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Tents vs. Umbrellas

ekp812ekp812 member
First Comment First Anniversary
in Wedding Reception Forum
Hey all! 

I'm planning a day wedding in Northern CA in July.  Average temps are in the 80s and while we'll be inside for the ceremony, the reception is in an outside garden.  There is plenty of shade from 3-5PM but the reception begins at 1PM so I'm worried people are going to be sitting and baking in the sun.  My debate is whether to get a tent or just use umbrellas.  Right now it's not so much about cost but rather worried that under a tent it might get too hot.  We wouldn't have any sidewalls or anything, but it still could get pretty steamy under a vinyl top.  The problem with umbrellas is that not everyone is going to have shade as the sun moves.  We have about 250 guests so the tent would be pretty big and we'd have to get quite a few umbrellas.

Has anyone dealt with this or have any insights on whether a tent or umbrellas would be better?  Thanks!

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Re: Tents vs. Umbrellas

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    JCbride2015JCbride2015 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    It seems that a tent is the better idea.  I've been to many tented events in hot weather and the shade is always welcome.  I've never noticed it gets hot under the tent, just been happy that there was a tent for shade.

    Umbrellas seems logistically hard to manage.  How will people hold umbrellas while partying at the reception?  What about sitting down to eat?  Or dancing?
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    wrigleyvillewrigleyville member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    Tents aren't warm. It's not like when you're camping and the tent retains heat. It's actually more like sitting under a tree canopy, and the shade is just as nice. 

    It will actually be much warmer with umbrellas, since you won't have true shade, and as JCbride said, it's hard to hold umbrellas constantly.

    If you're worried about air circulation, you could always run a couple of fans near the edges of the tent.
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    southernbelle0915southernbelle0915 mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    Definitely a tent. Can you imagine 250 walking around with umbrellas poking/bumping into each other? Add alcohol to the mix and just... no.

    You shouldn't have an issue with the humidity/temp in the tent. As long as you don't have sides on it, you'll be fine. If you're really worried about it, you can rent some fans to keep the air moving. Plus, this is perfect as your Plan B for rain.
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    Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I believe OP is talking about those large table umbrellas, not that each guest has to hold an individual umbrella all afternoon.

    OP, I would advise you to use a tent.  They do not get warm, especially since the sides will be open to allow air flow.  If you are really concerned about warmth you could see about renting large fans that are typically attached to the top corners of the inside of tents.  Set them on medium low and they will provide a nice gently breeze inside the tent.  But honestly, I don't think you will need them.

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    atlastmrsgatlastmrsg member
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    Tent > umbrellas...just in case there's a sun shower.  Or, a surprise rain.
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    climbingsingleclimbingsingle member
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    Tent.
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    MandyMostMandyMost member
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    Definitely tent, with fans if you can afford it. I've seen fancy tents with "ceiling fans" before which were awesome. 
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    JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
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    Another vote for tent!
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    SoldiersPetAngelSoldiersPetAngel member
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    I agree with tent! 
    But you could include some cute parasols just for the heck of it! 
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    allisonelizallisoneliz member
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    A tent/marquee won't heat up if it's just the canopy without sides. Definitely tent. says the girl with a tent in her siggy
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    jenna8984jenna8984 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Tent all the way. Get some fans in there but it won't be bad with open sides. And if it rains that will be much more effective.

                                                                     

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