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BRIDAL NEWS MAGAZINE
JAN - JUL | 2009

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Burke's Tent Rentals offers couples everything from tents and accessories to dance floors and liners

Reviewing Tom Burke, Owner of Burke's Tent Rentals

For the past five years, tents from Burke's Tent Rentals have been home to many ceremonies and receptions in the London area. Whether you want to exchange waterfront vows or host a large, elaborate park wedding, Burke's gives you the opportunity to create up to 11,000 square feet of wedding space - anywhere your heart desires - as well as everything needed to pull it all together. From a variety of tent styles and sizes to tables, chairs, dance floors, lighting, heating systems, staging, ceiling liners and linens, there are plenty of options for couples planning an outdoor wedding with Burke's. We sat down with Owner, Tom Burke, to find out more. Let us explain...

Hitting his stride

Tom Burke has been working in and around events for many years. He started out in the area of catering before he got into the event organization and promotions end of things. Now, Tom is knee-deep and busy full-time with the business of supplying everything you need for an incredible outdoor event. It's during the past five years that he seems to have hit his perfect stride with his company, Burke's Tent Rentals.

A lot of Tom's business comes from word of mouth and having the right connections in his community. "I absolutely love the business," he confessed to staff at The Ring. He says he finds the industry both rewarding and fun. "There's an excited atmosphere... Everyone has such a positive attitude." While they do just about any special occasion, Burke's Tent Rentals specializes in weddings.

Tents, plans, 120% happiness

Based out of Brussels (in the Goderich area), Burke's Tent Rentals serves couples all over Southwestern Ontario. Since they've done hundreds of weddings to date, Burke's staff say they often find themselves helping with event organization, décor ideas, rentals of just about every kind, logistics and overall wedding concept for couples who need a hand to get started. Tom seems to have personally made 'going that extra mile' a priority in his business on the day-to-day basis. He promises his clients he'll make sure they're 120% happy with their service before and on the wedding day.

And because so many big jobs are made successful with a group effort, Tom says he's proud of his team and how they work together. He says you can see proof of their teamwork in the end result.

Burke's Tent Rentals prides themselves on offering tents that are well kept and that "look brand new" at every wedding. Burke's carries one of the largest tents in the area - a 60x180 foot tent - for a sit down reception with a large guest list. Burke's can work around landscaping, even using multiple tents to provide the capacity you need for your wedding.

Your wedding tent can be organized in a ceremony or theatre style, or set up for a seated dinner reception. Burke's Tent Rentals will help you create a tent layout plan and inspect your wedding site, if necessary. If you would like to see a tent set up and prepped, Burke's will invite you to see one already set up for an event or wedding so you can see what your tent may look like. Typically, Tom says you can expect his team to set up the tent two or three days ahead of your wedding day. Tear down is usually done about two days after your event.

Equipping and beautifying your outdoor wedding

Outdoor tent weddings are unique in that you get the chance to create a wedding space where there wasn't one before. Once you've chosen your tent, it's really all about the accessory rentals. And at Burke's, they seem to have everything. You can line the ceiling of your tent with fabric, add romantic lighting and pick whichever tables you want - funky square or taller cocktail style. You can seat your guests in your choice of chairs and use linens that match your wedding theme. For that extra flair, you can add French-style windowed sidewalls to your wedding tent. Couples at Burke's Tent Rentals essentially get to be their own exterior decorators. It's all about your wedding, your style and your location.

When it comes to practicalities and must-haves, Burke's offers lighting, dance floors, and heating systems for those who need them. The team can also set up and take down your chairs for you - a great service for events taking place in a public location.

Pricing

Burke's Tent Rentals keeps their pricing competitive. To give you an idea of what you can expect, a 20x20 frame tent would be roughly $350, and a 30x40 would be $600. Burke's can dress up your tent with the Liner Décor Package (gorgeous - includes a ceiling liner, a lighting system and draped poles!). For a larger wedding of approximately 150 people, you can rent a tent, tables, chairs, dance floor, a lighting system, and heating systems for under $3000. Since you're in control when you're hosting an outdoor tent wedding, your best bet is to call Tom and his team anytime (or send them an email) to start planning your wedding details.

Inotherwords...

"Dear Tom, Thank you for making our wedding day so perfect! The tent and ceiling liner were truly the talk of the town! It was great to work with you as you made it so easy." - Reagan & Brent

"The wedding was perfect! To pass on a quick message to you and your team, I just can't say enough about the service that Burke's provided to us throughout our planning. From the first time we met your team at the Goderich Bridal Show right through to the measuring and ordering process, tent set up and tent removal, your entire team was a complete joy to work with. The tents were gorgeous and in the best shape I have ever seen at a wedding, and they were set up and taken down by people on your team that were not only enjoyable to spend time with, but by an entire team of people who genuinely did everything they could to ensure that we were happy with everything." - Jackie

"Steven and I would like to thank you for your great team who were so great to work with. You have the most beautiful tents and we had so many compliments on not only the tents but the washrooms. This was an absolute wonderful day and without the help of your team it would have not been the same. The tents looked brand new, loved that you came 2 to 3 days before to set up and it was fast and easy and it was fantastic to work with your team. It was a dream come true! Thank you again and we are looking forward to working with you again!" - Ashley & Steven

detailsdetailsdetails

• Try to book 9 to 12 months in advance so you get your ideal tent on your wedding day, but last minute bookings are possible depending on the date, so be sure to give them a call either way!

• When booking, 33% of your rental is due to reserve the items for your wedding.

• Your balance is due when set up is complete.

• Initial consultations are free, so give Burke's a call and set up an appointment to see what your options are.

Tents on location

Burke's Tent Rentals is located at 42056 Morris Road in Brussels. To set up a free consultation, give them a call at 519-887-8287 or 1-800-219-2947, or email tents@burkestentrentals.com. Their website, www.burkestentrentals.com, has more details, including a full list of available rental items and a tent sizing chart.

- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca

* Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Burke's Tent Rentals.