Event Planning 101: Your Tented Wedding Part II

Lance Hill from Event Rent continues our series on preparing for a tented wedding or party for us:



What are some ways a bride can customize their tent? What types of costs & charges should brides anticipate?

When ordering a canopy the customer will be getting the frame and the top fabric the cost of the labor for setting the canopy should be covered in the price of the canopy and delivery fee. There additions available to customize your canopy.

Sidewall is available for all types of canopies. This normally comes in 10’-20’ sections and the customer can choose to fully or partially enclose their canopy. Sidewall is available in solid, windowed and clear styles.

Flooring can be put under all canopies. There are many options for adding flooring to your canopy. Some flooring options include a wood sub-flooring, carpeting, dance floor or porta floor(plastic flooring). Any of these options can be used by themselves or together to accommodate the type of flooring effect you would like.

Liners are available on all types of canopies other than tension tents. A liner is fabric made to fit under the top of the canopy to hide the poles and make the canopy look more elegant. Leg covers are also available in the same material to cover the legs of the canopies. Leg covers will also hide water weights in most cases and only if there are no sidewalls.

Clear top fabric is also available on some canopies.

Lighting is also an addition to consider for evening or night events. Lighting options range from twinkle lights (mini lights on a string) attached to the frame of the canopy to chandeliers to lanterns hanging from the frame to up-lighting used to accentuate the canopy. Lighting options may vary depending on the type of canopy used.


Heating and cooling is also available to provide temperature control to your outside event.



For timeline purposes, what should brides expect for set up time?

When planning an event with a canopy it is important to consider the amount of time it will take to set up.

Some average set up times are:

10x10- around 20 minutes for Tension and California styles.
20x20- 25 minutes for Tension and California styles.
30x30- 30 minutes for Tension and 45 minutes for California.
40x40- 45 minutes for Tension and 90 minutes for California.
40x80- 1.5 hours for Tension and 2.5 for California.

These example times are for setting the canopy only- these do not include time to set up any of the additional items available. Some variables that may effect set up time include: weather, guys on hand, what is used to anchor the canopy, liner, water barrels, ect.

It is always best to check with the company that will be setting up your canopy on their time frames.



{Note: See Lance's previous post for explanations on the styles of tents mentioned here}



{Event Rent is located at 600 N Eagle Rd in Meridian, ID}