere as day turns to evening. Meanwhile, professional sound systems ensure speeches, background music, and entertainment are clear and well-balanced.
WA Carr and Son provides complete lighting and sound solutions for weddings, parties, and corporate events. From warm festoon lighting and feature uplighters to full party and band sound packages, we design setups that suit the size and style of your event without overcomplicating things.
When people search for event planning help, they are often feeling overwhelmed by logistics. Professional event management and experienced event hire suppliers remove that stress by coordinating deliveries, setup, layouts, and timings. This allows you to focus on enjoying the event rather than managing suppliers and troubleshooting on the day.
WA Carr and Son offers not only equipment hire but also event planning support, on-the-day coordination, and experienced event staff for larger events. With decades of industry experience, we help ensure your event runs smoothly from initial planning through to final breakdown, giving you confidence from the very start of your event planning journey.
Planning an event involves far more than just hiring equipment, and this is where working with an experienced event hire company makes a real difference. WA Carr and Son supports clients from the very first planning stages, helping you choose the right marquee or structure, plan layouts, select furniture, tableware, and crockery, and ensure all practical elements like lighting, sound, flooring, and power are correctly planned. By taking a joined-up approach, we help prevent common issues such as overcrowded layouts, missing equipment, or last-minute changes.
Beyond equipment hire, WA Carr and Son also offers professional event planning support, on-the-day coordination, and experienced event staff for larger events. This means deliveries, setup, and breakdown are carefully managed, while your event runs smoothly behind the scenes. Whether you are planning a wedding, private party, or corporate event, our team combines decades of experience with a comprehensive hire range to create well-organised, polished events that allow you to relax and enjoy the occasion.
WA Carr and Son is based in Amersham and provides professional event hire and event planning services across London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, and further. Our central location allows us to support a wide range of events, from private garden parties and weddings to large scale corporate events, all delivered with the same attention to detail and high quality equipment.
We regularly work at private homes, countryside estates, venues, and outdoor locations, supplying everything from marquees and structures to furniture, tableware, lighting, sound, and full event management support. For events outside our core areas, we are also happy to travel further by request, making WA Carr and Son a trusted event hire partner wherever your event takes place.