Weather can be crazy. One minute it could be the sunniest day you ever saw and, before you can comment and say just that to the person next to you, it could start pouring. No matter how closely we watch the weather or study the forecast, it happens. It is the same way that you wash your car and it rains or you carry an umbrella on a cloudy day, but the clouds never let the rain fall. Mother Nature can be a feisty one. Since she doesn’t care what you have on the calendar, it’s important to prepare your event for any possible weather changes that may occur.
Just like the rain, gusty wind happens, too – even on the day of your big event. Here are some tips on how to keep your tent (and everything else) from blowing away.
Entertainment equipment
Whether you are having a wedding, a birthday bash, a corporate event, or just a plain old barbecue, you are most likely going to have some sort of electrical equipment under your tent. When things get windy, your equipment needs to go under wraps – literally. You need to prepare your event in the case of wind to avoid any damage to equipment.
- The wind can bring down electrical wires which can lead to hazardous conditions. Wires can cause people to trip, especially in an evacuation situation. The item that the wires are coming from is also in jeopardy of moving should the wires get tossed in the wind. Make sure all wires are secured, preferably on the ground, and covered with a rug, flooring, or another type of carpeting.
- It can also blow down projection screens, especially if they aren’t securely tied down. Make sure that, whether you have a hanging projector screen or a standing floor screen, you have it tied securely to a non-moving object.
- Speakers are another item that you want to make sure is secured. It is common for DJs and such to stack speakers. Unfortunately, as heavy as those speakers may be, sometimes they are no match for wind gusts. Consider the dangers that could occur should one blow over and think twice to stacking the speaker boxes.
Decorations and lighting
You will want to plan accordingly and prepare your event when it comes to decorations and lighting as well. If you know that you live in an area that is subject to potential high winds, then you want to make sure you do not decorate with items such as paper lanterns with candles for lighting. Talk about a disaster!
Choose decorations that are sturdy. Centerpieces should be heavy or weighted down with something that is. If you get creative, no one ever has to know that you intentionally designed the decorations to withstand the wind. It will just look like that is how the centerpiece is supposed to look. For items such as overhead decorations, make sure they are lightweight and nothing that could cause significant injury should it come tumbling down.
Certain lighting choices can be damaging when combined with wind gusts. For example, lit candles, lanterns, or torches (yes, anything with fire). In addition, those lighting choices such as chandeliers – should they fall when attacked by fierce winds – could have a terrible outcome for anything below. Instead of any of the above, choose to go with lighting that is simple and could even blow with the wind, such as string lighting.
Food prep and display
To prepare your event from wind ruining your food, shield food presentation areas away from any potential wind gusts. If not, it could leave you with a lot of hungry guests and a mess of food on the floor. No one wants that. Even if your tables are secure, the food items atop them are not. Try placing a secured backdrop behind the service table. If this is not an option, perhaps try securing the table and the food items by weighing them down as much as possible.
As for the food prep area, the wind can not only damage your food and your equipment should a big gust come flying through. However, it can add unwanted flying debris to the recipe. For security and health safety reasons, your food prep area should always be protected. Securing a strong perimeter around this area can be beneficial to you and your guests.
It is important to note that using fire pits or grills to cook your food should be done at a far distance from the tent itself. If you are too close and high winds arrive, there is a good chance that a fire could result.
How to prepare your event tent rental
When you rent a tent for your event, you need to have a full understanding a few things:
- Make sure that you understand how the tent rental is erected (or, at the very least, a general idea)
- What type of weather the tent can withstand and for how long it can withstand it.
- What you need to do in case of an emergency should the weather become a threat.
Tent rentals are generally made to endure a strong amount of wind if erected right. Since a crew of professionals should have been onsite to erect the tent, you should have confidence in the wind load amounts provided.
Never, ever try to change the way the crew built the tent or add any modifications to its structure. This could void any reassurance you may have had regarding the tent’s strength against the weather.
Know the weather
The best thing that you can do to prepare your event is to watch the weather and stay updated. Nowadays, weather alerts and notifications can be sent to cell phones, letting you know in advance of approaching inclement weather. Should something arise, you will at least be warned and able to avoid any resulting injury for you and your guests.
Outdoor tent events are fun, no matter what you are celebrating. Do not let your good time go sour by letting your guard down with the weather. Don’t assume you are safe – be proactive and take precaution. After all, it is better to be safe than to be sorry.