- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Maybe you could call public parks, gardens, fair grounds, camp grounds, wherever it is that carnivals set up when/if they come to your area. Ask them if you can rent out space and set up a tent on it. Most weddings that I have seen in tents have buffets so the caterer will just bring you the food from their kitchen and won't need access to cooking facilities at your venue. There may be some caterers who will bring plated meals cooked from their own facilities but that seems a bit more difficult. There are some hotels that set up wedding tents on their property and do the catering for you in the hotel. You should call tent rental places because they will know where most people have tents set up in your area. You would also need to call caterers and ask what kind of requirements they have.
@USAandKSA: That's a great idea. We'll call a few rental companies to see what they suggest. Thanks!
Congrats on the big day! Working outdoors can be tricky. Depending on what county you're in, you may need to get permits and such to tent outdoors.
Through my job, I've organized several outdoor events, and my first though in reading your post is that you should check with local venues about their policies. Try gardens, historical mansions with large outdoor space, wineries, maybe some farms down near Half Moon Bay, etc. Also, talk with some potential caterers about what their requests would be based on your ideal reception-- what are their "needs" and what are "wants." Most caterers will ask for some kind of basic kitchen facilities (fridge, maybe a freezer, oven, prep area, sink); even those buffet stations are prepped and heated onsite before the meal. I know of a caterer that's grilled on-site before, but that's fairly rare.
Then maybe decide on if you're going to have a day-of coordinator or a longer-term coordinator (either through a caterer or a separate person)--maybe that person can help you navigate through all of the tenting/permitting/catering issues!
Good luck!
@RubiesSF: Thanks for your reply! I'm definitely looking into a few farms, vineyards and ranch properties as options. Basically we're researching the tented reception idea because my fiance wants to figure out if a Napa-style lobster bake is possible for our wedding :) If you have heard of real weddings where that happened, please share the info!
@tbiytc: I haven't heard of any lobster bakes here, but I'd love to put you in touch with my caterer, Jennifer. Perhaps she has? http://jenniferlunch.com
-Becca
The Oceano Hotel in Half Moon Bay has a tented area for receptions. Never heard of them doing a lobster bake for a reception, but Sam's Chowder house is just down the street and you could probably do something fun like that for the rehearsal dinner. Good luck!
We had a tented reception and the caterer came to us, they have lots of equipment and are usually able to accomodate anything as long as you can provide them electricity.
I'm not from your area so I have no suggestions for locations.
There is a lot more to think about when you go this route. You typically will need to rent tables/chairs as your "venue" probably won't have them. We had to rent bathrooms- but that may not be an issue for you depending on where you have it.
It is so worth any extra work/details you need to be on top of! Good luck!
@RubiesSF: Thanks for the caterer suggestion. I'm going to contact her and see if she has ideas or can work with us on what we're picturing.
@mrsreid: Thanks for the encouragement. I read a Weddingbee Pro post on the hidden costs of tented receptions and that made us a bit nervous...
@CAWeddingPlanner: Thanks!
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Lyndzo | 34 |
| Ms. Salamander | 23 |
| beargoose | 21 |
| his chippymunk | 20 |
| rebwana | 19 |
| mypinkshoes | 18 |
| LammChop | 17 |
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| kat2014 | 15 |
| s.renea9 | 15 |
Sorry, there are no users yet.
Hey all,
We're planning our wedding for spring or summer 2012 and currently we're in the middle of The Great Venue Search. I'm sure many of you can commiserate! We're estimating between 120 to 150 people. We would prefer to have the wedding in San Francisco, but recognize that outdoor space would be more sane outside of SF. My question is, if we wanted to have a tented reception, how would we go about figuring out a venue where we could place the tent and still have access to catering facilities, etc.? I'm picturing one of those beautiful tents with a clear roof so that we can see the sky/surroundings, decorated with tiny lights... I would love to hear some advice from people who have held tented weddings and suggestions on possible wedding locations. Thanks in advance for your help!