Pros and cons of a tented wedding

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Q: We're torn between a tent wedding on his parents' lawn or a celebration in a standard hotel ballroom. I know that tented weddings are usually more expensive, but what are the other pros and cons?A: The wonderful thing about a tented reception is that the tent is a blank canvas -- just white walls and a floor that allow you to bring to life any look you'd like via flowers, linens, lighting, rented seating and so on.At a space such as a ballroom or restaurant, you'll always have to work within the pre-existing style of the room. Things like wall colors, fixtures and furniture can't be changed just for one night. And, of course, the biggest advantage of a tent is that you can pitch it (almost) anywhere you like.On the other hand, in addition to paying for the tent, you need to rent everything, from silverware to the sound system, and pay to have it all delivered and taken away. Aside from the financial factor, consider that that means making a lot more decisions and coordinating more vendors than you'd have to if you signed with a standard event space.You'll be relying on a generator for your power, so you should ideally have a backup generator as well as an electrician on hand. And then there's the weather -- even though most quality event tents can withstand some wind and rain, a serious storm can make them uncomfortable and even impossible to party in.This is not to discourage you: Brides and grooms pull off gorgeous and mishap-free tented weddings all the time, so don't hold back if you have your heart set on it. Just think about whether you can truly afford it and if you're up for digging into details such as what type of candles to light in the port-a-potties.(Carley Roney, co-founder and editor in chief of The Knot, the nation's leading wedding resource, advises millions of brides on modern wedding etiquette at www.theknot.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)