Tented Reception

I have not done this but I did seriously look into it. We have a family ranch and thought about just doing the reception there BUT after renting the tent, dance floor, tables, chairs, and all of the other stuff that venues sometimes have, it didn't make financial sense to do that. I think the venue we found for $5250 came out to be less than what we would have rented all that stuff for. If you're doing it in the cooler months, you'd probably need to look into renting some type of heaters as well. It would have been so much more work to deal with all that.

View Quoted Comment Yeah that’s very helpful! We already have our venue and have been planning on doing it outdoors but are thinking about getting a tent for piece of mind.. I think it’s a common misconception that tented weddings are inexpensive but we’ve been quoted between $2K-4k just for the tent rental.

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Exactly!!! My dad kept trying to convince me to choose the family ranch and I kept trying to explain why that wasn't a logical route for us. It wasn't until he looked at the cost of rentals that he got the point! If your profile is accurate with your date being in April, I think it will be great weather for an outside wedding. Typically not too hot by that point. I would recommend the tent for rain purposes. I'd also be sure and say something on the invites/website about it being outdoors so everyone can dress appropriately.

Aside from the costs others have mentioned, also consider the weather. Tents don't solve all weather problems. They actually make guests hotter on hot days (no air flow, sun beating down) and if it's raining, the ground could still be wet and it might be cold OR hot and steamy inside an enclosed tent.

I've been to many weddings with tented receptions but we opted for a venue that had an indoor space instead of a tent (it's a barn with huge doors that open up on all sides, so it will still have that open air feel). We are outdoorsy people and have a lot of adventurous and nature loving friends so tents are very popular among our friend group. I had always envisioned an outdoor wedding for myself, with a pavilion, tent, or other structure to provide some shade and shelter (basically a roof, but not necessarily four walls).

If the weather is nice, you have a good quality tent (and a good company setting it up), and the ground where the tent is erected has a good substrate and is level, tents are absolutely lovely. They can feel less confining than an indoor venue with similar square footage because the high point of the tent ceiling is usually much higher, sides of the tent can be left open, and most tents are white and reflect light nicely. More permanent tents (ones that are set up for a whole season, not just a single event) tend to be set up on a slab, platform, patio, or other solid surface, or sometimes have a liner put down, which is really nice. I think these are great options for receptions.

Temporary tents, set up for a single event, don't provide as good an experience for guests at a wedding IMO, and I wouldn't hesitate to set up one on property available to me but I'd be less likely to rent a venue that relies on this type of setup. Tents set up on grass lawns can end up with the lawn getting trampled and the ground getting muddy or dirty, especially if they are used for multiple events during a season. The dance floor for these (which is usually created using wooden tiles) is usually pretty small and not the best to dance on because it gets slippery from people tracking grass and dirt on from the surrounding dinner area. If the lawn or ground is uneven it can be a tripping hazard, and is definitely less than ideal for elderly guests or ones with mobility impairments. If it's raining, tents can be quite loud, and you cannot control the temperature or humidity in a tent as well as you can a building with a roof and four walls and heat or AC. If you fill a tent up, guests seated at the edges of the tent may still get wet or cold if the weather is inclement. One wedding I was at that had a tent set up on a lawn received 4" of rain during the reception and my chair and table were in a puddle of water up to my ankles (that was with my heels on), and we weren't even seated at the edge of the tent. I've also noticed that tents with acrylic panels on the canvas walls that act as windows always look cheap because the acrylic is almost always faded, dirty, and rippled.

Of the three venues we visited, two were tented and those tent rentals cost about $2k so if you are considering a tented reception as a low cost option, keep in mind that tents still aren't cheap!

My daughter picked a hotel that had a tent out back for weddings. She really did not want a big room with no windows. She loves the look of a tent with up lighting and twinkle lights. The sides can stay up or come down depending on the weather and it has a covered walkway to bathrooms. It did cost more then a ballroom though.

Pros: 1) allows for comfortable outdoor wedding reception, 2) looks cool


Cons: 1) expensive!
We ruled out a venue because they said we should have a tent in case of too hot or too cold weather. The price was $5K! Thankfully we chose a venue with great ceremony and reception location options because it rained on our wedding day. And our event was still spectacular.