Welcome to our Quick Tips Party Planning Guide
Throughout this web site you will see Quick Tips buttons. These links will bring you into our quick
tips guide. Each page contains quick tips related to the products and services on that page.
Quick Tips are based on our 25 year experience in the party planning and hosting. We hope
these tips help make the process of having an outdoor event more enjoyable!
Tented events are outdoor events! We recommend to all of our clients that they have 2 plans. A foul weather plan
and a fair weather plan. We've met with to many clients that base their wedding plans solely on the nice weather
and then end up scrambling to deal with less than a perfect weather. Our customer service representatives will
give recommendations so your prepared for virtually any realistic weather condition for the time of year that you
are having your event.
Should you plan your own event? Most of our clients plan there own events. Even a tented wedding reception
can be planned easily if you have the right party rental company and caterer. The rental company basically
provides the room and the caterer the food. This is the bulk of the event. Of course there are many details such as
entertainment and decorations but working out these details are similar to having a reception in a banquet
facility. In many cases because timing is less critical with a tented event, coordinating can be much easier.
Do I have a suitable site for a tented event? Its amazing what areas can be tented. We can tent over decks and
driveways, narrow areas that are close to buildings, ETC. Its very rare that we cant come up with the right tent or
combinations of tents to put on a great tented event. Our tent technician's are highly experienced to deal with
problem sites. There are other aspects to consider such as parking, power and water run-off. We have seen
virtually every problem that you can run into. In the event we cant come up with suitable solutions to a problem
site there are venues that specialize in renting out space for tented events. We have a list of these sites.
My caterer only wants to work with the rental company they choose! Some caterers maintain a financial
relationship with a party rental company. This can mean substantial money to the caterer for using a certain
company. The fact of the matter the requirements for party rental varies little from one caterer to another. Some
caterers request more space than another or may require a caterers tent but these issues are easily dealt with.
The bottom line is "its your bottom line" If your caterer is not willing to work with the party rental company of your
choosing, then dump the caterer!
Should I let my caterer sub-contract the party rental company? We provide sub-contract services to many
caterers. There are pros and cons to this kind of arrangement. On the pro side a customer only has to deal with
one company. On the other hand you never know what your going to get. Some caterers will cut on the party
rental to make a total package more competitive. This can mean you end up with the cheapest party rental
company rather than the best. There is one common sense aspect to this issue "Would you have a party rental
company sub-contract a caterer for you". Caterers know food, Party rental companies know tents. Simple as that!
When should I look for a party rental company? The sooner the better! There are only so many tents in New
England. As these are reserved it leaves you with less options. You may end up having to reserve with an over
priced company or a company that has low quality products.
Choosing the right caterer We work with some of the finest caterers in New England. Each have their own style and
expertise. I have found that the caterers that are willing to listen to what a customer is trying to accomplish and
putting together proposals based on the clients needs are the most successful. Tented events have a wide range
of food options. We have seen everything from Hawaiian Luau to 8 course black tie dinners.
Many customers ask us to recommend a caterer. We do, but only after we have an idea of what your looking for.
We only recommend caterers that we feel will work the best with your needs. I will warn you that some caterers and
party rental companies have agreements to recommend and use each other.
Sunshine Tent and Party is proud of the decision we made early on in our business. That we would only recommend
caterers based on quality and performance rather than helping our bottom line. If your talking with a potential
caterer and they are pushing you toward a certain party rentals company. Ask yourself, why? Is it for you or them!
