Having a Tented Wedding

10 years ago, this year, my husband and I had a beautiful tented wedding at my parents' home. While I was spared from a lot of the stress as I was living out of state at the time, it was really stressful on them. Here are some things I learned that I thought I might pass on to you.

First off, you'll need to consider what you're going to do about your home. Will you lock it up, and rent port-a-potties? Will you keep it open? There are some logistics to work out if you're having over 100 people at your wedding and have a septic tank in your backyard. You will absolutely need to have your tank cleaned a few days before the wedding. My parents opted to have the house open, and told guests (or had signs up, I can't quite remember) that the "Ladies Room" was in the house, and the "Mens Room" was the two port-a-potties they'd rent. If you're going to lock the house up, be sure to rent the kind with sinks in them.

Perhaps the most obvious is making sure you have enough room for a tent. There are several kinds you can get, so your space may mean two smaller tents in an L shape, or you might have the space for the large, peaked tents. You'll also want a nice, flat area, and be sure to have a dance floor! Dancing on grass in heels isn't fun.

You will also need to rent your tables and chairs too. A reputable tent company will guide you to how big of a tent you're going to need depending on how many guests you're inviting and how many tables you'll need.

Caterers- you'll want to find a caterer who is used to working with tented receptions. They will be better equipped in dealing with tent logistics, and consider renting them their own smaller tent, which will give them a tucked away place to cook on site and hide their equipment.

Parking- is there enough room for 70-80 cars? consider having a family member or hired professional to guide guests as to where to park. If you have a couple of cars parking in the wrong direction, you could run out of room.

Decor- because you're renting table and chairs, you'll also need to rent linens (tablecloths and napkins), flatware and place settings (though you can find really neat plasticware that looks like the real thing). Vermont brides can check out www.occasionsvt.com for linen rentals. Occasions is also a full service caterer that has AMAZING food as well.

For some tented inspiration, you can check out the following Vermont tent vendors: Celebration Rentals, Wedding, Tents and Events and Vermont Tent Company.

{Image credits, top, Occasions Catering; bottom three, Celebration Rentals}