So you’ve got a large and gorgeously landscaped property and are thinking about planning a tent wedding in your backyard. It’s a lovely gesture to host your friends and family at your home, but you’ll want to be properly prepared for exactly what comes along with this task.I’ve heard it time and again from clients - they want to save money by doing it at home. While it’s not impossible, it’s all based on your expectations. If you’re wanting to create a space that feels like it’s an extension of your home, you can be looking at huge costs and loads of stress. Whereas if you don’t mind a more casual affair, with less glamourous finishes, you may well save some dough! There will always be things that could potentially outweigh the ease and comfort of a venue that is ready to handle all of the components an event requires. Today we’re going to take a look at the pros and cons of planning a tent wedding and the basic things you should consider before you make a final decision.
Permits and Insurance
First up, consider the legal obligations you have for hosting the event at home. You should check with your insurance company to be sure you are covered. Most companies will offer temporary insurance to cover your event if it isn’t covered under your existing policy. Each city requires zoning and temporary structure permits. It is typically a 10 day processing period for both the zoning and the permits so be sure to plan this well in advance. The tent company should also be able to inform on what permits are required and they often offer the service of getting these permits on your behalf. Be sure that the tent company carries liability insurance and one of the installers should remain at the event to make required adjustments. Special Occasion Permits (SOPs) through the LCBO are not required for private estates if you are not selling tickets to the event where alcohol is served.
Event Flow
When guests first arrive, where should they go? If cocktail hour is to be uncovered, where will guests go in the event of rain during this period? There will be a lot happening in the reception space especially if it is also being used as the ceremony space. Will you need tents for the catering staff for clearing and prep stations? Where should washrooms be placed so they aren’t an eyesore, but are also easily accessible? Will you also host a farewell brunch the following morning under the tent? You'll want to consider the flow and set up for this event as well.
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Electricity
Often forgotten electricity is a huge source of last-minute panic. Most people think they’ll just plug everything into the outlets on the outside of the house. What they don’t know, is that they are often running off one circuit so you’ll blow the fuse within minutes of nightfall, when you turn on all of the lights and your dance floor opens. You should definitely hire an electrician to be sure the power is being evenly distributed, to know exactly what your house can handle, and if you should be running another panel from the home. I once had clients run sets of extension cords from different circuits in the house to power the various components because they didn’t want to rent a generator or hire an electrician. What they didn’t consider, is that they weren’t heavy-duty extension cords and that the more extension cords you extend together, the power will decrease by the time it reaches the intended destination. In another situation, my clients did rent a panel but they simply plugged it into the one circuit outside the house. This should have been properly installed by an electrician to ensure it was running from a higher voltage outlet (think the oven or dryer). Endless trips down to switch the breaker were made by the father of the groom, meaning he barely got to enjoy the party. The hundreds of feet of twinkle lights they had strung into the trees were never enjoyed by guests and there was constant monitoring of what power was being used inside the house by house guests! Please do yourself the favour and ask each of your vendors about their specific electrical requirements so you can gauge exactly what power constraints will be placed on your house. Vendors to think about include the tent company (ie.lighting for both main and catering tent, if required), caterer, DJ, washrooms, cooler, photobooth. This way, you can be properly prepared to ensure a smooth wedding reception where you get to enjoy rather than panic over the things that could have been avoided.
The Extras
Flooring If the tent is going to be placed on a grassy area, I highly suggest adding a floor to your tent even though it’s an added expense. Not only is it incredibly frustrating walking on grass in heels, but it’s also just as annoying to sit in a chair that never really sits level and sinks into the ground. Lastly, and most importantly, if it rains a raised floor will be much better than soggy wet grass. When you do add flooring, keep in mind that your lawn will basically be ‘finished’ for the rest of the summer and if heat builds up underneath it, the entire lawn may need to be resodded.
Lighting is not only a necessity, but it’s an easy way to add character to the tent so I’d suggest a bit of a splurge here. Also plan to have some sort of lighting leading guests from the tent to the washrooms or to parking so they don’t trip or get lost.
