The Tent Wedding Planning Guide
A tent wedding lets you marry somewhere that already means something: a family farm, a cottage on the lake, your own backyard. It also means building a venue from scratch, with power, water, flooring, lighting and washrooms all brought in.
I love the challenge of a tent wedding, because no two are ever the same. Every couple brings their own ideas, every property is different, and every wedding has its own goals. Watching a vision come to life from nothing never stops being exciting.
Because every tent wedding starts from scratch, there's a lot to figure out along the way. After 10 years of planning them on private properties, I've gathered everything I share with my couples into one place: the guides, checklists and real weddings, in the order you'll need them
Cleland Photographs. Special Event Rentals.
1. Start Here: Can Your Property Host a Tent Wedding?
Before you book a tent or a caterer, you need to know what your site can handle. Start with these two.
Life Images. Premier Tents.
Blog Post
Planning a Tent Wedding: Everything You Need to Know (Part 1)
The big picture of tent weddings: what's involved, what it costs to build a venue from nothing, and the decisions to make first
Free Download
Free Site Visit Kit
Walk your property the way a planner would. This kit covers what to measure, photograph and check, from ground slope to power and access for trucks.
2. Ask the Right Questions
Tent weddings have more moving parts than a venue wedding. These will help you spot the gaps early.
Free Download
5 Questions to Ask Before You Plan a Tent Wedding
What planners, vendors, and couples need to know before anyone signs anything.
Alix Gould Photography. Premier Tents. Frank Rea Event Design.
Blog Post
How to Plan a Tent Wedding: Everything You Need to Know (Part 2)
The logistics: rentals, power, washrooms, weather plans and the production timeline for the days around the wedding.
3. Design The Reception Layout
The size of your tent depends on what goes inside it. Plan the layout before you choose the tent.
Free Download
Tent Wedding Reception Layout Cheat Sheet
How much space you need for tables, the dance floor, the bar, catering and the band, so your tent fits your guests rather than the other way around.
Everything You Wish Someone Had Told You About Tent Weddings.
Tent weddings are breathtaking. They're also one of the most logistically demanding events you'll ever plan, coordinate, or be part of.
Gathered: The Planner’s Approach to Tented Outdoor Celebrations is a 74-page digital guide packed with real-world experience, covering everything from tent types and site visits to budgeting, vendor management, production logistics, and teardown - plus 11 ready-to-use reference guides you can bring to every event.
Whether you're a planner preparing for your first tent wedding, a vendor wanting to understand the full picture, or a couple taking on the adventure yourselves, this is the guide that keeps you one step ahead.
What’s Inside:
74 pages of practical, experience-backed guidance
Chapters covering the benefits and challenges, tent types, site visits, vendor selection, budgeting, design planning, infrastructure, permits, logistics, and teardown
11 reference guides:
Site Visit Checklist: everything to assess, measure, and confirm before committing to the job, having a client sign a contract, or deciding whether a property is the right fit for a tent
Quick Square Footage Guide: calculate how much space you need per guest
Tent Size Guide: match your space requirements to the right tent size
Ceremony Spacing Guide: seating rows, aisle widths, and clearance for a comfortable ceremony setup
Table Spacing Guide: chair clearance, and circulation space for a reception that flows
Dance Floor Sizing Guide: calculate the right dance floor size for your guest count
Band Stage Sizing Guide: dimensions and clearance for live music setups
Catering Area Guide: space requirements for catering teams, equipment, to allow for the best service flow
Washroom Trailer Guide: how many units you need and how much space you need
Client To-Do List: everything the client needs to handle to prepare their property for the big day
Wedding Day Checklist: what to bring, what to confirm on arrival, what to monitor throughout the event, and what to check off when it's all over
Instant digital download in PDF format
Written by Laura Olsen, a Toronto area-based wedding planner with years of private estate and tent event experience.
Note: This is a digital product. No physical item will be shipped. Due to the nature of digital downloads, all sales are final.
This guide is for personal use only and may not be shared, redistributed, or resold.
Cover Photo by Barb Simkova.
4. Go Deeper: GATHERED
GATHERED is a 74-page guide to planning, building, and executing tent weddings, written by a working wedding planner with years of experience in private estate events. It covers everything from tent selection and site visits to budgeting, vendor coordination, permits, production logistics, and teardown.
Plus 11 ready-to-use reference guides.
5. See it in Real Life: Sydney and Joey’s Tent Wedding in Gravenhurst, Muskoka
Sydney had always dreamed of hosting her wedding at her family cottage in Gravenhurst. At first visit, it was obvious it was an incredible space, perfect for a tent wedding. The dock was large enough to host a lakefront ceremony, and the large flat area perfectly nestled the tent amongst the gorgeous gardens. Wind and rain are always a challenge next to a lake; we were sure to plan for both when deciding on the ceremony and cocktail hour backup plan. Irrigation, landscaping, electrical, and septic bed were all challenges that needed to be carefully addressed and flagged for installation.
A long narrow, dark, hilly driveway, typical of Muskoka cottages, was a challenge for guest shuttles and deliveries and required extra care for delivery and delivery/vendor arrivals. The right size vehicles needed to be considered for their delivery and safety. Parking was limited so we kept it to main vendors and immediate family only, shuttling guests and vendors from a lot at the end of the road.
Simkova Studios. Hunt and Gather Floral. Westway Tents. Happenings Party Rentals.
“Laura is the absolute best! She brought our dream day to life seamlessly. We had a tented wedding in Muskoka — which is very complicated to execute — and she dealt with all the logistical challenges and obstacles with so much grace. She completely respected our budget, and her approach to planning was so down-to-earth. She knows what is truly important when it comes to special, timeless events.”
Ready to Plan Yours?
If you'd rather have someone handle the tent, rentals, vendors and production for you, that's what I do. Let's talk about your property and your plans.
Tent Wedding FAQs
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Des Ideally 12–18 months. Tents, flooring, power and washroom trailers book up quickly in peak season, and a private property often needs prep work before the wedding.
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Very rarely! You're building a venue from scratch, so the tent, flooring, lighting, power, washrooms, kitchen space and staffing are all separate costs. Couples choose tent weddings for the place itself, not to save money.
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Yes, large tents and temporary structures almost always require permits, and the rules vary by municipality. Often, the tent company can assist with this process, including arranging for the structural engineer to review the tent once installed.
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A clear plan is necessary for inclement weather. This often includes multiple tents (or a tent large enough to accommodate all of it) for a ceremony and cocktail area so that the main reception tent layout isn’t compromised. Sidewalls, flooring, ground prep, covered paths between the tent, washrooms and catering are all necessary things to consider in a rain plan.
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It depends on your guest count and everything that goes inside: tables, dance floor, bar, band and catering. The Reception Layout Cheat Sheet above walks you through it all.