F.A.Q.'s

Thinking about bell tents to accommodate guests?

Lot's of quick questions answered below to help decide!

There's quite simply nowhere more beautiful to hold your wedding or event than the South West of England! We're lucky enough to call it home, and we love it.

However, one of the very few downsides of organising an event in the unspoilt countryside of the South West, can be finding places for guests to stay, and even if your venue includes accommodation, it's rarely enough. This is when the hunt for available Airbnb's, guest houses, and taxi companies start, and very often, if available, they're not close by.

Including a bell tent village can be a beautiful and practical solution, and it doesn't need to cost you a penny!

Why have a bell tent village?

There's the obvious reason - it gives your guests somewhere to stay, but there's a few other reasons you might not have thought of.

It gives you the option to hold your party anywhere!! You're not limited to expensive venues; marquees and bell tents mean all you need is a field!

Bell Tent Hire in Devon, Somerset, Dorset & beyond!

The tents themselves are a visually stunning addition to any event, and will provide a talking point for all your guests, as well as an amazing backdrop for photos and videos! All of our tents are supplied with fairy lights round the doorway, so at night they look amazing!

Do away with all the taxi, Airbnb hunting and hassle!

Giving your guests the option to stay on site stops them leaving the party just as it's getting started because they have a taxi booked. It takes away all the pressure of the happy couple needing to spend time with all of their guests in one day and creates a much more relaxed vibe.

Extend your day into a festival style weekend which is becoming increasingly popular!

Can we have a bell tent village?

As long as your venue or party location has the space, and you have permission, then yes!

We don't have a minimum number you have to book, so anything from 1 tent to 100 is fine!

We do free site visits and can measure the space available to you on Google Earth, so you will know for certain what's going to work!

Bell tents need to be pitched on grass which is as flat as possible, and it needs to have been clear of livestock for at least 21 days, so if you're having your party in a farmer's field, you need to check that's ok and going to fit in with their plans too!

A little bell tent village of four!

Can we afford a bell tent village?

If you can find £40 for a tent deposit, then yes!

About 80% of our wedding clients reserve tents and then ask their guests to book and pay for their tents directly with us.

Once the number of tents reserved have been booked by the guests, the deposit is returned to the client, and it hasn't cost them a single penny!*

*There may be a travelling charge which will depend on your location and/or the final number of tents booked for your wedding or event.

Can our guests afford to hire a bell tent?

We might be renowned for supplying the ultimate level of luxury in our tents, but we have 3 furnishing options for guests to choose from, so something to suit every budget!

An Empty tent is just £169 to hire, and if they want to cut costs further, it can be shared by up to 6 people - that's £28 each for the weekend!

Guests are asked for £40 to reserve their tent, and then the balance is due a month before your wedding, plenty of time! They're welcome to pay in instalments if it helps, so no one needs to be left out of the bell tent village.

By hiring a tent they'll also be avoiding expensive taxis or driving themselves. What's not to love?!

Will my guests want to stay in a bell tent?

For lots of people, the idea of staying in a tent is new and exciting, and will make the weekend even more memorable! But some may not entertain the idea - it's a good thing we're all so different!

It's a good idea to chat to a few of your guests to see if they like the idea first. Once a couple of people have said that's what they're planning, very often more will want to join in too!

The different furnishing options mean a stay in a bell tent can be super comfortable and doesn't have to exclude older people or those with bad backs! The budget friendly options are great for younger people or those watching the pennies.

Fabulously comfortable hotel quality mattresses on our own, bespoke wooden frames for the ultimate in a good nights sleep under canvas!

Help! How many tents do I need?!

The million dollar question that no one knows the answer to!!

It's incredibly rare for a client to know exactly how many tents they need when they first book. Guests generally don't respond decisively, dither, change their minds... And that's all ok!

We always advise our clients to only place a deposit on the tents they are certain they will need, then we can add to it as we go along if necessary. The tent deposits are non refundable, so it's much better to be conservative than reserve too many and be disappointed.

Can I just gather the guest tent requirements & payments myself?

Of course! Sending them to us to book is just an option if it's more helpful to you!

Some clients prefer to be more hands on with what their guests are booking and particularly if you're a little limited on space for tents, you may want to try and organise guests into groups for sharing.

What happens if it rains?

The tents are waterproof so no problem there! This is the UK and the weather isn't always kind to us, but it won't ruin your big day and your guests will still sleep comfortably!

It's one of the reasons the tents need to pitched on ground that's as flat as possible, that way, the structure of the tent is uncompromised and everything works as it should. We can still pitch the tents on sloping ground but they won't work as well if it rains.

No tent, bell tent or otherwise, will withstand hours and hours of torrential rain without the odd drip here and there, but these sorts of tents are the most robust.

Do the tents come with an electricity supply?

No, we don't supply anything electrical which is why we can set up your village anywhere! In the age of power banks and little portable solar panels, it's not really necessary to give your guests an electricity supply, however there are slots in the tents for accommodating power cables if you decide you'd like to.

Will we have to hire in toilets and showers?

That will depend on whether your venue already has them available, and if so, if they have enough to cater for the amount of guests you expect to stay. Lots of our clients do hire in toilets and often showers as well. We don't provide these but we have a list of companies we trust and see often, and can send this to you on request.

Why choose Devon Belles?

There are so many other bell tent hire companies out there, and an equally huge number of reasons to choose us! To answer that properly we had to make it a whole page of it's own!!

You can check it out here!