Bathroom rental for outdoor weddings: everything you need to know

Everything about a wedding is so elegant, so refined, so proper that even the mention of toilets seems inappropriate. But throwing an outdoor party when there’s no bathroom nearby means you need rental options right away. That’s where we come in: we’ve done all the research for you with the help of wedding planner extraordinaire Lyndsey Hamilton, creative director of Lyndsey Hamilton Events.

From porcelain thrones (Kimye had a gold toilet tower!) to garter belts, here’s what you need to know.

Logistic

You don’t want the restroom in plain sight of guests or near where they eat, so careful placement is a must, Hamilton says. If there are no areas to store them completely, hide the units behind a barn, outbuilding, or even tucked away in a grove of trees. “Make sure the toilets aren’t far from the tent and the path is covered in case it rains,” she says. You will also need to determine in advance where the water and electricity sources are.

Whether you have your basic porta or a fancy toilet, there are little things you can do to dress it up that will go a long way. Cover the front and sides of the trailer with tall trees or shrubs to camouflage the exterior, Hamilton says. Add details such as flowers, toilet baskets, pretty soaps and candles inside, and consider hiring a restroom attendant to make things a little more civilized, she says.

Cost and options

In the realm of wedding-worthy toilet hire, there are your individual porta-cabins that have flush units (non-flush options are a no-no for obvious reasons!) and sinks – these usually cost around $300 each. Then there’s the toilet trailer, which may be like the royal flush of the mobile toilet world. They’re basically ordinary bathrooms with running water, ample lighting, air conditioning, flush toilets and space, Hamilton says. They range in size from 10 to 26 feet and cost anywhere from $2,500 to over $15,000, Hamilton says. “While toilets aren’t something people want to spend a lot on, they really do make a huge difference,” she says.

how much to get

The last thing you want is a long queue for the restroom, or (gasp!) your male guests resorting to a nearby bush, so have enough bathrooms to cover your guests. “We typically do three to four stalls for women and three stalls for men for a wedding of 150 to 175 people,” for example. This equates to approximately one bathroom for every 25 people.