I hope you enjoy the article!

Tweet This Post

Research first

Book your reception site before hiring a caterer. Keep in mind that many banquet halls have exclusive (or “preferred”) relationships with in-house caterers, which may limit your ability to work with an outside company. Check before you interview outsiders.

Menu matters

Plan to set up your menu at least six months in advance. If you’re marrying during peak wedding season (June-October) you may have to order it even sooner, especially if you want a big-name caterer.

Seek out referrals

Ask friends and family for recommendations, and talk to brides in your area. Once you find a caterer you like, speak to satisfied brides and ask for references before you sign a contract.

Set priorities

If having a large number of people at your reception is important to you, scale back on the refreshments. On the other hand, if gourmet food is a priority, then keep your guest list to a manageable size or restrict your bar offerings to wine and beer.

Buffet or banquet

Do you want a five-course dinner menu with individual wine pairings? Or is a barbeque buffet more in keeping with your wedding theme? Consider your personal style to determine what will work best for you.

Special requests

Are there dietary needs (vegetarian, kosher) to consider? Make sure your caterer has experience preparing these types of dishes.

Set the scene

Bring in photos of your dress, reception site, and flowers—anything that will give your prospective caterer a better sense of the type of reception you have in mind.

Tasting time

If the caterer is offering a complimentary sampling, be sure to clear the number of people you can bring beforehand.

How to save money

Daytime affair

Opt for a wedding brunch or luncheon reception instead of dinner, which is typically much more expensive.

Cocktail hour

Skip the full meal and celebrate with tasty refreshments instead—an option that works best for a celebration after a 2 p.m. ceremony (not dinnertime). Or host an afternoon tea or a late afternoon/early-evening cocktail reception.

Course cutting

If you have your heart set on a seated meal, cut back the number of courses from five to three.

Smaller selection

Ask guests to select their meal preferences on the RSVP cards so caterers can plan ahead, or choose a pasta or protein dish that you think has the broadest appeal.

Top quality

Keep the menu simple and focus on quality ingredients. Ask your caterer to use in-season produce from local farms.

Kid friendly

Order an inexpensive kids’ menu for the children’s table at your reception. Chances are they’d much rather have a cheeseburger and fries than foie gras, anyway.

BYOB

See if your caterer will let you bring your own liquor. (Be sure to ask about corkage fees.)

The basics

Limit your bar offerings to wine and beer. Liquor (especially premium bands) can add a wallop to your bar tab.

Size matters

Keep your guest list to a manageable number.

What to include in your contract

• The date, time, length and location (include specific room or hall) of the reception.
• The date by which you need to supply the caterer with a final headcount.
• Type of food service (buffet, cocktail reception, seated meal).
• Your approved menu and courses.
• Alcohol arrangements: Does your caterer have a liquor license? Can you supply your own wine? Will there be a corkage fee? What brands and vintages will they be serving? Can you return unopened bottles? Will there be an open bar? (If so, specify the hours.)
• Server specifics, including staff-to-guest ratio and dress code.
• The cost of renting equipment, silverware, glassware and linens.
• Arrangements for feeding other wedding vendors (photographer, band, planner).
• The name of the banquet manager who will be overseeing the reception.
• Price quotes for food and maximums on unforeseen menu expenditures; cancellation and overtime fees; deposit and refund policies; payment schedule; extra fees including gratuities and sales tax; and the total estimated cost.

What to Ask…

Choosing the right vendor comes down to asking the right questions.

Click for a printable worksheet to take to your appointments.

Tweet This Post

New Hampshire offers some very unique challenges in the tent rental business. Challenges with wind at the seacoast, granite everywhere in the ground and now floods from Nashua to Manchester and all around the Concord area… work can be a challenge! I read this article that appears in the latest issue of intent magazine about a tent rental company in western Canada and was comforted by the fact that things are the same no matter where you go.  The article outlines some of the same challenges and solutions Exeter Events and Tents faces every day and addresses the daily obstacles we all face, from overcoming not only work challenges but the struggles with the current economy and some of the unique solutions we found in common.

Alberta & British Columbia are beautiful and challenging locations to be in the tent rental business

InTents | April 2010 . Photo courtesy of All Occasions Party Rentals Inc.

Surrounded by mountains, lakes, ski resorts and wineries, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, is a beautiful—and challenging—location to be in the tent rental business.

“I am sure our plight is no worse than many others, but we do live in a valley on a lake with rocky and sandy shores and mountaintop houses where the soil is bulletproof,” says Dwayne Ranson of All Occasions Party Rentals Inc. of Kelowna. “Not to mention a very high USPSF (my technical term for underground sprinklers per square foot!) as our climate is very arid.”