Cooling and Heating Weather is a hard one to anticipate especially if you’re getting married in the spring or fall. With today’s weather, things can go either way - chilly or crazy hot. Closing the tent walls can help significantly reduce the wind, chill and even bugs, but you’ll want to consider adding climate control to make sure your guests are comfortable for the entire evening. Draping Depending on the type of tent you rent, you may hate the appearance of the ceiling and walls from the inside. It’s not cheap to drape an entire tent, but it sure does add to the ambiance and aesthetic, making it feel more like ‘home’.
The Other Vendors
When planning a tent wedding, there are more than just a few vendors you'll need to make the event flow smoothly. Consider the following vendors to make your life easier!
Fogging Will it be in a heavily wooded area that could tend to be really buggy? You may want a fogging service to come by. They normally require no one to be on the property while they are spraying and will want to at least 24 hours after it has been sprayed for it to be effective. Typically lasts up to 4 days.
Cooler Rental You’ll want to rent a large cooler to keep beverages, ice, and food cold. You'll also require power to keep this running, so be sure to consider this when planning your electrical requirements.
Garbage Removal It can be quite surprising how much waste is created at the wedding just with food and beverage alone. Cities often have a limit of garbage bags per house on pick up day, so you may want to hire a service to remove the garbage after the wedding if the caterers aren’t taking the waste with them.
Restrooms Renting high-quality washrooms are imperative to the guest experience and luckily there are some beautiful options out there now! I recommended that you have at least 2 stalls per 50 guests of each gender, though I do recommend having more for your female guests as we all know well that there are always lines! The company will provide extra paper towels, soap, toilet paper, so there is no need to buy extra, though you may want to buy it. Will you have separate washrooms for the catering and wait staff or will they be using the same restrooms? If the latter, be sure to include them in your guest count when determining the size of the restroom trailer to rent. The big question during the event is to determine exactly who will be maintaining the washrooms throughout the evening? The catering staff? A member of your family?
Security If there’s one thing you must do aside from the legal components, it’s hiring a security service to monitor your home. While we trust our guests, there will be lots of strangers roaming the property the evening of the wedding (ie. caterer and service staff, tent company, and possibly some guests you don’t even know. Having a security service to monitor who is moving about the house is imperative to your home’s security and personal belongings.
Parking & Valet It’s normal to expect that approximately 50% of your guests will drive. Some towns have issues with parking for longer than 3 hours on streets and you’ll also want to be responsible if alcohol is being consumed, so consider the following things:
a shuttle service from the hotel;
consider renting out the parking lot of a local community centre or business that would be closed during the evening;
Have taxi numbers readily available, or someone assigned to call taxis on your guests’ behalf. You can also offer taxi chits for your guests at the end of the evening;
a valet service for your guests’ convenience.
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The Setup and Teardown
The setup and tear down when planning a tent wedding can be a tricky dance. You’ll need to carefully orchestrate drop off and pick up times for each vendor so they don’t interfere with each other. The chairs and tables other rentals can’t be delivered until after the tent has been set up and vice versa on tear down. The setup of the tent alone can take anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on size and requirements. It is highly recommended that the tent be installed at least the day before the wedding if not two.
Is your property large enough to accommodate the delivery trucks? They are often large and need a big enough space to turn around and unload.
Assign someone to do an inventory count of everything when the rental company drops everything off and again before they return to collect after the completion of the event. If you have a sprinkler or irrigation system, be sure it is turned off in advance of the tent delivery and setup and for the duration of the wedding weekend. Have a good plan for setting up on the wedding day. The tent company should offer setup of tables, chairs and other rentals they provide, typically for an additional fee and the caterer should handle any of linens and place settings. You’ll still want to assign someone to double-check that everything was set up according to plan. Does a table that requires only 7 place settings actually have 8 places? It’s an easy mistake to make if the last minute changes or final plans weren’t communicated to the tent or caterer. Designate a smoking area with proper ashtrays.
Remind your neighbours of your ceremony start time so they don’t decide to mow their lawns during the middle of it.
Following the wedding, the rental company will require that the chairs be stacked, tables are collapsed, and everything is neatly arranged in one spot. Consider who will be responsible for collapsing and tidying everything at the end of the evening and the day following the wedding.
Who will be responsible for taking the extra alcohol inside at the end of the evening? Who will be responsible for returning any extras to the liquor store? Remember that open cases or labels that have been wet/ruined cannot be returned.