Here are some great ideas for the perfect wedding toast from the book: ‘Your Special Wedding Toasts’ by Sharon Naylor.

If you’ve ever given a speech or made a presentation at work, school or a club, you might already know the wisdom of opening with a joke…or a quote. Something to catch the listener’s attention and something with a theme to build your speech around. The same theory works with wedding toasts. You only have a few seconds at the start of your speech to grab your listeners and pull them in, get them interested in what you’re saying and eager to hear more. A good start can often lead to a great finish. Read the rest of this entry »

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Graduating tenting requires an education in economics, communication, logistics and marketing.
InTents | April 2012
By Maura Keller

A commencement ceremony is the final impression these graduates of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., will have of their alma mater. Photo courtesy of Creedon and Co. Inc.

Graduation ceremonies and parties punctuate the end of a long educational journey and celebrate a new stage in life. Rental companies help make these celebrations memorable with crisp tents, upsells such as specialty lighting, and rows and rows—and more rows—of perfectly aligned chairs.

“Commencements are the final impression that thousands of students will have of their alma mater, so they are very important events,” says John Creedon of Creedon and Co. Inc., Worcester, Mass. “To meet our objective, we communicate with the [college or university] staff to educate them about the mechanics and practical realities of installing tents, chairs, staging, lights and other equipment.” Read the rest of this entry »

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We found this blog post on this party favor site and thought you might want to check out some of the cool stuff they offer it’s a very interesting site! http://bit.ly/IzGdfs

If you have opted for a spring wedding, then you have a myriad of options for color perfection on your big day. It is always nice to mimic nature when choosing the color theme of your big day, and spring brings with it many color options and combinations that can be simply stunning.

Spring Greens

The most obvious color option when borrowing from the great outdoors in the spring is green. It can be seen everywhere one looks- unless, of course, he or she is out to sea or in the desert. The myriad of greens that can be seen on trees, fields, and gardens offer a number of options for choosing the color of bridesmaid’s dresses, ribbon to tie off bouquets, featured on the cake, and to decorate table tops at a reception. Whether sage or seaweed, greens can be beautiful as a backdrop for your dress of white. The drawback is that photos taken in fields or in front of fully leaved trees may become overwhelmed with green tones.

Baby Blues

It is considered the season that welcomes rebirth, so why not choose a color that speaks to that theme. Baby blues, which are found in the sky and sea, are gorgeous in a wedding setting. On dresses, ties, cummerbunds, cakes, and tablecloths, light blue speaks to simplicity and sophistication. It also works well with other brighter colors that might make an appearance in splashes, such as on the cake or in the bouquets carried down the aisle.

Rainbow

This is the time of year when the rains falls and wets the ground, making way for the gorgeous summer blooms to come. With all that rain, one can also find the natural beauty of rainbows. Not a traditional look for a wedding, but beautiful nonetheless, rainbows can make for a beautiful theme for a wedding. Dress each bridesmaid in her own color, keeping consistency through style, and pair her with a groomsman sporting the same color on his tie, in his corsage, or on his cummerbund. The cake can be decorated with a full array of colorful flowers, drawing on each of the colors being worn by your party, and wedding favors can follow the rainbow theme as well. Read the rest of this entry »

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Local Company Supports First-Ever New Hampshire Event for Fighting Breast Cancer

EXETER, N.H., May 7, 2012–Exeter Events and Tents, northern New England’s finest event equipment rental company, is providing half a dozen elegant tents at a significant discount for the first-ever New Hampshire Race for the Cure, Saturday, May 12 at Portsmouth’s historic Strawbery Banke.

The support is being provided through the family-owned company’s Quest to Reinvest grant program, which recently awarded more than $20,000 in goods and services to over a dozen charitable and non-profit organizations throughout New Hampshire, down east Maine and northern Massachusetts. Read the rest of this entry »

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Families in Transition program named first 2012 recipient of unique “Quest to Reinvest” program

EXETER, N.H., May 2, 2012–For the second straight year, the owners of Exeter Events and Tents have donated $1,500 in goods and services to Families in Transition’s premier “Cinco de Mayo” event, Thursday, May 3. Families in Transition is a Manchester-and Concord- based homeless services provider.

Through its Quest to Reinvest program, established in 2011, Exeter Events and Tents has committed to donate or provide substantial discounts on tents, tables, chairs, dance floors, stages and other special event and party rental merchandise in order to help organizations run fundraising events for a wide variety of critical services and causes. More than a dozen charitable and non-profit organizations throughout New Hampshire, down east Maine and northern Massachusetts were named grant recipients in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Quest to Reinvest” to Award Thousands in Grants to Deserving Organizations

EXETER, N.H., April 24, 2012 – Exeter Events and Tents, northern New England’s finest event equipment rental company for nearly 25 years, has awarded more than $20,000 in goods and services to over a dozen charitable and non-profit organizations throughout New Hampshire, down east Maine and northern Massachusetts in the second year of its Quest to Reinvest philanthropic program.

