Your Guide to Creating the Perfect Wedding Reception Tent

Planning your reception is just as important as planning the ceremony itself; so take a meaningful first step and rent a wedding reception tent.

This is your time to shine with your newly partnered self and all your family and friends. It is when you will celebrate and rejoice in the love that is between you and your spouse and the love that flows around you. Of course, it’s also the perfect time for a toast, a few cocktails, maybe dinner, some dancing, and some mingling.

In all, you need your wedding ceremony to be the perfection you have always dreamed about, but you need your wedding reception to be perfect, too. If you are planning an outdoor wedding reception, to ensure that all goes well, you are going to want to take a meaningful first step: rent a tent.

To make the most of your wedding reception tent rental, we’ve got your guide to perfection.

 

Why You Need a Wedding Reception Tent

You may love the outdoors and just know that it where you want to celebrate.

But, Mother Nature often has her own agenda – and your wedding day just may be the day she wants to wreak havoc on your area. Don’t leave yourself and your wedding reception vulnerable to the great outdoors.

With a wedding reception tent, you can still enjoy being outside with having some of the perks of protection indoors can bring. Besides, there are so many benefits:

• Covered space, free from outdoor pests.
• Climate controlled space
• Views of outdoors
• A blank canvas for decorating and designing the layout
• Choice of location
• Happy guests

And so much more.

 

Determine Your Tent Size

The very first step in securing a perfect wedding reception tent is to determine the size of the tent you will need.

Before you can even determine where you will construct it, you will need to know its dimensions. But, to discover the dimensions, you will need to have an idea of what your guest list – and your overall wedding reception – will look like.

Calculating space requires knowing what you will be doing.

Many Considerations

Will you have a stage? A dance floor? Will you be providing a sit-down, plated meal? Or, will you be serving your guests a buffet? Maybe you are simply having cocktails and tapas.

Whatever you do requires a specific amount of space. To get the tent to best fit your needs, you will need to have this information when you rent it. But, to get an idea of spacing for yourself, here is a good rule of thumb:

• Having a dinner, plated or buffet, with large round tables, multiply the number of guests by 12.
• If you are using banquet tables, multiply the number of guests by 10.
• Having a cocktail party with limited seating, then multiply the number of guests by 8.

Keep in mind that this is just a general idea to calculate the required square footage.

 

Location, Location, Location

You can plan your wedding outdoors and be prepared with a tent, but if you pick a less-than-stellar location, there is likely little you can do to make it better.

Take time to decide where you want to hold your reception. You have a lot of flexibility with a tent rental as they are incredibly versatile.

In fact, they can be erected on nearly any surface – grass, dirt or sand, concrete, asphalt, etc.

So, the things you want to look for (or, at least keep in mind) are:

The Proximity:

Proximity of the reception space to the wedding ceremony is important.

• Will you be holding them in the same location?
• If not, you don’t want to have your guests driving too great of a distance between the two.

Be sure you find a location that will fit your needs – at a reasonable distance.

The Size:

The size of the space is important.

• If you are renting a tent for 200 people, then you don’t want to choose a location that only has space for a 50-person tent.
• Likewise, if you have 50 people, you may not need a full tent that fits 200 people.

Keep in mind that you will want some moveable space around the outside of the tent, as well.

Parking:

Do not forget parking unless you plan to bus your guests or have them walk, you will need to make sure the parking accommodations will fit your tented space.

• If there is no parking lot, be sure that you have enough room for a makeshift parking area.

 

Pay Attention to the Accessories

When renting a wedding reception tent, it is important to remember that you are moving everyone outdoors.

In other words, you are stripping your guests and wedding party of all the conveniences they have grown to love of modern-day structures.

What does this mean for accessories?

You will want to invest in the things that will make your wedding reception go smoothly while keeping everyone safe and comfortable. Of course, throw in all those extras that will give you the overall look you are seeking.

Here are a few ideas:

• Portable restrooms
• Dumpsters
• Lighting
• Tables and chairs
• Dinnerware, drinkware, and silverware

Flooring is another important accessory to consider. Depending on the ground underneath the tent, you may want to invest in flooring for your tented space. This is especially important if you are not having a casual wedding. Formal attire and grass or dirt don’t necessarily mix.

With available heating and air conditioning systems, you may want to consider adding this to your tent. If you are holding a wedding in a climate that is either too cold or too hot for the comfort of most individuals, providing a climate controlled space under your tent will be much welcomed.

 

Final Thoughts

Your wedding is likely to be one of the most memorable days of your lives.

If you want to host it outdoors, then go for it. But, do so smartly. Don’t allow anything to stand in the way of your big day – including the weather and flying insects.

Tents are simple, versatile options for creating the perfect outdoor wedding reception space wherever you want it to be. If there is room, it can happen.