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The perfect mix of an outdoorsy western landscape, upscale finishes and a level location for tent anchoring spells an ideal tented wedding for both client and tent provider.
by Sigrid Tornquist
A client brief that includes a vision to incorporate the property, bring the outside in and create a stylish, contemporary aesthetic may not be unusual—but having all the elements come together without a hitch is the kind of project tent and event rental professionals dream of. No, it’s never easy to bring a client’s vision to reality. When you’re lucky, however, it is the kind of work that delivers pure pleasure.
Over the years, Woburn, Mass.-based PEAK Event Services® has built a great working relationship with Julie Freed and her team at Freed Events LLC in Boston, Mass. Freed Events provides clients with bespoke services ranging from high-touch consultancy to full-service event management and production, and PEAK Event Services provides expert and expansive tent and event rental services to the New England area. Having worked together in the past, it was a perfect fit when Freed Events contacted PEAK Event Services to partner on a high-end tented wedding for 275 guests at the client’s residence in October 2019.
A marriage of upscale and earthy
With only five months for the project timeline, PEAK Event Services and Freed Events scheduled several site visits and meetings to create a cohesive plan for the bride and groom. “The timeline was quicker than for most projects of this scope,” says Mike Goggin, senior tent sales consultant for PEAK Event Services. “Overall, we worked hard to keep the outdoor feel as much as possible. The client wanted to be able to see the surrounding area from the structures so we tried to maximize the viewing inside and out while making the structure feel like an extension of their home.”
Side-by-side clearspans welcomed guests to the event. PEAK Event Services selected a 12.5-by-35-by-4-meter Losberger P3 uniflex structure with RigidAir™ clear walls for the cocktail tent, which was decorated to highlight the upscale home and the natural landscape of the property. The space was designed with a western motif, with shimmering lighting centering the space. The massive LED-lighted tree in the center of the tent melded into the landscape, while rustic, leather-finished lounges provided a practical foundation for the western decor.
For the dinner and reception structure, PEAK selected a 15-by-35-by-4-meter Losberger P3 uniflex that featured a glass wall. The client chose a modern aesthetic for the decor, with a large floral chandelier of dusty roses hovering above a high-gloss black dance floor, and a chuppah the groom and his father built out of antlers. A canopy covering service stations and restrooms, as well as other support tents, rounded out the tenting structures provided by PEAK.
On the level
Installation took five days to complete, including flooring, main structures, ancillary tents, custom walkways and the interior finish work. “This site was a tenter’s dream,” Goggin says. “It was fairly level with great access all around.”
Because the foundation was mostly level, PEAK was able to use its in-house, custom-stained hardwood flooring system. But the installation wasn’t without its last-minute changes. After the crew installed the front entry landing, which was originally one 16-foot-long bay, the client requested extending the landing to carry the entire length of the 115-foot-long tent. “This required adding a second and third step to accommodate both the grade change and make it easier for guest access,” Goggin says.
There was a threat of rain during the five-day build, which kept the crew on alert for last-minute changes to accommodate downpours. Thankfully, the weather stayed dry through the day of the event, though because it was cooler than the crew expected, “we closed in the cocktail tent a bit more and ramped up the heat with electric heaters,” Goggin says.
The event was a huge success and the client was thrilled with the results, but Goggin says there’s one thing he would have done differently. “My only regret was not enforcing everyone to use boot covers to protect the floor and dance floor from the dirty feet of our crew and the other vendors working inside the tent prior to the event,” he says. “It was very difficult to keep the floors clean.”
Looking back, if a dirty pre-event floor that needs to be cleaned was the biggest challenge, it was indeed a successful event.
Sigrid Tornquist is a Minneapolis-based writer and editor, and a former InTents editor.
The team
Management, production and design: Freed Events LLC, Boston, Mass.
Rentals: PEAK Event Services, Woburn, Mass.
Lighting: Frost Lighting Co., Stoughton, Mass.
Power & HVAC: Capron Lighting & Sound Co. Inc., Needham, Mass.
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd., Boston, Mass.
Drape and decor: Exquisite Events Decor, Newport, R.I.
Florals: Table & Tulip, Boston, Mass.