Plan B Rain Tent in Massachusetts: How to Prepare for an Outdoor Event

Planning an outdoor wedding or event in Massachusetts? There’s one question worth answering long before you start checking the weather forecast:

Where will everyone go if it rains?

Maybe your reception is indoors, but your ceremony and cocktail hour are outside. Maybe you’re hosting at home and your guest list is much larger than the number of people who can comfortably fit inside. Or maybe the entire event is planned outdoors.

Whatever the setup, it’s worth talking about your rain plan early. A Plan B rain tent in Massachusetts can be a great solution, but waiting until rain shows up in the forecast can leave you with fewer options—especially during our busiest event months.

At Baystate Tent & Party, we’ll always do our best to help with last-minute tent requests. But our biggest piece of advice is simple: think about the tent before you need the tent.

TL;DR: Planning a Backup Tent for Rain

• Decide where guests will go if it rains.
• Talk about tent options early in the planning process.
• Budget for your backup tent ahead of time.
• Make sure you have enough space for the tent you would need.
• Consider sidewalls and wet ground conditions too.
• Don’t count on last-minute tent availability, especially in June and September.

Do You Need a Plan B Rain Tent for an Outdoor Event?

If your event can’t comfortably move indoors when it rains, a tent is definitely something to consider.

This comes up frequently with weddings. A venue may have an indoor reception space, but the ceremony and cocktail hour are planned outside. Before assuming you’ll figure it out if the forecast changes, ask the venue:

Where will the ceremony happen if it rains? What about cocktail hour? Can the indoor space actually accommodate everyone?

The same applies to events at home. If you’re inviting 100 people but can only comfortably fit 30 inside your house, you’ll need another option if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

A tent doesn’t have to be your backup plan. But you should know what your backup plan actually is.

When Should You Plan for a Rain Tent in Massachusetts?

As early as you can.

You don’t necessarily need to book a tent the minute you start planning your event, but you should talk about it early—especially if the success of your event depends on being outdoors.

At Baystate, we always do our best to accommodate last-minute tent rentals. Sometimes we can make it happen! The biggest limitation is usually inventory and labor availability.

June and September are two of our busiest event months. If rain suddenly appears in the forecast, you’re probably not be the only person looking for a tent that weekend!

Talking to your rental representative ahead of time gives you a chance to understand what size tent you would need, where it could go and approximately what it would cost.

Budget for Your Plan B Tent Before You Need It

This is one of the biggest things we’d recommend for anyone planning an outdoor event.

If your event would require a tent in the rain, put that potential expense into your budget from the beginning.

A tent can be a significant expense, especially for a larger wedding or event. And depending on what you’re moving underneath it, the tent itself may not be the only thing you need.

You may also need sidewalls, lighting, additional tables and chairs or other rentals.

Even if you don’t end up needing the tent, knowing what your rain plan could cost means it isn’t a surprise during event week.

A Real Wedding Where the Rain Plan Made a Difference

The wedding featured throughout this article is a great example of why planning for rain ahead of time matters. It ended up raining for most of the wedding day, but the tents were already in place and ready to keep the celebration covered.

Afterward, the photographer even told us, “The tents were great and definitely came in handy because it rained most of the day.”

Instead of scrambling to find coverage once rain was in the forecast, the couple already had what they needed. The weather wasn’t ideal, but they were prepared for it—and the photos show just how beautiful a rainy tented wedding can still be.

What Size Tent Do You Need for a Rain Plan?

It depends on what needs to happen underneath it, not just your guest count.

• If you’re covering a wedding ceremony, we need to account for your chairs, aisle and ceremony area.
• If you’re moving cocktail hour underneath a tent, now we may be planning for cocktail tables, a bar, food stations and enough open space for guests to mingle.
• If you’re planning a backyard event and the entire party needs to move underneath the tent, that’s a different layout again.

When you’re thinking about a Plan B rain tent, don’t just ask, “Can 150 people fit?” Think about what those 150 people actually need to do underneath it. We’re happy to help you figure this out!

Make Sure Your Backup Tent Will Actually Fit

Before a tent becomes part of your rain plan, make sure there’s an appropriate place to install it.

We look at more than the basic dimensions of the yard or property. Tent style, installation surface, anchoring requirements, access and surrounding obstacles can all affect what we’re able to install.

If we’re unsure whether a tent will work at your property, Baystate can conduct a site visit to evaluate the space.

If your outdoor event depends on having a tent when it rains, figuring this out ahead of time is much better than discovering a problem when rain is already in the forecast.

Other Plan B Rental Considerations

Should a Rain Tent Have Sidewalls?

We generally recommend considering sidewalls as part of a rain setup. The tent gives you overhead coverage, while sidewalls can provide additional protection around the perimeter when rain is blowing in from the sides.

Your exact setup will depend on the tent, event and expected conditions, but this is another reason to talk through your rain plan as a whole rather than thinking only about the tent itself.

Do You Need Flooring Under a Tent if It Rains?

Not necessarily, but it’s something worth considering.

Our event flooring is approximately 2.75 inches thick, which raises the event surface off the ground and can make a big difference when conditions are wet.

Flooring is also a significant expense and requires additional equipment and installation, so it isn’t something we simply add to an order at the last minute.

If you’re particularly concerned about wet ground or know that flooring would be important to your event, bring it up during the planning process so we can talk through the options.

Can You Get a Last-Minute Tent Rental Because of Rain?

Sometimes, but it depends on availability.

We get plenty of calls when a rainy forecast appears, and we’ll always do our best to accommodate last-minute tent rental requests when we have the inventory available.

The problem is that weather doesn’t affect only one event. If a rainy weekend is approaching during peak event season, multiple weddings, backyard parties and outdoor events may suddenly be looking for tents at the same time.

That’s why “We’ll just call for a tent if it rains” isn’t the strongest Plan B.

At minimum, talk to your rental company ahead of time. Know what tent you would need, whether it fits at your location and what you should expect to spend.

A Good Rain Plan Starts Before You Check the Forecast

Planning for rain doesn’t mean assuming it’s going to rain on your wedding or event. It just means you’ve already answered the important questions if it does.

Where will the ceremony go? Where will cocktail hour happen? Can everyone fit inside? If not, where could a tent go? What size would you need? And is there room in the budget for it?

Once you know those answers, you can go right back to planning for Plan A.

And hopefully, that’s exactly the plan you get to use.

Looking for a Plan B Rain Tent in Massachusetts?

Baystate Tent & Party has been helping clients plan outdoor events throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire since 1984.

If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, backyard party or other event and think you may need a tent as your weather backup, talk to us early in the planning process. We can help you understand your tent options, determine what may work at your location and give you a realistic idea of what to budget.

Then, if the forecast does change, you’re not starting from square one.

Contact Baystate Tent & Party to talk through your outdoor event and tent rental needs.

Photos Featured: Sarah Weston Photography