The company has committed to donate or provide substantial discounts on tents, tables, chairs, dance floors, stages and other special event and party rental merchandise in order to help organizations run fundraising events for a wide variety of critical services and causes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tips for planning a spring wedding, including ceremony and reception decorations, themes, colors, flowers and food.

In the same way that springtime promotes the initial feelings of love, it also promotes love’s most exalted ceremony: a wedding. As the birds begin to return from their winter hide-a-ways and the flowers underfoot begin to bloom, many couples commit themselves to leading life as one component of a pair rather than by themselves. Read the rest of this entry »

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As I enjoy a beautiful 85 degree mid April day my anticipation grows knowing in the not to distant future I will be enjoying summer weekends at the seashore. Some of the best New England atmosphere, culture and beauty can be found in the quaint seashore communities or Portland area islands in the State of Maine. Soon we will be supplying sail cloth tents, tables, chairs, dance floors and other party rental equipment to elegant outdoor weddings in these very towns and of the island around and south of Portland Maine. If you have never considered one of these venues or would like that unique New England experience than here is the blog post for you. I have supplied links to some of the actual island’s websites so you can see if this would be the answer to your “where would we want our wedding to be held” question.  And if you missed last week’s post check out our custom farmers tables and custom handmade benchesthey would be just the right finishing touch when placed under one of our elegant party tents. I hope you find this information useful and would like to hear your thoughts on having a seacoast wedding.

http://www.peaksisland.com

http://www.mainetourism.com/content/4036/Greater_Portland__Casco_Bay/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Diamond_Island,_Maine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chebeague_Island,_Maine

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Graduating tenting requires an education in economics, communication, logistics and marketing.
InTents | April 2012
By Maura Keller

A commencement ceremony is the final impression these graduates of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., will have of their alma mater. Photo courtesy of Creedon and Co. Inc.

Graduation ceremonies and parties punctuate the end of a long educational journey and celebrate a new stage in life. Rental companies help make these celebrations memorable with crisp tents, upsells such as specialty lighting, and rows and rows—and more rows—of perfectly aligned chairs.

“Commencements are the final impression that thousands of students will have of their alma mater, so they are very important events,” says John Creedon of Creedon and Co. Inc., Worcester, Mass. “To meet our objective, we communicate with the [college or university] staff to educate them about the mechanics and practical realities of installing tents, chairs, staging, lights and other equipment.”

Econ 101

Several tent renters who serve the graduation event market note that the economic collapse beginning in 2008 dramatically changed this market sector. “Companies that didn’t typically involve themselves in events like college commencements found themselves looking for more work,” says Ben Philbrook, sales manager of Chase Canopy LLC, Mattapoisett, Mass. “Thus the bidding process has become very competitive, and the schools now have a disclaimer in most bids that basically says they can break a contract at whatever point they wish, without having an explanation.”

Creedon, whose company offers catering services in addition to tent and party rental, adds that colleges and universities are taking a closer look at bids and RFPs due to budgetary constraints.

“Since the economy slowed over the last few years, cost has become a more important component in customers’ decision making,” he says. “Wherever we can add value for our customers—by cutting costs or providing more efficient options—we always do that. Long-term relationships with our customers are more important to us than a single invoice.”

Matthew Mutton of Bob Mutton Party and Tent Rentals, Fort Wayne, Ind., has noticed a decrease in the number of tent rentals for graduation parties and open houses.

“I believe some of this is a direct result of the economy causing homeowners to tighten their budget,” Mutton says. “But I think another factor in this is some of our competitors are discounting prices because of the economy.”

Job application

Bob Costa, owner of B.C. Tent & Awning Co. Inc., Avon, Mass., says the first challenge in providing tents for the collegiate community is getting in the door, as most schools already have a working relationship with tent vendors.

“Once in the door, it takes years of work to build trust,” Costa says. “College graduations are a major statement and representation of the college itself, so everything has to be perfect. They want to impress parents, students and alumni. Therefore, margin for error is close to zero. Like most large institutions there are layers of bureaucracy, so getting prompt answers and decisions are the greatest challenge.”

Creedon notes that another major challenge to providing rental services to graduations is that in the United States, most commencements occur within a time span of two to three weeks, making the month of May one of the busiest times of the year for tent rental companies.

“Across the country, tent and event rental equipment companies’ inventories tend to be pretty well tapped out during commencement season,” he says. “This time of year also tends to be one of the busiest for the colleges and universities too. As a result, clear and efficient communication in preparing for and executing the event is absolutely critical. We work hard to earn our customers’ trust and confidence in our ability to perform and deliver smooth equipment installations even in the face of challenges such as hectic schedules and sometimes severe weather.”

