in this issue
Taking Tented Weddings by Storm
Come rain, or sleet, or snow—tent weddings assure for an outdoor
venue less affected by weather. With the right design and customization
concepts, a tent wedding is as easy and low maintenance as any indoor
event. Robert Soucy, owner of Special Events of New England, chimes in
on what to consider when selecting a tented wedding.
Lighting: Night comes quickly after the cake is cut and the
bouquet is thrown. How does the party assure for a bright night when
there is no light switch to turn on? Soucy says there are a lot of
lighting options to consider for a tented wedding and there is one for
each price range. One popular option is Café lighting: “Clear low
wattage bulbs strung throughout the tent to look like [an] outdoor
European café.” Soucy mentions colorful papers lanterns that add a
colorful element to the design as well as Onion lights that pair well
with sailcloth tents. Both of those lights help to customize and
decorate but Soucy adds: “Of course there are other options that will
light the tent quite effectively without decorative element.”
Blank Slate:
A tent is a blank canvas—to be filled with the desired tableware,
chairs, and engulfed by the outdoor venue chosen specific to the couple.
Fabric tent liners and pole covers are both suggested by Robert Soucy
to help personalize the canvas. Pole covers can help to disguise the
metal or it can be customized with fabric or lattice to make it unique
to the event.
Sidewalls: Weather is unpredictable—we
are under the thumb of our sometimes gracious, mother nature. To be
ready for anything is important when having a tent wedding: “Covered
walkways can be added to help cover guests to and from restrooms or the
house on the property.” Soucy reminds couples that sidewalls are also an
important add on: “Since [side]walls are completely removable it's
always a good idea to have them on hand” If it does rain or snow on the
couples big day sidewalls can minimize wind and water. If the day
happens to clear up and the sun shines in, in a matter of minutes the
walls can be removed again.
Food: There is not always a
kitchen nearby when a tent event is chosen. Couples should think about
how they will keep the food warm and ready for their guests. If the
wedding is catered they will need to decide where the company sets up
their station. Soucy says this can be a quick fix if the couple is
prepared: “To accommodate caterers and their food preparation on site we
most often provide a smaller ‘kitchen’ tent.” This way the food set up
is separate from the rest of the party allowing more space to dance and
dine during the reception. As an additional feature: “We also offer food
service equipment including ovens, heating cabinets, grills, stove
burners.” These are designed for tent weddings and would be desired if
there is no equipment brought to the venue.
Size: How
does the couple know what size a tent is best for them? Is it about
venue size, guest list—Soucy says that their teams works with their
clients to predict an appropriate size: “We generally go through
interview and consultation to determine proper space requirements and
then recommend the tent size best suited.” Blindly deciding on a tent
size could lead to a crampt space or another danger being a vast blank
space and not enough decorations or customized designs to stretch the
entire tent.
The tented wedding allows for more creativity
and flexibility with the menu which otherwise might be limited in a
function hall. Soucy also argues that the outdoor venue is what drives
the value of a tented wedding: “No two [places] are the same and the
location is what makes it.” He says the location is often special to the
couple which makes the experience uniquely personal for them and their
guests.
Robert Soucy owns the tent and party rentals of Special Events of New England.
They rent a great variety of tented wedding features from dance floors
to linins to tableware. For more information of Special Events of New
England visit their website or call at 800-924-8389.