Sunshine Tent & Party provides quality party and event rental services in the Southern New England region. (see: Tent Rentals Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts) We are a full service rental company that is family owned and operated. Our product lines include
party tents, dance floors, tent flooing, tables, chairs, linens.

Our new line of custom made sail clothe fabric high peak tents create romantic lighting effect without the negatives of additional center poles.
These tents also have valances that help keep rain and wind from spoiling your party.
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Tented Party Rental Costs
The first thing I learned about party planning is to put together some kind of budget. Or at least a total amount that be can
spent on a party. Every client I have ever met with had  some idea what was a realistic total to spend on their reception.

I take great pride in working with a client to help them cost effectively put together the party they envisioned. When you talk
to us about "your party" we try to get a feel for what your trying to do. Outdoor receptions can be very casual to very formal.
Over the years I found that each customer has their own unique personality. Our success is measured on how well we can help
a client put the right ingredients together to have the day they dreamed of on a budget they can work with.

Some rental companies post per item rates. Theoretically, if a customer knew exactly what they needed and their were no other
costs associated with the rental you could figure the total rental amount by these posted rates. In reality most parties are
more complicated and have special provisions that can only be quoted on a case by case basis. The rates charged for services
can very widely from company to company leaving the per item rental rates virtually useless in comparing one company to
another.

We have found per item rate totals compared to rentals quoted with accurate and comprehensive information very widely.  

We spend the time working with a  client to get the information needed to provide an accurate quote for the total  job so there
are no surprise charges later. We  give a variety of options on how to effectively get what you want.  Our quotes are itemized
so you can modify the quote to fit your budget. Our goal is to work with you to get what you need as cost effectively as
possible.

From a cost per head perspective, a party rental  with tent, tables and chairs with delivery and setup can be as low as $5.00
per head and go all the way up over $25.00 per head. The equipment and service needed for a back yard barbecue is very
different than a full blown catered wedding reception.

If your comparing quotes from company to company be sure you compare all costs accurately. Some rental companies have
lower grade tents and equipment or quote using smaller tents and cramming more guests per table. Also, important details
such as delivery and setup provisions may be left out. If information like the access to you property is left out of a quote and
your site is limited you could get hit with a large last minute labor charge. The old saying of comparing apples with apples and
oranges with oranges definitely applies to party rentals.

Why have a tented event?
Like most brides I wanted my wedding day to reflect what my future husband and I were about. I found early on in the planning
that the banquet facility I had chosen was not very receptive to what I was attempting to do. Simple things like having a bottle
of our chosen wine on each table required conditions and restrictions. We wanted to decorate the room  but due to timing
restrictions we could do very little decorating. Virtually all aspects of our wedding reception had restrictions placed on us by the
banquet facility.

When everything was said and done our wedding reception went off smooth and I believe all of our guests had a great time,
but admittedly due to the restrictions placed on us by the banquet facility our reception ended up fairly cookie cutter in nature.
In fact the house party we hosted after the reception was the most unique part or the day.

I believe the most desirable aspect of the private tented event is flexibility! You can make your wedding day truly yours and
not what a banquet manager is willing to approve or disapprove.

Timing is a big advantage with a tented event. Many banquet facilities turn over rooms and book multiple weddings on a
weekend. This can severely limit any custom decorating that you want to do. We usually setup tents up 2 or 3 days before the
event and pickup 2 or 3 days after. This gives your decorators and florists plenty of time to decorate and remove decorations.

And of course their is the issue when your event can start and end. My wedding reception  had to be completely out of the
banquet facility by a certain time (including our decorations). We ended up having to put on a party after our reception. With a
tented event you decide when you want your party to end. Again its your day, you should decide how long it will last.

Tented events and banquet facilities have one important thing in common. A customer is renting out space to house there
event. The important difference is that a banquet facility is only available for a few hours and the tent is available for  several
days.

Privacy has been an issue with some couples. We've had celebrity clients and non-traditional couples that wanted there event
truly private. It can be very difficult for a customer to monitor who is observing there party in a banquet facility. Thats why
many celebrity weddings are held at private residences as tented events.

We have some families that are looking to save money over using a banquet facility and in many cases this can hold true.
When you total up all the costs of a wedding reception the tented  reception can be much more cost effective. Just an open bar
at a banquet facility can cost more than a complete party tent rental. If your comparing cost, compare all costs to get accurate
bottom line comparison.

What you should look for in a party rental company!
Our first tented party was in the mid 80's. A family 35th anniversary party we were hosting at our home.  We chose the party
rental company our caterer recommended. This company seemed to know what they were doing and told us what we would
need.  

The tent was to be setup the morning of the event (Saturday) and taken down on the following Monday. This would give us
time to decorate and a day to clean up. To our dismay the tent was late and we only minutes to setup the tables and chairs
(We thought the quote included the setup of chairs and tables)also we had rush putting up our decorations.

Even though the tent was on the small side, the party still went well. The following day the rental company showed up early to
remove the tent, we had to rush to take down our decorations and we got back billed because the table and chairs were not
folded and
stacked . We refused to pay these charges because they  showed up a day early. They eventually waived the charges.

Between our own personal experiences and listening to our customers. We have learned much about how the party rental
industry operates. Below are some simple but important points you should consider when choosing your party rental service
provider.

Recommendations from a reliable sources are always the most desirable way to choose any service provider, but their are some
important issues to consider in weighing out the value of recommendations when it comes to party rentals.

  • If you get recommendations from a caterer make sure they don't have financial connections with the party rental
    company they are recommending. This is common occurrence that goes on between caterers and party rental companies.
    (We are proud to say we have no agreements with any caterers, party planners or events companies. We
    recommend caterers based on quality and if a caterer recommends us it is solely based on our quality)

  • When considering recommendations from families and friends, be aware of what type of parties they've had. Small
    simple parties are easy for most companies to do a reasonable job.  Weddings and large parties are a different matter.

  • Stick to a party rental company and not a rent-all company. Most rent-all companies have party rentals as a side line to
    machinery rentals. Even though party rentals seem very similar. Party rentals are very specialized. And have little in
    common with equipment rentals.

  • Choose a company thats willing to work with you. Good customer service is Important! Sadly, some companies attempt
    to sell you on expensive add-ons that you don't need to boost the bottom line profits.  If a customer service
    representative is pushy or wants to dominate your vision of what you want for your party, its best to look at another
    company (We work hard to accommodate your needs but we will not do anything thats unsafe or not practical).

  • Choose reliability over glitz. Some companies are marketing products (including tents) that cant hold up in poor weather.
    This is New England and weather changes quick. You should feel confident that some wind gusts or rain should not spoil
    your event.(We are proud to say after thousands of events we have never had one canceled or postponed due to
    bad weather!)

  • Don't be afraid to check references. References are important,  but mean nothing unless you check them. Also, take in
    consideration the source or the reference. Most institutional rentals have little in common with the requirements of private
    parties. Again don't compare apples to oranges.