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| Crystal Chandeliers in a Tent with a Liner and Windowed Side Walls |
Although beautiful, tents are not always an easy or inexpensive option for your event. And after researching this, I realized it is not a simple subject. Even if you are just adding a tent to an already well-equipped site for more covered space, you have many items to consider.
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Look at the Trees and the
Height of the Tent. Branches may
need to be cut back.
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The first thing is if the site will accommodate a tent. Look at the size and slope, if any, of the site vs. the size needed for the tent. Size decisions are based on the number of people, table and chair set up, entertainment and dance area/floor, bar as well as any other activities that need to be under the ten such as cake cutting, candy bar, or coffee. Your caterer or the tent rental company can help. http://www.apartycenter.com/tentcalc.shtml, or http://www.ehow.com/how_4684080_what-size-tent-need-wedding.html
Look also at the overhead space (power lines and trees), easy entry to the tent for guests and vendors, zoning and permits, and required electrical power for the caterer, lighting and entertainment. Tents at the perimeter are usually 8 or 10 feet high. At the peak, pole tents can be 25-30 feet tall. Frames are shorter, at 12-20 feet. Other considerations may include noise ordinances, parking access, and additional portable bathrooms. Ask the caterer if they need a kitchen tent.
If the surface is grass, you will need a dance floor. Be sure the owner of the property knows what the dance floor very probably will do to the grass. Unless the tent is installed the day of, and taken down that night, the grass will be covered for several days. Rental companies may charge a premium for same day or timed deliveries.
Whether a pole or frame, the tent needs to be anchored. Some companies will require that Miss Utility visit the property and mark the location of the utilities if stakes are used. We had a water pipe hit by a stake and didn’t know it until they pulled the stake and water started coming out. Now, we will only accept weights or barrels (but not on the grass).
If you are going to climate control the tent, you will probably be using either propane heaters or air conditioning units with generators—230v power is not available at most places. We added large floor fans just to ensure good airflow. Ask the rental company about the correct size of the HVAC units.
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| Chandeliers are a Lovely Way to add Lighting |
Lighting, can be simply up-lighting attached to the corners of the tent, or complex designs with strings, color washes, dance floor spots or monograms on the ceiling. http://www.apartycenter.com/tentcalc.shtml, http://www.ehow.com/list_7346629_tent-lighting-ideas.html The tent is made of inflammable material but the fire marshal will want to inspect it, ensure that exit and no smoking signs and fire extinguishers are in the proper places. No exposed flame is permitted—candle flames need to be below the rim of the glass container or votive.
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| Uplighting or a Wash of Color Adds a Beautiful Dimension to the Tent |
If you order sidewalls, be sure you know if the caterer can raise or lower the sidewalls. Our tent has sidewalls on a track so they slide easily like a shower curtain, and there are windows, so it is attractive inside the tent even if the walls are closed. However, most sidewalls roll up and down. A client once ordered a second tent with huge sidewalls. We had the tent installed with the sidewalls rolled up because we couldn’t have rolled them up ourselved. Plus, with no windows, even with lighting, it would have been claustrophobic inside. Luckily, the weather was fine.
In selecting a rental company or any new vendor, I look for references from other venues or vendors. Unless the client has rented a tent before, they have no basis to judge.
Remember, if a tent put up on wet grass, the grass will still be wet the next day. as a rule, a tent should be installed on dry grass on a dry day.
Web help:
From Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226924/wedding-tents , http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226921/renting-tent : If you are considering using a tent, the time to contact vendors is right after you set the date. Many tent-rental firms are full-service, providing everything that's needed for a tent wedding and reception: tables, chairs, linens, and place settings, in addition to flooring, lighting, generators, heating or air-conditioning units, and portable restrooms. Most have a showroom with samples of the choices available, as well as portfolios with photographs from previous events.
Sometimes the best advice and information comes from industry publications. In Tents magazine published by the Industrial Fabrics Association International provides a wide array of topics about tents. An article in their August/September issue is about the rental contract: What should be included in a rental contract? The article, written by Maura Paternoster, insurance risk manager at American Rental Association, discusses key points if you are thinking about renting a tent. These include deposits, cancelations, permits, site conditions, utility line concerns, weather, and deliveries (http://intentsmag.com/articles/0812_qa_rental_contract.html).
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| The Tent is a Blank Canvas which allows you to Create a Room in Your Style |
