The Bride's Guide to Styling a Tent Wedding

If you've already decided you want a tent wedding, awesome! That’s one of the biggest decisions checked off your list.

Now comes the really fun part…you get to turn a blank slate into whatever it is that you're dreaming up.

This is part two of my tent wedding series. If you missed part one (the logistics side of things), go back and read that first.

I’m assuming here that you already know you want a tent and you’re ready to get into the style details. A tent doesn't make a wedding... what's inside it does.

Before you start pinning ceiling drapes and suspended floral installations, you need to pick the right tent structure. Because the tent style you choose will shape every other design decision that comes after it.

Pole tents are the classic. When you’ve seen dramatic peaks and cathedral-like lines, that's a pole tent. They've got a great silhouette.

But here’s the catch, they require grass for staking, and the interior poles will be part of your design plan (more on that in a minute).

Frame tents give you a completely open floor plan with no interior poles getting in the way. They're more modern and sleek, and they're the go-to when you need a flexible layout or when you're working on a patio or hard surface.

Sailcloth tents are the showstopper because of the translucent fabric. During the day, natural sunlight filters through it and bathes your wedding in a nice glow. And it looks even more spectacular at night. If you've ever seen one lit up from the outside at night, you understand what I mean.

That said, clear top and sailcloth tents need a well-planned lighting scheme because all that translucency means the inside is visible from every angle.

Clear top tents are exactly what they sound like. The top is clear! You can see the sky, sunset, tree canopy, whatever natural beauty your venue has to offer.

One thing worth knowing is that they can get extremely warm during the day, so talk to your rental company about climate control options if you're getting married in the summer months.

You need a lighting plan! In my opinion, lighting is what turns a tent into an amazing venue.

Crystal chandeliers are a natural focal point and add a sense of grandeur at the center of the tent. You can go with traditional crystal or a more modern metal design.

As for uplighting, you can create depth with colored or soft white beams upwards along tent walls, poles, and drapery. If you opt for programmable LED systems, you can even switch out the colors throughout the evening, something warmer at dinner to more vibrant when you open up the dance floor.

String lights and bistro lights are the industry baseline for a reason. It’s common to see lights strung from poles to the edges of the tent, or draped across the ceiling in a radial pattern. They're versatile enough to work with nearly every aesthetic.

And if you have a clear top tent, I highly recommend pin spotting. Without it, your centerpieces and focal points disappear into the reflections above. Pin spots beam directly down onto specific decor elements, like your cake table, or your bar.

One of the greatest advantages of a tent is the ceiling. Don't leave it bare!

To dazzle it up, add in draping. Some common draperies are chiffon, silk, and organza. You can have the full ceiling draped for a completely enveloping effect or do a central panel.

You can also have the chandeliers wrapped in foliage or flowers.

Now if you really want to make a statement, suspended floral installations are so worth the effort. You can do a single oversized halo above your sweetheart table or rows of hanging cascading greens running the full length of the tent.

Speaking of flowers, a tent gives you vertical space that most traditional venues don't.

Now, back to those tent poles. In a pole tent, the interior poles can become a design element if you wrap them in garlands of vines and flowers. Done well, they're some of the most photographed spots at the reception.

You can even have your design team install a living floral wall as your ceremony backdrop.

Just make sure to work with your florist to choose flowers that will hold up to the outdoor conditions of your specific wedding date and climate.

When I attend a wedding, I form an opinion about the entire event once I walk into the venue. That first impression your guests have walking through the entrance of your tent will carry through everything that follows.

You can place a decorated arch at the entrance to signal that something extraordinary is inside.

The other thing to think about is visual continuity. If your ceremony is outside and your reception is in the tent, the design language of the two needs to come together.

How do you pull it off? Use the same colors, the same floral varieties, or the same lantern style at both locations. Your goal is to create a cohesive experience, not two separate events that happen to be on the same day.

This is where design meets hospitality. If there’s space, have a dedicated lounge area within or adjacent to your tent. They break up a large open area and they give guests a place to settle in and have a conversation.

Place some upholstered sofas, side tables, mood lighting, and maybe a few candles to create that lounge ambiance. Even though it’s a tent, it should be a cozy spot your guests gravitate toward all night.

Here's what I want you to take away from all of this. The tent is really a blank canvas, and an extraordinarily beautiful one. But it’s not going to have any personality until you give it some.

Work closely with your florist, lighting designer, and tent rental company well in advance. These aren’t decisions you’ll want to be making at the last minute.

Want more tent wedding inspiration? Check out my other post that covers everything you need to know before booking your tent.

Thanks for stopping by!