Outdoor Tent Wedding Tips for Wisconsin | Expert Planning, Vendors, & DJ Services | Sound Sensations Entertainment
Ultimate Guide to Planning an Outdoor Tent Wedding in Wisconsin: Tips, Vendors, & Everything You Need to Know
If you’re planning a wedding during Wisconsin’s warm, sunny months, you may want to consider the beauty and flexibility of an outdoor tent wedding. A tent wedding allows you to take advantage of Wisconsin's gorgeous outdoor scenery while still maintaining an elegant, comfortable atmosphere. It offers many benefits, including more freedom with your event’s layout and menu options—you're not tied to a venue's preset options.
Here’s your ultimate guide to planning the perfect outdoor tent wedding in Wisconsin—from choosing the best tent to selecting accessories and working with local vendors.
Why Choose an Outdoor Tent Wedding in Wisconsin?
There’s something magical about celebrating your wedding outdoors, surrounded by nature, and a tent allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds: the outdoors and comfort. Whether you’re planning your wedding in Oshkosh, Green Bay, Appleton, or another charming Wisconsin town, outdoor weddings are especially stunning when paired with the picturesque landscapes found in this state.
An outdoor tent wedding gives you the flexibility to customize your event, whether you're tying the knot in Door County, on the Fox River, or at a venue in Fond du Lac. You’ll have plenty of room for guests to mingle, dance, and celebrate in the open air.
Here are three Great Tent Rental Vendors in the Fox Valley Area:
Outdoor Tent Wedding Tips You Need to Know
1. How Much Space Do You Need for Your Tent Wedding?
For a comfortable experience, experts recommend 15-20 square feet of space per guest. When you picture your wedding day, think about your guests mingling, dancing, and enjoying the celebration. Make sure your space isn’t too cramped. The last thing you want is guests feeling like sardines in a can!
If you're planning your wedding at a local venue or even in your backyard in Oshkosh, Appleton or the Fox Cities, it’s crucial to determine your space requirements ahead of time to ensure a smooth, comfortable event.
2. Choosing the Right Tent for Your Wedding
Selecting the right type of tent is crucial for creating the perfect atmosphere:
- Pole Tents: These are great for grassy areas and provide a traditional look. They need to be staked into the ground for stability, which is perfect for outdoor weddings with wide, open spaces in places like Door County or Green Bay.
- Frame Tents: Ideal for non-grassy areas (like parking lots), these tents don’t require staking and are more versatile for different surfaces, making them a great option for urban venues in Appleton or Fond du Lac.
- Sailcloth Tents: Known for their translucent fabric, these tents glow beautifully when lit up in the evening. They create a romantic, ethereal vibe—perfect for evening receptions in Fox Valley or other Wisconsin wedding locations.
3. Top Accessories for Your Outdoor Tent Wedding
Enhance your tent wedding with carefully chosen accessories that elevate the atmosphere. Most tent rental companies offer a variety of add-ons, including:
- Dance Floors: If you want to get the party started, a dance floor is a must-have. Choose one that’s appropriate for your tent size.
- Tent Liners: Add elegance by softening the look of the ceiling, making the space feel more intimate.
- Lighting: String lights, chandeliers, or paper lanterns bring warmth and charm to your wedding, especially when the sun sets.
In Wisconsin, many venues and rental services provide additional lighting options to complement your event's style—be sure to work with local Oshkosh, Green Bay, or Appleton vendors who are experienced with tented weddings.
4. Tent Wedding Timeline: When to Set Up and Take Down
It’s important to allow plenty of time for set-up, especially if you plan to decorate the tent yourself. Be sure to check with your tent rental company about their set-up and take-down timeline. If your wedding is at your home, consider having the tent set up early enough to allow time for decorating, and taken down the day after your wedding, so you can use the tent for a rehearsal dinner or a post-wedding brunch.
Many local tent rental companies in Oshkosh, Appleton, and Green Bay offer flexible rental periods, allowing you to use your tent for multiple events.
5. Planning for Weather: Rain or Shine
You can’t control the weather, but you can certainly plan for it. Here’s what you should consider:
- Heat: If your wedding falls on a particularly hot day, provide paper fans for your guests to keep them comfortable.