Making the grade

Mutton believes the biggest key to success within the graduation segment of the industry is clear communication when it comes to policies, procedures, expectations and deadlines.

“It’s important that not only do we understand what the school expects, but that they know what our expectations are,” he says. “This becomes particularly important when someone new takes over responsibilities at the school.”

For large-scale layouts, Creedon generates CAD drawings before the installation and shares those drawings with its customers to ensure that they are on the same page.

“Again, clear and efficient communication is critical,” Creedon says. “When we’re on site actually installing chairs, we use string grids to ensure that the columns and rows of the thousands of chairs we set up are straight and sharp looking.”

Douglas Barrera, owner of Camelot Party Rentals, Sparks, Nev., begins graduation jobs by conducting a site review—traveling to the event location, meeting with the event designer and measuring the location of the event.

“We then use our PartyCad program to draw out different setup designs for the client to choose from,” Barrera says. “On the setup day we use plumb lines and specific measurements to space the rows and aisles to scale. When you are responsible for setting up a large amount of chairs, even a little error can be detrimental on a time-sensitive setup.”

AAA Rental System, Markham, Ill., warehouses its chairs on movable racks to ease delivery and load-in. “We try to deliver with logistics in mind,” says owner Jay Heiferman. “School facilities don’t often have great loading areas. Pre-event site visits are essential for the on-campus event.”
Mutton requires that the customer call to have underground utilities marked. “We are very clear and repetitive through the entire planning process: from quoting, to reserving, to confirming delivery times about having utilities marked and what the free services do and don’t mark,” Mutton says.
For AAA Rental, a sprinkler damage waiver is part of its rental contract. “A system schematic of course is always nice to have,” Heiferman says.
When orchestrating backyard graduation parties, Creedon typically visits customers’ yards to measure for the tents, get a sense for the terrain and any slopes or challenging areas, and determine the best method to load and install the tents.

“One solution if there are serious concerns or unanswered questions about what lies underground is to install a weighted frame tent instead of hammering stakes into the ground as anchors,” he says.

Marketing degree

The combination of a competitive marketplace and a tight economy calls for effective marketing to potential graduation clientele. AAA Rental serves both the consumer and commercial markets. “Bringing in new customers of all kinds is, of course, our goal,” Heiferman says. “We try to attract new ‘general public’ customers primarily through search engine optimization as well as word of mouth and very targeted print promotions and community-based sponsorships.”
One way AAA Rental targets the graduation party market is by providing graduation party tent packages. “Consumers enjoy not having to make too many decisions,” Heiferman says. “Packages make it easy for both of us. We also market specials for the school ceremonies.”

In Creedon’s experience, the best source of business is from repeat customers and referrals from satisfied customers to their network including family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.

“Our staff always answers the phone with a smile and we make it a point to be as prompt with our responses as possible,” Creedon says. “Our website, social media efforts and referrals from online search engines also work well.” Beyond that, Creedon encourages staff to be involved in the community and to network with existing and new customers.

When it comes to graduation parties and ceremonies, tent renters are providing memories as much as they are providing tents.

“A lot of people just have a backyard party with those 10-by-10-foot easy-up tents,” Philbrook says. “But let’s be honest. In the end, tents can keep you dry in the rain and cool in the sun, but it’s not the shelter you’re renting, it’s the atmosphere it brings to the event.”

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This year’s hottest trend are country weddings and what better place to have a country wedding than in New England. Exeter Events and Tents has incorporated our already popular Sail Cloth tents with natural spruce center poles with our new line of farm tables, handmade benches and folding matching tables. Along with your wide choice of colorful table runners, china and place settings we have everything you need for an outdoor country wedding. We have scoured the internet for ideas and advice on the perfect country wedding and include the links below for your review. Martha Stewart helped pioneer the trend and showcases some Martha Stewart country weddings including a wedding held on Buzzards Bay http://bit.ly/IeWKrD

Rustic wedding Chic http://rusticweddingchic.com/real-country-weddings is the most comprehensive website devoted to country weddings of all types. So grab a RC Cola and a moon pie because this site is packed with actual country weddings and tons of creative ideas for gowns, invitations, tables, chairs, and settings.

Whether your location is in a Barn or under a tent in a meadow, by the ocean, an historic park, on a favorite lake or at the foot of the White Mountains these other websites can also supply many great ideas.

www.countryliving.com/homes/country-wedding-ideas

www.weddingchicks.com

www.labellebride.com/2011/04/20/cool-country-wedding-ideas/

Visit our website to view our farm tables, chairs and Sailcloth tents with natural spruce poles then contact us for more great ideas and help planning that special country wedding!

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