Planning an event can be daunting at the best of times – perhaps even more so as you enter the unfamiliar territory that is giant teepees! We’ve drafted a list of frequently asked questions with answers, to help put you more at ease and make the whole experience more straightforward.
How many people can you fit per Giant Hat?
This really depends on what you are planning on having inside the teepee. In terms of standing room, we would recommend about 65-75 guests. If the guests will be seated, you can seat a maximum of 96 guests based on 12 tables seating 8 to a table. If you have a large band, photo booth, lots of furnishings, these numbers will need to be adjusted slightly, but this should give you an idea. Take a look at our floor plans for inspiration.
Won’t it be too cold/hot in the teepees?
Our teepees are suitable year round, rain or shine! For every install, we bring a 5-day forecast with us to advise on the best options for your event day. For colder weather, we can provide indirect heaters which sit outside the tent and pump hot air in with ducts along the bottom edge of the tent. These come with a thermostat so you can adjust the temperature as needed. A fire place will give off heat if you are next to it but not heat the whole tent. The fire places are used generally for enhancing the look, smell and ambience of the event. For warmer, brighter weather, we would advise having more sides of the tents up and having a more open set-up.
Are the tents waterproof? Are they clean?
Our Tentipi® tents are made with a unique specialised water repellent canvas which is both robust and capable of handling both heavy rain and long days in the bright sunshine. Our Dandydura® matting is laid on a waterproof membrane when required. It comes in 10 x 2m strips which follow the contours of the ground beneath. The teepees are meticulously cleaned after each use, and the matting is pressure washed before each event.
Is it dark inside the tent? What do you suggest for lighting?
We have a variety of lighting options. Our most popular would be the ambient lighting package, which includes two 5-colour LED uplighters and eight 4-colour pin spots arranged in pairs. The uplighters point up toward the apex of the tent to create a beautiful glow throughout the space, and the pin spots are focussed up and down the poles and can be aimed at features such as a cake table or your dining tables upon request. We can also provide a variety of other finishing touches, such as twinkly fairy lights, rustic festoon lights, outdoor up lighters to throw light into the nearby trees or at a feature such as a lake or pond. In addition, we have moving heads, disco lights, and gobo lighting for your dance tent. You can find more information about our lighting here.
Can we have our wedding ceremony in a teepee?
You can definitely hold a humanist ceremony inside our tents, however legal ceremonies are a no-go (for now!) The current law states that a legal ceremony must take place in a structure with a permanent roof with a designated licence. However, there was some discussion in the news last year about outdoor wedding laws changing, so we are keeping our eyes very much peeled! For a truly beautiful example of a humanist ceremony, take a look at our recent blog post on Rowena & Adam’s hand-fasting ceremony and reception.
Must the teepees be installed on grass?
No, we can install on hard-standing surfaces too! This is something we would always want to organise a site visit for to see what the best plan of action would be, which is usually using ballast to weigh the tent down when we are unable to pin into a soft ground like grass.
Do my suppliers have to use the same entrance as my guests?
No! We can accommodate your caterer, band, etc. with a more discrete, less disruptive entrance by using a zip door away from the guests, or by adding a catering tent joined to the main teepees.
Do you offer package deals?
Every quote we put together is bespoke and tailored to your event, down to every detail. For this reason we prefer to have a chat with you about what your plans are and what you envision for the day, so we can make sure we put together the perfect quotation for you.
What do I do about power?
There are several options for this: We can provide you with a generator and on-site support with one of our experienced crew members for the day of your event so you don’t have to worry about a thing! Alternatively, your venue may have power we can draw from, or if you are having your event at home, we would love to attend a site visit to see whether we would be able to run the power for the tent (and other suppliers) from your home directly. We would be able to provide the necessary cabling and organise the power distribution in this case, too.
If you still have a question that we may not have covered here, don’t fret! You can give us a call Monday-Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm, or email anytime and we will come back to you as soon as we can, so Get In Touch today, we’d love to hear from you.
