Party and Events

AT SILk ESTATE Marquee Weddings, creating memorable family celebrations has been the key driver over the last decade for owner, Toni May. During those years Toni and her specialist team have successfully managed hundreds of marquee installations throughout the wider Canterbury region. Some have been at the most remote and picturesque locations, transforming the natural setting into a unique venue for very special occasions. The business has outgrown several rented premises, and, in the spring of 2020, the entire operation was moved to a custom-designed building on the outskirts of Ashburton.

Toni worked alongside her husband, Peter May in their canvas fabrication business. About 12 years ago, Peter was asked to manufacture small marquees for the local A&P shows and then larger marquees, for family events being held at the homes of their rural clients. It was from these beginnings that the concept of Silk Estate started to take shape, with Toni stepping into the marquee business full-time, while Peter remained focused on the canvas fabrication business. With requests for more and larger marquees, Peter and Toni engaged with Tauranga based Baytex to custom manufacture marquees to meet client needs.

Toni has a keen eye for detail and demands the highest of standards. Initially, all the styling and décor for the interiors of the marquees were hired-in but were of variable quality, much to Toni’s disappointment. She gradually purchased Silk Estate’s own higher-quality equipment, commissioned a luxury loo and adapted the marquees to enable full wood ‘hocker’ system flooring to be integrated. The flooring system involves positioning polished floorboards on bearers, providing the ultimate experience for guests.

It certainly hasn’t been all fairy lights and flowing silks for Toni though. As one of few women in the industry she has brought a fresh approach to doing things more efficiently and reducing the heavy lifting. For Toni and her team, palletising event items is vital for seamless installs and break-downs of the marquees. “We’ve got to get everything in and out of the trucks easily, so having them on pallets helps enormously”, says Toni. “Several years ago, I had quite a challenge obtaining an innovative piece of hydraulic equipment from the United States. The manufacturer was very unsure a ‘women’ was the right person to even discuss the prospective sale. Plus, they didn’t sell outside of the States. However, with some considerable persuasion they did ship the equipment to us - their first export out of the US!”, says Toni. Another efficiency has resulted from going through the APEX Marquee & Accreditation process. Although still in the provisional stage of the accreditation process, it has helped considerably when dealing with different councils.

The future is looking bright for Silk Estate, despite the challenges the pandemic brought on the events sector. Initially, many weddings were postponed but more recently bridal organisers adapted to smaller weddings. Silk Estate marquees have also supported local, export-oriented businesses, to enable staff spacing for social distancing purposes, a crucial requirement imposed by the destination country. As restrictions ease and the opening of the border will allow family and friends to attend events, the future is looking very bright for Silk Estate. ■