Our Guest Blogger for February is Desiree Spinner, owner of Desiree Spinner Events. With offices in New York, Cape Cod, and Nantucket, DSE is responsible for some of New England’s most creative and memorable occasions. Desiree’s own blog is filled with great tips and ideas, but for now, we’ve asked her to share her experience with outdoor wedding planning. (And we couldn’t forget to credit Rebecca Hansen Weddings for these awesome photos of a Martha’s Vineyard wedding orchestrated by DSE.)

Hi Sperry Nation! There are so many advantages to having an outdoor vs. venue wedding. Outdoor weddings are my most favorite, because you can create any type of look and feel that you want.

With a beautiful tent and the right décor, you can create an extravagant or very intimate setting. Here are a few tips I give clients for when we decide that a tented wedding suits them best.

Tent Size

When you select your tent, keep in mind that long farm tables take up much more room than rounds. Let your tent vendor know what you are thinking for a layout so they can help you plan accordingly.

Tent Sides

The weather, especially in the Northeast, can be so unpredictable. Make sure you spend the extra money to have an onsite tent coordinator who can put up/down/up/down (yes, sometimes it happens that much) those tent sides for you! Which leads me to my next tip…

Heaters

If you are getting married before July or after August, you need at least one heater. It may seem like an added amount of money that you might want to cut out, but earlier in the day it could be warm and then, by 6:00 p.m., you and your guests are freezing (even with the tent sides down). There is nothing worse than shivering while you eat your dinner. (*Heaters go fast! Make sure to keep one on your quote because, once you take it off, it may be impossible to put back on!)

Lighting

Although Sperry Tents are simply gorgeous on their own, they can also be made into a very intimate space with some bistro lights. When clients tell me that the tent seems large and they want to make it intimate, I ask Sperry for a bistro light estimate. It makes a very large tent seem like a cozy backyard space.

Creative event professionals should be able to throw a great party, and this event definitely did not disappoint! Earlier this month, a variety of vendors pooled their talents to help launch inWHITE, a collective of wedding businesses in Clinton, CT. Their goal is to help brides plan all aspects of their wedding in one place. (Learn more: visit their website or Facebook page.)

We were happy to help make the party happen, providing a 32 x 50 ivory tent for drinking, lounging, and dancing to a fantastic live band.

Masterminded by event planner Candice Coppola of Jubilee Events, the evening was  filled with unexpected, delightful details at every turn. It was a chilly January night but our heaters (plus the dancing) kept everyone toasty warm. Not surprisingly, white ruled the night, from the tent to the floral arrangements to everyone’s party wear.

Lounge furniture and custom lighting and drapery by Ryan Designs created comfy seating areas for guests and added to the glamour of the night. Positioning lights, such as these tufted sconces, directly over chairs and sofas was a great design idea.

The event wasn’t just about decor. Wonderful nibbles and fun signature cocktails by caterer A Thyme to Cook kept the party going. We particularly loved the upside-down calla lilies,  arranged by florist Datura, A Modern Garden, which formed an intriguing, modern backdrop to the bar. And we couldn’t help but include some of the night’s featured cake designs by A Little Imagination Cakes, because who doesn’t like cake?

And this blog post wouldn’t have been possible without the talented team at Carla Ten Eyck Photography. Carla’s firm (now a member of in WHITE) covered the party from start to finish. Her team is always great fun and never misses a shot – thanks Julie!

Everyone especially enjoyed the photobooth provided by Jim Altieri of Vintage Cinema (Sperry Tents attendees included).

One especially appropriate touch for such a social media-savvy crowd – the in WHITE Twitter feed projected onto the Sperry Tent. (BTW, if you want to keep up with Sperry news such as this party and more, follow us on Twitter @SperryTents).

It was a beautiful September day, perfect for a wedding at the Wauwinet on Nantucket. Melissa and Eric were married outdoors, overlooking the ocean, right next to their 46 x 85 reception tent from the island’s Sperry Tents provider, Nantucket Tents.

Guests looked on while the newlyweds danced on the resort’s zen deck, with a setting sun (and a sweet 24 round Blue Star tent) in the background.

Thanks to Brea McDonald Photography for sharing these photos.

Sperry Tents Mystic had a great time working with Caity and Matt on their recent wedding at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT. After cocktails in the museum’s historic sunken garden, everyone headed over to the 46 x 125 Sperry Tent for dinner and dancing.

Managed by Sixpence for Your Shoes event planners, the day was perfect – except for one quick rain shower as guests headed inside the tent. Vibrant floral arrangements by Dragonfly Events were perfectly accented by china in a variety of colorful patterns. Strings of Asian lanterns provided interest overhead and plenty of nighttime glow.

Special thanks to IRIS Photography for allowing us access to their wonderful imagery. For even more pictures of this stylish wedding, check out their blog.

We were pretty excited to see the big 66′ x 106′ Sperry Tent go up at Chatham Bars Inn for a beautiful Cape Cod wedding masterminded by event planner Allison Wildes Liset of Elegant Engagements. Special thanks to photographer Eric Barry for allowing us access to his stellar work. Custom lighting design by Ormonde Productions.

For this blog post, we’ll let the pictures do the talking.

A 46 x 105 Sperry Tent was the perfect setting for this fun rehearsal dinner on Martha’s Vineyard. The atmosphere was relaxed and festive, with illuminated star lanterns in an array of colors overhead. Red checkered linens and freshly cut sunflowers provided a down-home backdrop for the delicious lobster bake. This is summer living at its best. Bibs for everyone!

Photos courtesy Emilie Photography. Thanks guys!

We all know the traditional stages of a wedding: ceremony, cocktails, dinner, dancing. But when each stage is held in a different Sperry Tent, all overlooking the ocean on Kent Island, Maryland, guests are truly wowed as they move from one “experience” to the next.

Special thanks to Bellafare event planning for their masterful orchestration of this wedding, which began in a 32 x 70 ceremony tent. The bridal party walked down an aisle of covered walkway and, once the knot was tied, everyone moved over to enjoy cocktails under a 46 round.

The main reception wowed with various lanterns hanging underneath the tent’s canopy. Under foot, guests enjoyed full wood flooring, with plenty of room for dancing. Floral arrangements in vintage milk glass vases by Holly Heider Chapple Flowers continued the event’s antique theme.

These amazing shots were provided by Charlotte Jenks Lewis Photography. Thanks Charlotte!

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It was a graduation party with a big, bold theme. The graduate is destined for Cornell, and Sperry Tents New Jersey, event coordinator/designer Elizabeth Allen, and caterer Marcey Brownstein all had fun with the Big Red color scheme.

The color red started atop the 46 x 105 Sperry Tent on the pennant flags and continued inside on Asian lanterns, linens, pillows, seat covers, and other accessories. As day turned into evening, red spotlights took over and created a reddish-pink glow for lounging and dancing.

Sperry Tents Virginia went all out for this June 2011 wedding in Upperville, Virginia. The spacious 66 x 106 reception tent was fully floored over a grade that dropped 14 feet towards the water. An additional 20 x 60 ft. promenade hardwood deck allowed guests easy access to lake views and a surprise fireworks display. Bistro string and pinspot lights kept the tent glowing well into the night.

Special thanks to Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events and Design Cuisine catering for their amazing efforts.

The second annual Independence Day Beach Ball at the Ocean House resort in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, was a huge success! Guests had a blast enjoying a clambake and dancing to the Johnny Rogers Band under a spectacular 64 x 124 Sperry Tent on the beach. Fireworks wrapped up the night. Photography by Jeremiah Adametz.

Congrats to Ocean House for such a great turnout. We were happy to participate!