When it comes to your tent price, there are several factors to consider. Now more than ever budget is a main concern for everybody. As much as we wish it didn’t, money impacts most of our decisions. Here at Elite Tents we are asked all the time about this. Once someone receives a quote or sees the pricing page on our website they want to know how we’ve arrived at that price, or how they can change it. In this article we’ll go through what you can do to bring the price of a tent down. It should also give an insight into some of the things you are getting when you hire a tent package!
Tent Size
This is an obvious one. more or bigger tents will have a higher price than smaller setups. What this really comes down to though is your guest numbers. It can be a good idea to check the size above and below your ideal setup. See how much your guestlist would have to change to put you in a different bracket. Would it cost much extra to expand? Or are you only a handful of guests away from a smaller and cheaper tent? A change in tent size can effect your price by over £1000 so it’s worth looking at!
Be sure to remember, you need to fit more than guests in your tents! If you want an internal bar, chill out area or stage this can affect your tent size and therefore price!
Package Contents
It is rare, especially for a wedding, to be quoted for just a tent by itself. At Elite, our packages for anything over 100 people includes the tent, flooring, basic lighting, seating and a dancefloor as standard. Different packages from both ourselves and other companies will have different contents so always go through it all. Obviously the more things included in a package, the higher the tent price will be. Extra lighting is very popular, as fairy lights really bring a tent to life. Fire pits go beautifully with tipis, and chill out furniture will always be popular with your guests.
We always recommend that you start with a package where you want everything included, and then add any extras on. This is a lot simpler than selecting a package that includes everything you want, and trying to take things off that you don’t. Sometimes a step down in package level can save £££ and you can still add on those elements from the higher packages that you absolutely love. For example, at Elite Tents if you do not want reindeer hides on your benches but love the festoon walkway, we would advise selecting our Gold package and adding on the festoons. This would give you a lower tent price than if you were to select the Platinum package and not use the hides.
Delivery/Setup
At Elite Tents all of our wedding packages include the first 40 miles of delivery. Party packages include the first 30. We don’t tend to travel much further but on occasion we will quote for additional delivery. A change in Venue can make a difference, especially if your tent provider quotes delivery separately. It is always worth making a note of where a tent company is based and comparing it to the location of any potential venues. For the majority of bookings the price for delivery and setup is the same. However if your tent reaches the size where it will require 2 days to setup there can be additional charges.
At the end of the day, you are most likely not going to be able to (or want to) change the location of your wedding or event just to bring the delivery cost of the tent down. But it is important to consider when comparing tent companies for price. When viewing any package prices you should check to see if delivery is included or you may be hit with the charge further down the line.
Type of Tent
The type of structure you hire will naturally have an impact on price. The lowest priced tent is usually the standard clear span marquee. Keep in mind that although ‘flashier’ tents may cost more, they usually do not require as much decoration, as most people want the natural look of the tents to come through as apposed to a clear span marquee where you may want to hide the poles/walls.
If you are planning on having lots of decoration that will hide the look of the tent, then it makes sense to consider the low cost alternative. This would be instead of paying a premium for beautiful structure only to hide it behind your other decorations.
When comparing Sailcloths and Tipis, the sailcloth usually comes in with a lower price, provided you are using the capacity. Tipis are much more flexible for guest numbers. So if you have a smaller guestlist tipis will normally be the tent with the lowest price, however if your guestlist happens to fit in nicely with a sailcloth package that can be the most cost effective choice.
Time of Year
At Elite Tents, and many other tent hire companies, our prices change throughout the year. This is mostly to reflect popularity, and to allow people who can be flexible on date to save money on their big day. The highest prices come in July and summer bank holidays, and the lowest prices are in winter, excluding the Christmas period. This does not mean that winter events are any worse than summer events, as depending on your tent type there shouldn’t be a change in capacity to hold a fantastic event either way. It merely reflects how busy the period is for tent hire. Summer weddings are broadly more popular in the UK right now, so bigger crews are needed, along with there being a lot more admin work and all the other costs associated with running a company that needs to expand to match the quantity of work.
In the winter, as outdoor events are less popular, companies can often run on a skeleton crew and more admin time is freed up, meaning companies are able to offer discounts on their pricing. Also, if you’re looking for a bargain or like to barter over price, you are much more likely to see success with a business in it’s quiet period than when they are busy and know they can get another booking!
Top Tip: Don’t forget the other costs associated with the time of year, such as heating during the winter months.
Day of The Week
For a lot of suppliers, including most indoor venues, having a midweek wedding means a lower cost. This is not usually the case with the price of tent hire. Prices are of course built around weekend events as they are the most popular, but remember that is not the day where the work is actually being done. If your event is a weekend, then the setup will be Wed-Fri, and the take down will be Mon-Tues. This means by having a midweek event, you disrupt the whole system. Essentially you can end up taking up two slots, one on the weekend before, and one the weekend after. A lot of tent companies will add an additional logistics charge to make up for this. Doing a wedding on a Wednesday can mean that tent is not available to go out for both the weekend before and the weekend after, so it is understandable.
Exceptions can usually be made for events with 1 days difference, for example a Friday or Monday. Also if your event is in the off season you may get away with it as the company might not be very busy and therefore able to adjust. It would not make the tent price come down at all though. So if your only reason for going midweek is to save money, you may as well stick with a weekend!
