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Every once in a while I get a request from a bride about an outdoor wedding, and she says she doesn't like or want a tent. My first response is usually “are you from the West Coast?” as many weddings happen successfully without tents in California, where the weather is much more predictable. This got me thinking about tents in general, so I thought I would share some of our favorite tent photos as well as some insight into tents.

In no particular order…

1. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you always need a tent, no matter what time of year you're getting married.

2. You should plan on getting the next size up in your tent if you are planning for an outside ceremony or cocktail hour. If it starts to rain, you can always have the ceremony in one section of the tent and wall off the reception area with some fabric. This is a very cost effective way to ensure a rain plan.

3. If you can afford it, floor your tent. There's nothing worse than a guest ruining their shoes in the grass, or dealing with uneven surfaces to place your tables. Not only will your guests appreciate sitting or standing on an even surface, but your florist will love you even more because they'll be placing centerpieces on level tables. There's nothing quite like a tall centerpiece leaning to one side filled with water and flowers….yikes.

4. A tent is a completely blank canvas, so you can add design elements as you please, without worrying about the space dictating your color scheme. There are lots of design elements that will add to a tent, such as:

• uplighting and washing the ceiling with LEDs
• addition of a fabric liner or chiffon panels to soften the ceiling and make the space more intimate
• chiffon side tent panels to soften the perimeter of the tent
• addition of lights to the poles in a number of different ways

Photos by KPW

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