June 20, 2023
Photos courtesy of Adams Rental
Event: This wedding ceremony and lunch for 375 guests was held June 11, 2022, in Princeton, N.J. Adams Rental, Hamilton, N.J., provided numerous tents and other rental equipment for the event.
Challenges: Challenges with this event began after the initial site visit. During the first visit, the crew conducted the initial survey and prepared a preliminary layout for the event. The entire plan was later revised following the client cancelling plans to expand their house for an indoor pool.
A second site visit was conducted to take new measurements after the client added flower beds, converted a tennis court into a basketball court, added a children’s play area and extended the driveways on both sides of the house. Adams Rental convinced the client to delay building a cricket pitch or there would not be room for the tents.
A third site visit was done with key staff members to check measurements and plan the project sequence. A fourth and final site visit was done to consult with the HVAC and power subcontractor.
Solutions: Installation began on June 1 with the event held June 11. David VanDenburgh, president, Adams Rental, says it was great working with a seasoned event planner, but one thing they would do differently after this event was, “Encourage the event planner to allow a meeting with the client earlier in the game. Hearing the client’s vision directly allows us to create better solutions at the outset.”
Another thing was to meet with the vendors sooner.
“Some last-minute challenges included a change in Mandap height requiring a reduction and reinstallation of our stage — which could have been prevented,” VanDenburgh says.
Earlier coordination of power requirements also would have been beneficial.
Something unexpected: While the Adams Rental crew conducted multiple site visits and did their best to plan for every aspect of this event, one thing they probably did not expect was a grass fire caused by guest fireworks during the ceremony.
Luckily the crew was on site and able to extinguish the fire but this was not the first time they have had to jump into action.
“Our crews have performed several rescues over the years. These are two examples of our drivers rescuing people on the way to an event: pulling a driver from an overturned burning van and rescuing an elderly lady from a collapsed building,” VanDenburgh says.
As any event rental professional will tell you … always expect the unexpected. This event was no different.
Main products used
• 60-ft.-by-90-ft. TopTec Epic tent with white pleated liner and four 12-light brass chandeliers
• 40-ft.-by-75-ft. Olympic Gable Maxi tent
• 30-ft.-by-60-ft. Olympic Hip Maxi tent
• Two 20-ft.-by-60-ft. Olympic Gable Maxi tents
• 10-ft.-by-20-ft. Olympic Gable Maxi tent
• 20-ft.-by-40-ft. Aztec Tents CAN-W tent
• 190-ft. Anchor Industries Marquee
• 5,520-sq.-ft. BilJax steel frame flooring
• 7,920-sq.-ft. Signature Systems UltraDeck flooring
• 10,750-sq.-ft. Sommer Flooring carpet tiles
• 1,800-sq.-ft. Mainline Carpets EventFlex
• Chairs, tables, linen, all tabletop, serving and cooking equipment
• Eight 12-ton portable AC units
• Two 100 kW generators
