Installations for Your Backyard Wedding

You need to have an in depth conversation with your tent company about the installation of your tent or tents. It will take at least a day and possibly up to a week to install everything, depending on a number of different factors from how big the floor is to how much lighting needs to be installed.

 If you have underground irrigation, you landscaper should meet with the tent folks to discuss where those lines are and how to avoid them before the installation begins. Your tent company should also call the public works agency responsible for marking for other underground lines (electricity, cable, phone) in the days before the installation begins. In the Mid-Atlantic region this agency is Miss Utility.

 It’s important to remember that once floor and tent installation begins, access to the rest of the yard may be limited. If you are planning on setting up a generator or a restroom in the yard, you may need to put those in place first. These items come on large trucks or trailers, and the delivery vehicles need space to travel and maneuver. You also need to keep in mind that the longer a generator or bathroom trailer sits on your grass, the more likely that area of grass will be damaged by lack of sun and water.

Unfortunately, there is no way around the fact that the installation period is going to be somewhat of an imposition. The installation of a tent and floor is noisy, and there will be large vehicles clogging up your street. Please make sure to prepare yourself and your neighbors. It is definitely recommended to have someone at the home during installation in case something, like a hitting an underground line, needs to be handled.

White pole tent photographed by Michelle Lindsay.