In Alberta, tent renters contend with a short season due to extreme winters. “Rentals usually start in April and end in October,” says Averill Torrieri, marketing manager for Special Event Rentals of Edmonton. “Rates are typically a bit higher here than warmer climates due to the fact that our rental season is only six to seven months long.”/p>>
Ranson says that his company uses only frame and clearspan tents, engineered and on adjustable legs to deal with irregular ground.

“Tents that can’t stand up in the wind are of no value to us,” Ranson says. “We would prefer to have tents that go up and come down quickly but have chosen to go with tents that are more structurally sound for the added measure of safety and peace of mind they provide.”

Both Ranson and Torrieri note that one positive to the downturned economy is a favorable labor supply.

“Being an oil-producing province, our labor supply can be very volatile;

when oil prices are up, quality labor is hard to find,” says Torrieri. “That said, with the recession affecting all of us  more people are looking for work and, as a result, we have been able to reduce the overinflated wages we were forced to pay when oil was high.”

The challenging economy has motivated Special Event Rentals to discern where inefficiencies lie and employ new systems to address them. The company installed a Teeco tent washer in January, which will reduce cleaning labor costs by 50 percent, Torrieri says.

All Occasions Party Rentals also is approaching the recession as an opportunity.

“Now is the time to bargain hard for future space, invest in not-so-used equipment at a fraction of the new cost, train your people and entrench yourselves with your customers and suppliers,” Ranson says. “When the good times come back, we are striving to be in a better position to build our brand and expand our client base.”

Tweet This Post

Alberta & British Columbia are beautiful and challenging locations to be in the tent rental business

InTents | April 2010

. Photo courtesy of All Occasions Party Rentals Inc.

Surrounded by mountains, lakes, ski resorts and wineries, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, is a beautiful—and challenging—location to be in the tent rental business.

“I am sure our plight is no worse than many others, but we do live in a valley on a lake with rocky and sandy shores and mountaintop houses where the soil is bulletproof,” says Dwayne Ranson of All Occasions Party Rentals Inc. of Kelowna. “Not to mention a very high USPSF (my technical term for underground sprinklers per square foot!) as our climate is very arid.”

In Alberta, tent renters contend with a short season due to extreme winters. “Rentals usually start in April and end in October,” says Averill Torrieri, marketing manager for Special Event Rentals of Edmonton. “Rates are typically a bit higher here than warmer climates due to the fact that our rental season is only six to seven months long.”

Ranson says that his company uses only frame and clearspan tents, engineered and on adjustable legs to deal with irregular ground.

“Tents that can’t stand up in the wind are of no value to us,” Ranson says. “We would prefer to have tents that go up and come down quickly but have chosen to go with tents that are more structurally sound for the added measure of safety and peace of mind they provide.”

Both Ranson and Torrieri note that one positive to the downturned economy is a favorable labor supply.

“Being an oil-producing province, our labor supply can be very volatile;

when oil prices are up, quality labor is hard to find,” says Torrieri. “That said, with the recession affecting all of us  more people are looking for work and, as a result, we have been able to reduce the overinflated wages we were forced to pay when oil was high.”

The challenging economy has motivated Special Event Rentals to discern where inefficiencies lie and employ new systems to address them. The company installed a Teeco tent washer in January, which will reduce cleaning labor costs by 50 percent, Torrieri says.

All Occasions Party Rentals also is approaching the recession as an opportunity.

“Now is the time to bargain hard for future space, invest in not-so-used equipment at a fraction of the new cost, train your people and entrench yourselves with your customers and suppliers,” Ranson says. “When the good times come back, we are striving to be in a better position to build our brand and expand our client base.”

Tweet This Post

Green Sustainability is a commitment

We all want to do our part to make our jobs and daily lives more green and eco-friendly for the environment and all creatures big and small. Here is a good example of how the leading tent manufactures are exploring ways to do just that. Exeter Events and Tents is supporting the move towards green environment and eco-friendly work practices. We support the green initiatives available in our industry but we are just beginning to crawl towards this goal. We will only be able to walk with your help, the rental community, in identifying and then achieving this lofty goal. It’s the forest for the trees thing and although we can immediately identify ways to be greener… we may be too close to the problems to see the real creative solutions. This is where you, our clients and friends come in. Please feel free to comment and offer advice on this post. We will take your comments and discuss them in future green blog posts. Over the next month we will be adding green pages to our family of websites. If you would like to receive information on our progress please click on the link at the end of the article below and we would be happy to include you in our e-mails on this subject and more! So enjoy the article and if you like it tell a friend it’s easy to do and can be done any way your friends may want to receive information. Check it out at the top of the blog!

Tweet This Post