Many people go for wedding tents from their local wedding tent rentals when having outdoor weddings, but they are not your only option.
Depending on your venue, guest list, weather, and the atmosphere you want to set, you can create a beautiful wedding without putting a single pole into the ground.
To shed more light, here are the wedding tent alternatives worth considering:
Pergola
A pergola is stunning for photos.
Unfortunately, most pergolas can only fit a few people. If you have a large guest list, you should consider something else.
If only inviting a few people and you are bent on using your pergola, ensure that it looks good.
Drape it, hang lanterns from the crossbeams, and do any other thing that will keep it looking its best.
Watch the sun angle before you decide on direction to place the chairs. The reason for this is because most pergolas have open slats by design.
As a result, the “shaded” side at noon can be a sunbeam by 6pm, and you don’t want the head table getting cooked during toasts.
Sailcloth
A sailcloth is soft, sloped, almost billowy. It also breathes better in heat than a standard tent roof, and this is something your guests will notice.
Unfortunately, the wind moves that thin fabric easily, and it does not move quietly. Get a breezy evening and your band will be competing with a shed that snaps like a sail.
To be on the safe side, ask for the wind rating before you book. You should get a sailcloth with a high wind rating as it will give you a quieter event.
Shade sails
Shade sails are the angled fabric triangles you see strung over playgrounds. You can have them in your wedding for a smaller fee.
You are not paying for walls, a frame, or a full roof. You are paying to block sun in three or four exact spots, which is a fraction of a tent’s cost.
The catch is anchoring. Sails need real tension points, sturdy trees, posts, or a building wall, so an open field with nothing to tie into usually cannot support this option without bringing in extra poles.
You should do your research and ensure that you can safely have them in your wedding venue.
A barn
A barn is not just a rustic aesthetic. When you book the right one, it can be the best weather insurance you can have for your outdoor wedding.
Here is where couples get it wrong. They book the barn and never set foot inside it before the wedding.
What you should do is to stand in the empty barn and picture 150 chairs, ten round tables, and a bar cart crammed into that space.
Most barns look enormous when they are empty and shockingly tight once furniture shows up. You should ensure that your barn can comfortably fit your guests.
You also should check the bathroom situation while you are in there. If the barn doesn’t have a toilet, you should plan on where to place the portable ones.
Remember to order enough portable toilets for your guests.
String lights
If your venue has trees or existing posts, you can use a canopy of string lights to define the different sections. Done right, it feels intentional and elegant.
The lighting does the emotional work that tent roofs usually do. Guests feel like they are standing inside a room instead of standing in a yard, which changes how the venue feels.
If you are thinking about going with string lights, ensure that you have your event in times of good weather. You don’t want your guests rained on as the lights won’t provide much protection.
You also should look out for dew. Since you don’t have a roof it means whatever the sky drops overnight lands straight on your tablecloths and place cards.
To avoid this, set up as close to the event as possible, not the night before.
Patio
If your venue has a covered patio or deck, you already have a partial roof and a hard, level floor. Those are two of the priciest items on a tent invoice, and now they are gone.
When having your event in the patio ensure that you have a level, solid ground. Avoid uneven grass as it means wobbly tables and heels sinking and you don’t want this.
Like pergolas, the major limitation of patios is size.
Patios do not stretch to fit a bigger list, so if your guest count grows past what the space holds, you will have to rent a tent extension, which defeats the entire point of opting for a patio.
Greenhouse
A glass greenhouse venue does something no fabric ever will. It lets in real daylight while keeping wind, bugs, and rain completely outside.
The downside is that glass holds heat, and holds it fast, so a summer wedding inside one without serious air movement turns into a sweat room.
To keep your guests comfortable, ensure that you have a highly effective cooling system.
A marquee
A marquee is a tent’s more structurally impressive cousin. It doesn’t have a center pole holding the roof up which means you don’t have an obstructed sightline anywhere in the room.
It also means that you don’t have an awkward seating chart built around dodging a pole.
With a marquee you have an open floor plan which means every table gets the same clear view of the head table.
For a great experience, ensure that your marquee is installed by experienced professionals who know what they are doing.
Parting shot
It’s not a secret that you have plenty of options if you don’t want tents in your wedding venue. But before you book any of the options, ask what happens in the worst case scenario when it comes to heat, wind, or rain.
If you cannot answer that with a specific plan instead of a hope, you are not ready to skip the tent.
Get a quality tent from tent rentals MD and it will give you peace of mind as its built specifically to survive the worst version of your wedding day.