Thinking About a Tent Wedding? Read This Before You Book Anything

The visuals of tent weddings are fabulous, right?

But here's what you might not be seeing…the catering tent, the permit paperwork that took several weeks to clear, the drainage plan your coordinator had to rework because it rained for days on end before the wedding.

Those photos you fall in love are the end result of a bunch of decisions that happened way before the wedding photographer arrived.

Please know that I'm not saying this to scare you! I'm saying it because a tent wedding done right is incredible….but a tent wedding done without the right preparation can be a mess.

In this post, I’m going through all of it. From the appeal of the blank canvas to the fine print nobody warned you about.

Tent weddings are designed and managed from the “ground up,” meaning they usually take place on properties or in areas where indoor coverage is a fit for the style, headcount, or aesthetic of the wedding a couple is trying to achieve.

Instead of walking into a venue with tables and chairs and a built-in bar, you're starting with an empty patch of land and building an entire event from scratch.

You get total control of the design, which is so much of the appeal!

Where works best? Private estates, working farms and vineyards, lakefront properties, family land, open fields, pretty much anywhere, you’ve got lots of options!

You might even have a more traditional fixed-venue ceremony and follow it up with a tented reception.

The three most popular tent styles you'll likely come across are sailcloth tents, clear-top tents, or frame tents.

Sailcloth tents have a romantic translucency and are great for daytime weddings.

Clear-top tents give you an open-sky look but are kind of like a greenhouse in direct sun. So factor that into the time of your year when you’re having your wedding.

Frame tents, on the other hand, are basically like the workhorse of tents. You get a classic option with white canvas and airy interiors. And no center poles means you can use all of that covered area.

A tent does a lot. It keeps your guests dry in a rain shower, provides shade, and gives you a structure to hang lighting, drape fabric, etc. With the right additions, it can be as decorated (and as protected!) as any indoor venue.

But…a tent isn’t a building!

A properly outfitted tent with sealed sidewalls, adequate drainage, and flooring will keep guests comfortable in most weather conditions.

If a serious storm rolls through on your wedding day, your team needs to be ready. They may need to add sidewalls and put up additional tents and coverage options for guests and vendors to get in and out of the venue safely.

The bigger risks to think through are high winds and lightning. No tent can fully protect against those! That’s why you’ll want a backup plan.

If it rains, you'll need a plan for the ceremony, as well as potentially adding walls to your tent rental. You'll also want to consider having marquees for your guests to stay covered when walking to the restroom, and for your catering team when walking from the catering tent.

I’d also say that adding a floor is worth it. You don’t want your stiletto heel getting stuck in the grass during your first dance!

With a tent wedding, you're responsible for turning a raw space into an inviting atmosphere. The costs really depend on the size of your wedding, the location, and how much infrastructure you’re bringing in. That means that the tent rental itself is only the starting point!

A fully outfitted tented reception requires flooring, lighting, climate control, restrooms, a kitchen build-out, and staffing. You’ll also want to think about power, lighting, climate control, leg and ceiling drapings, and flooring (if you have it).

None of these are typically included in a base rental quote.

On top of all that, there are permits. Noise ordinances, zoning restrictions, and local event permits may also apply depending on your venue and location. Start as early as you can!

And timing access matters more than you'd think. With a tent, you need to set the venue up ahead of time. The setup is usually one to two days before your big day, and a rental company will install it for you.

That means you need to confirm with your property owner exactly when the tent crew can get on-site, and when teardown needs to be complete. Some venues charge for extra days. Ask before you book.

Please, please, please don’t skip this! If your heart is set on a tented reception, work with your full-service wedding planner to find a tent-friendly venue and know its rules before you book.

It would be devastating if you found the ideal piece of land, sent out wedding invitations…only to find out months later that the property can't support the size tent you need.

Work with your planner and tenting professional to ensure the venue can accommodate the size of tent needed for your guest count, as well as your wedding vendors and their setup needs, a catering tent, and a generator.

It’s also possible that your venue will allow a tented reception, but all music will need to end by a certain time. That means another venue for an after-party. Know this before you book, not after!

What’s the right size? Simple. Bigger than you’d think!

When it comes to figuring out the right size, a general rule of thumb is ~10-15 sqft/per guest for a seated dinner reception. For 100 guests, plan for at least 1,000-1,500 sqft. If you're including a dance floor, bar, catering station, or cocktail hour space within the same tent, you’ll need to add even more.

The dance floor itself typically takes up ~400 sqft of your tent. So for 150 guests and a dance floor, you’re looking at ~2,800-3,000 sqft, so a tent ~40x75 feet.

Seating arrangements can change the capacity of your tent, as well as any food arrangements. Plus, you've got to leave room for a dance floor or additional entertainment.

And from there you’ll want to consider everyone at your event that’s not a guest (e.g., caterers, event staff).

The point is to work closely with your rental company to confirm sizing based on your specific layout!

I'm just going to say it. A tent wedding without an experienced planner isn’t something I’d risk.

Having a professional wedding planner who has experience with tented weddings will think of things that haven’t even crossed your mind. They’ll also have a network of trusted vendors and creative partners they can bring in to make things run smoothly.

While a tent wedding is such a unique outdoor venue, it also involves a lot of logistics. You may want to save this post and refer back to it as you start planning.

Thanks for the read!