How Much Does It Cost To Rent a Wedding Tent

If you are going to hold a wedding outdoors, you will need shelter for your guests and staff. That means renting a wedding tent.

In this post, we will explain exactly how much it costs to rent a wedding tent and break down the factors and add-ons that can affect the costs. That way, you will be able to budget accurately for your big day.

General Cost Range to Rent a Wedding Tent

So How much does it cost to rent a wedding Tent?

The general cost range to rent a wedding tent is anywhere from $5,000 up to $25,000. That said, we have seen some wedding tents to rent for $1,000-$5,000.

If you are having a very small wedding with only a few guests, you also might get away with spending just a few hundred dollars to rent or buy a wedding tent. That is just for the tent itself though. Once you tack on additions, you will be paying more.

Additionally, you could end up renting more than one tent for your wedding. You will have the main tent for your guests, but you might also have a small tent for your staff. That smaller pop-up canopy tent will probably cost just a few hundred dollars.

Factors that Influence the Cost to Rent a Wedding Tent

As you likely observed already, there is quite a large cost range for wedding tent rentals! Here are some of the factors that can drive costs up or down:

• Tent size: This is one of the biggest factors that will affect your costs. Renting a tent to accommodate up to 20 guests is going to cost you a lot less than renting one that can accommodate up to 200 guests, or even more.
• Tent design: The overall construction and shape of the tent may impact what it costs to rent, as might the materials.
• Additions: You probably will not be renting just a tent for your wedding. In order to keep your guests comfortable and do activities, you are going to need to rent or buy some add-ons. You can find out about some of the most common ones in the next section.
• How prices are quoted: We notice sometimes people list the cost to rent a wedding tent with just the cost for the tent itself, while other times they are including the costs for additions. Keep in mind that explains some of the huge pricing variations you may encounter. Always find out exactly what is included in a rental.
• Rental company: Some companies may charge significantly more or less than others. For that reason, it pays to shop around before you book a rental.
• Rent vs. buy: The cost to rent a tent for your wedding will be different than the cost to purchase the same tent. Later, we will discuss key considerations when deciding whether to rent or buy a wedding tent.

What are the Add-Ons / Accessories You Might Need to Rent or Buy with Your Wedding Tent?

• Side walls: You can attach these to a wedding tent to keep wind and rain off of your guests. They can also feature windows to let in natural light and/or a cross-breeze. It is typical to spend on the order of several hundred dollars on side walls. The exact price will depend on how many side walls you want, whether or not they have windows, and how large they are.
• Tent liners: You know how sometimes inside event tents, you see beautiful gathered cascades of cloth? These are tent liners. They cost a lot; to give you an idea, we saw an estimate of $1,080 for liners for a tent measuring 40’x60’.
• Tent heaters: To keep your guests cozy and warm on a cool day, you may need to invest in some heaters. Each one will tack on more than $100.
• Fans: Conversely, if it is a hot day, you will need some fans to help circulate the air. We do not recommend air conditioning, as it costs way too much and does not operate with efficiency.
• Flooring: If you want a floor under your tent, you will pay between $1 and $4 per square foot. Flooring will help protect your guests’ shoes from mud, and will also make for more enjoyable dancing.
• Generator: To power lights, heaters and other appliances, you will need to rent a generator. The cost range is usually anywhere from $500 to around $1,300.
• Lighting: There is a pretty wide cost range for renting lighting for a wedding tent simply because there are so many different options for how you can do it. It all depends on the effect you want to achieve. At the lower end, lighting could cost you a few hundred dollars. At the upper end, it could range into the low thousands.
• Stage: If you will have a band performing in your wedding tent, then they will need a stage. Renting the stage could tack on around $500-$800 or so.
• Marquee: This is a connecting passageway you can rent between the main wedding tent and smaller pop-up canopy tents for caterers and other staff.

Should You Rent or Buy a Wedding Tent?

After reading all of this, one of your biggest remaining questions is probably whether you should rent or buy your wedding tent.

If you think you will only use it on this one occasion, then you will save money by renting the tent. But if you think you will use it again for other large events later down the road, it might make sense to buy it. Here are some additional resources if you are interested in purchasing a 10x20 or 20x20 wedding tent.

You can also consider buying some of your add-ons. For example, you might not throw a big enough event to use the main wedding tent again, but maybe purchasing the smaller pop-up tent the staff are working under would be sensible, as it would be quite versatile. The same goes for the generator, some of the lighting, and maybe even heating and cooling.

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