It’s yours for the day!

Temperature-controlled tent
$80 (10-by-10-foot canopy) to $1,610 (40-by-120-foot tent)

If your reception is not in a banquet hall or an enclosed facility, you’re probably going to need a tent or canopy. Costs vary based on size, style and amenities. Brace yourself for decision making. Do you want a frame-style tent with no interior poles or a tension tent supported by interior poles that create a dramatic towering ceiling? How about tent siding, lighting and flooring? Will the season require heating or air conditioning? Will the tent sit on grass or a hard surface? Reserve six to nine months in advance; more lead time is recommended for the high-demand months of June, July, August and September.

Tabletop
China (per place setting): $1.85 to $10.35
Flatware (per place setting): $1 to $3
Stemware (water and wine goblets): 70 cents to $2.20
Tall cylinder vases: 60 cents to $15
Punch bowls: $10 to $15
Cylinder votives: 35 cents to $3
Chocolate fountains (includes an attendant): $300 to $625

Picking out rental china, flatware and stemware might be as challenging as deciding on pieces for your bridal registry. Patterns range from traditional to contemporary to fit any theme you might have in mind. Rental houses typically carry an assortment of accessories that can be used throughout a room. If you have your heart set on tall vases for fresh flowers, renting can be more economical than purchasing them. Other options: Votive candle holders, glass mirrors, cakestands, candelabras, and fountains that can pump champagne, chocolate, barbecue sauce or nacho cheese.

Ceiling treatments
$500 to $5,000, depending on labor, room size

Organza draped from a ceiling or rafters can create a dreamy, cloudlike canopy in a room with few decorative amenities. Panels also can be hung from floor to ceiling to mask food-staging areas and architectural eyesores, or to shore up a large room for a small group.

Linens
Long tablecloth for 72-inch round table: $10 to $22.50
Short tablecloth for 72-inch round table: $6 to $18.50
Napkins: 30 cents for plain styles to $1.50 for lace styles
Napkin rings: 50 cents to $1.50
Chair covers: $2.50 to $5

The selection of linens might surprise you. You’ll find many sizes, colors, and styles of tablecloths, napkins, overlays and skirting in fabrics like satin, organza, taffeta, lace and lamé. Stick with solid colors or mix it up with patterns and solids. Have a theme in mind? Just about anything is possible. Survey the showrooms and pull together items from a couple of vendors, if necessary.

Yard lighting
$250 to $1,500, depending on labor, sophistication of lighting

An outdoor ceremony that takes place in the evening requires reliable lighting. A reception in the same location calls for lighting throughout the grounds, a job moonlight can’t accomplish. Auxiliary yard lighting is available from most large rental firms.

Architectural elements
Trellis: $23 to $70
Column: $7 to $100
Arch: $24 to $60

Columns, trellises and arches can transform a room for a ceremony or reception. How about exchanging your vows under a Victorian arch or a white gazebo? Either could be arranged for a destination wedding; simply do an online search for party rental firms in the city where you’ll be married.

— Compiled by Howard K. Marcus and Michael Watkins