A barn, a backyard or an open field can make a beautiful wedding venue. What it usually does not have is enough bathrooms. A farmhouse with one powder room is fine for a family dinner, but not for 150 guests over a six-hour reception. If the venue has no permanent restrooms at all, the question is not whether to rent portable restrooms but how many, which kind and where to put them.
Photo by Lachlan Rennie on Unsplash
This is one of those details couples tend to sort out late, when the rental calendars are already filling up.
Here is how to work it out early.
How to Rent Portable Restrooms for a Wedding
Start with three numbers
Every restroom count comes down to three things:
1. How many guests, including the vendors who will be on site all evening: caterers, the band or DJ, the photographer and the bar staff.
2. How long the event runs, from the first guest arriving to the last one leaving. A ceremony and
reception that start at 4:00 and end at 11:00 is a seven-hour event, not a “wedding.”
3. Whether you are serving alcohol. Guests who are drinking use the restroom noticeably more often.
A common rule of thumb in the rental industry is one standard portable restroom for every 50 guests over about four hours. Treat that as a starting point, not a final answer, and adjust it:
• Longer event? Add units. A 100-guest wedding that runs eight hours needs more than a 100-guest wedding that runs four.
• Serving alcohol? Plan for more, and ask your rental company how they adjust the count for a bar.
• Mostly women, lots of young children or older guests? Plan a little higher. People who cannot comfortably wait in a line are the ones you are planning for.
As a rough example, 150 guests over a six-hour reception with an open bar often lands somewhere around four to six standard units. Your rental company should confirm the final number. That is part of their job, and a good one will ask you all three questions above before quoting.
Choose the type of unit
Portable restrooms come in more styles than most couples expect.
• Standard units are the familiar single-stall restrooms. They are the most affordable and work well for casual events.
• Upgraded or “deluxe” units often add a flushing toilet, a small sink, a mirror and lighting. Many couples pick these for the guest area and keep standard units for vendors.
• Restroom trailers are a step closer to a real bathroom: separate stalls, running water, climate control and interior lights. They need a level spot, a truck path to get in and usually a power hookup, so check with your venue first.
• Accessible units are larger, ground-level units with room for a wheelchair to turn and grab bars inside.
For portable units grouped in one spot, the federal accessibility standards call for at least 5% of them, and no fewer than one, to be accessible (US Access Board, Guide to the ADA Standards, Chapter 6). Even at a small backyard wedding, if a grandparent uses a walker or a wheelchair, plan on at least one.
Do not forget hand-washing stations. Standard units usually only have hand sanitizer. A separate sink station or two near the restrooms makes a big difference, especially near the food.
Photo by Andres Hernandez on Unsplash
Where to put them
Placement is where good planning shows. Guests should be able to find the restrooms easily without staring at them during the vows.
• Close, but not too close. A short, easy walk from the reception area, but downwind and out of the main sight lines for photos.
• On level, firm ground. Avoid low spots that turn muddy after rain, and soft grass that units can sink into.
• Reachable by the delivery truck. The rental company has to drop the units off, often service them and pick them up. Ask how big their truck is and walk the path with them in mind: gates, low branches, septic tanks and soft lawns all matter.
• Lit after dark. A reception that runs past sunset needs a lit path and lighting at the restrooms. String lights or solar path lights work. Many upgraded units and trailers have lights inside, but standard units usually do not.
• Grouped together. Keeping units in one spot is easier for guests to find, easier to light and easier for the rental company to service.
Questions to ask the rental company
Before you sign, ask:
1. How many units do you recommend for my guest count, hours and bar? Compare their answer to the rule of thumb above.
2. When will you deliver and pick up? Ideally the day before, with pickup the next day, so a truck is not backing across the lawn during setup.
3. Will the units be cleaned and stocked on delivery? And for a long event or a weekend celebration, can someone service them mid-event?
4. What is included? Toilet paper, sanitizer, paper towels, a hand-washing station, lighting. Some quotes include these and some do not.
5. What do you need from the site? Level ground, a clear truck path, distance from the road, and for trailers, power and water.
6. Do you have accessible units? And how many do they recommend for your group?
7. What happens if the weather turns? Ask what they need if the ground is soft, and whether your date can move.
8. What are the fees? Delivery, distance, after-hours or weekend service, damage, and anything else that is not in the base price.
A simple timeline
• Three to six months out: Get quotes, especially for trailers and peak-season Saturdays.
• One month out: Confirm the count, the unit types and the delivery window. Walk the site and mark where the units will go.
• The week of: Confirm delivery, make sure the path is clear, and set up lighting.
• The day of: Put a basket of extras inside or nearby: tissues, hand lotion, a small mirror and an extra roll or two.
Restrooms will never be the part of a wedding anyone remembers, and that is the goal. If nobody waits in a line or walks across a dark field to find one, you planned it right.
Author bio:
*Braden Chupp is a consultant with Chupp Industrial, a family equipment business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, that sells portable bathrooms across the US.*
Planning an at-home wedding? You may also find my post Should I Get A Port-A-Potty For My At-Home Wedding? helpful when deciding whether portable restrooms are needed for your celebration.
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