- Rain: Make sure your tent rental company offers sidewalls that can be added to the tent (be sure to check if there’s an additional cost). This way, you’ll be prepared no matter what the weather brings.
Wisconsin weather can be unpredictable, so be sure to have a weather plan in place. Check with your local tent vendor about their weather contingency options in case of rain or extreme heat.
6. In Case of Emergency: Always Have a Contact
It's always best to have a contact number for your tent rental company on hand, just in case an issue arises during the event. While problems are unlikely, it’s essential to know who to call if something goes wrong during your celebration.
Many local rental companies in Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Appleton offer 24/7 emergency contact services for peace of mind.
Recommended Tent Rental Vendors in Northeast Wisconsin
If you're looking for trusted vendors for tent rentals in Northeast Wisconsin, we’ve got you covered! Several reputable companies offer high-quality rental services, and we’d be happy to share our top recommendations. Look for vendors in Oshkosh, Green Bay, Appleton, and other cities in Fox Valley for the best service and selection.
Sound Sensations Entertainment: Elevating Your Outdoor Tent Wedding Experience
At Sound Sensations Entertainment, we specialize in making your wedding unforgettable by providing personalized DJ entertainment, photo booth rentals, and event lighting throughout Wisconsin. Our experienced team of DJs—DJ Bob V, DJ Devon L, Nick C, Al G, and Ed E—have over 20 years of experience each, performing at more than 1,750+ weddings across Wisconsin.
We understand that an outdoor tent wedding needs to have the right vibe from start to finish, which is why we’ll help you customize a playlist that keeps your guests on their feet all night. Plus, we offer ceremony sound reinforcement, uplighting, and even slide show creation and projection—all designed to make your outdoor celebration extra special.
We proudly serve areas including Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, Sheboygan, and beyond. Whether you’re tying the knot at a rustic barn, lakeside venue, or your backyard, we’ve got the expertise to enhance your event.
Book a Consultation with Us Today!
Ready to bring your outdoor tent wedding vision to life?
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discuss how we can make your celebration unforgettable. Our experienced DJs will work with you to create the perfect atmosphere, from the first dance to the last song!
We Help Couples Create a Memorable, Fun & Engaging Experience!
Every Sound Sensations Entertainment DJs/MCs has at least 15 years of experience at more than 1500 events all over Northeast & Southeast Wisconsin. DJs Bob V, Nick C, Devon L, or Ed E would love to be a part of your day. Our DJ/MCs help couples create a memorable, fun & engaging celebration that keeps guests involved and engaged from the cocktail or social hour until the end.
Entertainment experiences are more than just a DJ showing up and pressing play. It’s also more than just knowing how to choose songs and mix them together. Being a Wisconsin DJ is about creating experiences and atmospheres for you and your guests. We don’t want to just provide the perfect music, we want to help you create a fun, engaging & memorable celebration that EVERYONE will REMEMBER. We want to create the perfect day with you.
What Do You Do Now?
Contact our amazing DJ team today to find out pricing and availability for your upcoming event. We offer wedding DJs, Event DJs, Photo Booth Rentals, Uplighting & Monograms, Slide Show Creation, Event Planning & Wedding Planning.
Let's schedule a quick Zoom chat & guide you through the planning process, share a few ideas about what's possible on your day including:
- Understanding Your Vision for your day & Your story
- Fun, Engaging Ideas for the cocktail/dinner hours
- A couple of fun introduction ideas
- How to keep the timing & flow of your celebration moving
- FUN ways to release guests to the buffet (if applicable)
- FUN Kissing Activities & FUN ways to Involve Kids (if applicable)
- We'll show you how to make sure the dance floor is packed from the beginning
- How to have a Memorable & FUN Celebration & MORE!
- We'll share all of this & more BEFORE signing a Contract/Agreement
Our service areas include NE Wisconsin including Appleton, WI, Oshkosh WI, Fond Du Lac WI, Green Bay WI, and everywhere in between.
We also travel to SE Wisconsin including Milwaukee, WI, Menominee Falls, WI, West Bend, WI, Richfield, WI, Pewaukee WI, Sussex WI, Hartland, WI and everywhere in between frequently.