What size tent do I need? Tenting provides a great way to create additional event space while simultaneously allowing your guests to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. American Party Rentals offers a wide variety of tent sizes to accommodate your event needs. The questions below will help you “guesstimate” your tenting needs for budgetary purposes and to make sure the required tent will fit in the space available. Answers to the first two questions are required to generate an answer. If you already have more details about your event, answer as many questions as possible to generate a more accurate tent size estimation. This form is intentionally simplistic – if there is a configuration or item not listed you would like to have under your tent, please consult with our event specialists! American Party Rentals Tent Size Calculator Cocktail Tables with Barstools Your event will require approximately square feet of tented space. See our selection of tents by clicking here!
Resources › Choosing the Right Tent If you are unsure how big of a tent you need to rent for your event, use our fun calculator tool to get an estimate now. The short form will give you an idea of the size of tent you need. Then browse our rental inventory to find photos and prices. › Try our Tent Size Tool Also take a look at our CAD layouts. We can create a 3-D layout for your event to give you peace of mind knowing that everyone and everything will fit comfortably. Some Things to Consider Choosing the right tent or canopy for your special event is critical to the comfort of your guests and the smooth flow of traffic throughout the event site. You will need to consider ... On what kind of surface will the tent be placed? Grass, concrete, asphalt, wood deck? How much space do you have? Dimensions of tent site? How many people do you wish to accommodate and in what configuration? All seated at tables, partial seating, cocktail party setting?
What other items would you like to have under the tent? Buffet, bar, cake table, dance floor, stage, etc.? What time of day will your event take place? Will you need lights and/or heat? Is there a power source at the site? What are your power requirements? Do you wish to enclose any portion of the tent? Will you need accessory tents for caterer's prep station, beverage service station, or to feature a focal point such as an ice sculpture or wedding cake? With four styles of tenting available, getting you in the product that's right for your event is the first step. available when it's time to reserve your tent will ensure the best possible coverage for your special event. Some typical tent sizes include: A 20' x 40' tent could accommodate 100 seated theater style (rows of chairs with an aisle up the middle) or 64 seated at round tables of 8. A 30' x 60' tent could accommodate 225 seated theater style, 144 seated at round tables of 8, or 180 seated cafeteria style (rows of 8' banquet tables).
A 40' x 60' tent could accommodate 120 seated at round tables of 8 with a buffet, bar, cake table and dance floor. All of the equipment and accessories you need to create a distinct and individual mood are available right here. You can count on us to provide personalized service from consultations and site surveys to professional and friendly installation and removal. your free personal consultation. View My Event0 items › What is this? Got Something to Say? We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think about our service, crew and Web site or just tell us how your event turned out. › Submit a commentI‘m going to let you in on a little secret that I learned early on in my career as an event planner—you can control a great number of things, but the weather will never be one of them. I know, I know. This isn’t want you want to hear. No one wants to rent a wedding tent. They can be expensive, and daunting to think about, and the sky is just so lovely this time of year.
But if you have to rent a wedding tent (and don’t kid yourself: outdoor venue, no back up plan, high chance of rain? You may have to), then you’re going to want to make sure you price that in your “affordable and easy” outdoor venue cost early on, and then keep reading. Because there is actually (surprisingly) kind of a lot you need to know: It’s important to factor in whether you will need to rent a wedding tent early on in the planning process. When you’re looking at venues, you’ll want to factor the pricing of the tent into any venue that doesn’t have indoor options. Essentially, if you’re considering outdoor venues and there is more than a remote chance of inclement weather on your wedding date (I think pretty much the entire Eastern Seaboard?), renting a tent should be lumped into the “book your venue” task on your to-do list. Tents can sometimes be expensive (depending on a number of factors we’ll talk about below), so you’ll want to factor it into the budget before you fall in love with your dream venue.
If you’re early in your planning process, you may not have exact numbers yet, and you may not have determined what style of party you plan on hosting (sit-down, buffet, cocktail, punch and pie, etc.). However, you’ll want a rough estimate at this point to get a price quote. This spreadsheet will give you a basic rundown of how much square footage is needed for various types of events. As a general rule, you’ll want to choose the squarest tent your site will allow. A squarer tent will have a taller ceiling, which in addition to looking better will also keep the tent cooler. Also, it’s much easier to make sure that all of your guests feel included when you’re seated in a squarer shaped tent.Step one is done! There are several styles of tents available for rent—but the most popular are frame tents and pole tents. There are three main considerations to take into account when it comes to which type of tent you rent—space logistics, aesthetics, and (of course) budget.
Pole Tent Pros and Cons Frame Tent Pros and Cons If you have a pretty good idea of the size and type of tent that you want, before getting a price quote it’s important to think about all of the extras that you might need or want. These extras can cause your price quote to vary greatly. Clear top tents are a very popular alternative to white tents and generally don’t cost much more. However, keep in mind that if any portion of your event is taking place during the daytime, the sun can turn your clear top tent into a giant, sweaty greenhouse. Now that you have a pretty decent idea of what you’re looking for, you can reach out to rental companies for quotes, but where do you find them? Ask around—your caterer and venue should be able to provide you with some reputable options. Otherwise, a google search for “event rentals + your location” should yield a ton of results—just check out online reviews for an idea of who provides quality service. When you reach out to companies for quotes, you’ll want to make sure the following items are covered in the proposal:
Also, make sure that you’re okay with the change/cancellation policy. There are so many variables that can change between booking and the wedding, you’ll want the option to change the size of the tent or possibly cancel it if the weather looks like it’s going to be totally amazing. Make sure that those points are covered in writing before handing over any money! When getting a quote ask how long the setup time will take. On average a 40 x 80 foot pole tent takes approximately four and a half hours to set up. If it’s a possibility at your venue, you may want to have the tent onsite and ready to go a few days prior to the wedding—this way you’ll have time to decorate and play around with the floor plan. Find out if the company will come out to survey the land prior to the event. Some companies charge a nominal fee to do so (which is usually counted towards your rental fee if you sign a contract), but you might find the peace of mind worth it! Make sure that the vendor knows the tent is for a wedding (and that you’re expecting wedding quality as opposed to a county fair tent—unless that’s your thing).
And finally, if possible, rent from a company that does more than just tent rentals. Many rental companies are full service offering everything from the tent to the glassware. If you rent the majority of your items from one place there will be one delivery charge, one vendor to wrangle, and from a timing perspective, everything will arrive all at once. Here are a few actual quotes my clients have received in the past twelve months: 100 People, Buffet Dinner and Dance, Southeastern Pennsylvania: Pole Tent $1,810 (photo above) 175 People, Buffet Dinner and Dance, Upstate New York: Pole Tent $3,355 145 People, Buffet Dinner and Dance, Upstate New York: Pole Tent $2,575 (photo above) 75 People, Ceremony and Partial Cocktails, New York City Rooftop: Frame Tent $1,575 70 People, Welcome Dinner Buffet (no dance floor), Upstate New York: Pole tent $1,175 (photo above) 100 People Ceremony and Cocktails, Upstate New York: Round Pole Tent $2,981 100 People Ceremony and Cocktails, Upstate New York: Pole Tent $1,255