The Tent Merchant

was even a close second, for the following reasons. (All other vendors were deficient in one or more of these areas. Every other vendor was deficient in the first. Scary!). 1-COMPETENCE- The Tent Merchant asked all the right, necessary questions to safely, legally, securely erect a tent and visited the venue early on to ensure they were prepared. Beyond safety, they had the best variety of tent sizes,features and embellishments. They also had varied tablecloths available from basic polyester (the only thing available from all other vendors) to cotton, linen, and luxurious textured fabrics. They offered more sizes of linens and tables than others as well. 2-TRANSPARENCY/INTEGRITY: Immediate, clear, unchanging prices and no “surprise" small print. By FAR the best contract terms. No required NON-(or partially)REFUNDABLE deposit on a tent until 10 days prior to event (when weather is more clear), yet guaranteed tent availability! (Others required tent deposit up front: a guaranteed loss if you don't need it). The weather forecast led us to forego the tent, but even after the 10 day deadline, TM assured “we'll do everything we can to take care of you”. We had nearly daily communication that final week, with immediate responses, updates and support. 3-Word-of-mouth RECOMMENDATION by a local event planner, who also sent me a link to the 2025 Santa Barbara Independent Wedding issue, in which The Tent Merchant was a recommended vendor. Yelp and Google were sources for others. Concluding, every detail was efficiently and thoughtfully fulfilled as promised, and on time. I am grateful for the professionalism, competence and integrity of this company. I can't recommend them more highly. They will capably support and fulfill your vision with excellence, they will be available, encouraging and honest, and they will have your back from start to finish.