weddings

How to Plan an Outdoor Wedding or Other Event

Tent wedding

Tent wedding

So, you're looking forward to Fall with its beautiful colors and cooler temperatures. It's a great time to plan an outdoor event. But, where do you begin? I'd recommend starting here:

  1. Create a guest list. You can expect that approximately 80% of the people you invite will attend.

  2. Choose a location. It can be your backyard, a park, a bed and breakfast, the home of a friend or family member, or another venue.

  3. Research vendors for tents, other rentalscatering, event planning and entertainment.

  4. Expect the best weather, but plan for the worst. If you plan to have any portion of the event outside, have a backup plan to add another tent or move it indoors in case of rain.

  5. Plan the details:

    1. Lighting

    2. Heating or cooling

    3. Tent layout

    4. Tables and chairs

    5. Linens

    6. Flooring

    7. Restrooms

    8. Power

    9. Enjoy your event.

We'd love to hear from you with your success stories, comments, suggestions or questions. Contact us to get a rental quote

I Only Need a Tent in Case of Rain Video

Call us at 717.733.9700 or request a quote to be prepared for any type of weather.

Many people planning an outdoor event or wedding really love the outdoors. So do we. If you're an outdoors loving person, maybe you prefer to have your event outdoors with no tent at all. Maybe you like the full expanse of blue sky overhead during your wedding ceremony. Maybe you have visions of soft moonlight during your reception. Maybe you want to look up at the green canopy of trees overhead.

We understand this and we have a plan in place for you. Most summer days are lovely, warm and beautiful, but you need to plan for hot days with glaring sun or the stormy days with driving rain. That's where we come in. We allow you to reserve your tent and all the other rental items to go with it. If the weather forecast is beautiful, you can cancel the tent. There are several things you should consider when you're thinking of having a tent as a backup plan:

  • Rain isn't the only type of inclement weather. Shade from the hot sun can help keep your guests more comfortable too.

  • Even if you have your wedding ceremony outdoors, it's a great idea to rent a tent for the reception to cover the food, sound system and etc.

  • If you're planning to light the tent, plan for how you want to light the space if you don't rent a tent. Not all types of lighting work as well outside a tent.

  • You may want to rearrange your seating layout if you don't rent a tent.

  • If in doubt, rent a tent. It's much better to rent a tent and not need it than cancel the tent and wish you had it.

So, how does it all work? When you reserve, we require a 25% deposit. This guarantees that your tent will be available in case of inclement weather. However, you may cancel the tent if the weather forecast looks beautiful. You may make this decision up until 9:00 AM of the business day before delivery and save yourself the remaining 75%. If you cancel after 9:00 AM, you save 50% of the tent rental cost. There are two exceptions to this: linens need to be cancelled one day earlier than tents in order to get a 75% refund and permits are not refundable at all. This gives you peace of mind knowing that your guests will have shade from the hot sun or cover from the rain. Yet, you have the option to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. So, reserve today to plan an event that will be beautiful no matter what the weather.

Sailcloth Tents

Recently a new style of tent has been introduced. It has its roots in the nautical industry and it is increasingly popular for all types of events. Inspired by the sea, it is constructed of sail cloth material. With nautical flair, the sculpted peaks and eaves combine with a no-valance design, creating an open air event space like nothing you’ve seen before. The translucence of sail cloth enhances daytime events with natural light, and positively glows when lit for evening gatherings. The tents have rounded ends and have 10’ openings between the sidepoles. They come in a wide range of sizes:

20’x17’, 20’x27’, 20’x37’

32’x 30’, 32’x40’, 32’x50’, 32’x60’

44’x43’, 44’x63’, 44’x83’, 44’x103’, 44’x123’

We are considering adding these tents to our inventory and we’d like to get your feedback about these tents. Would you be interested in them? Do you like the look of them? The cost to rent them would likely be about 25% more than a similarly sized standard pole tent. Contact us to let us know what you think. We look forward to hearing from you.