Insightz

Ask Angela: What kind of porta potties will show up at my outdoor wedding?

Angela Phillips is a Senior Account Manager III at ZTERS Site Solutions. She helps customers with some of their most challenging site service issues, and she answers your questions here on our website.

Dear Angela, I’m planning an outdoor wedding, but I’m worried the portable toilets will end up being gross. I don’t want our guests having a negative bathroom experience. Should we go ahead and rent them, or is there another option?

Angela: First, congratulations on your wedding! And kudos on planning an outdoor event. A lot of people call us with questions and concerns about the quality of portable toilets at their events, so I hear this question a lot.

Most people don’t realize this, but the toilets used at events aren’t what you probably picture when you think about portable toilets on construction sites or work zones. You’re not going to get a dirty, worn out bathroom at your event.

There are two things to consider with event toilets. First, there’s a porta potty life cycle. And second, there are several different options to choose from.

Believe it or not, there’s a natural life cycle to portable toilet rentals. When they’re first constructed and brand new, those are considered event-grade toilets. Once they’ve been used for a while and they’re not as new, they move on to become construction site toilets. They’re still nice toilets! But they’re not as new as when they were first built.

The point is, there’s a gradation that happens where they move down the line until their useful life is over. So, you won’t need to worry about low-quality toilets being delivered to your wedding.

Next, you have several options for your toilet rental! There are event toilets that are just toilets and urinals. There are toilets with sinks instead of urinals. There are even flushable units that have a manual flushing system! They use gravity to make the portable toilet a lot more like a regular toilet. In other words, your guests won’t see down in the tank!

And since it’s your wedding, you may want to ask about an ADA or wheelchair-accessible unit. They’re a little larger and will better accommodate you in your dress and your bridal party if they’re wearing large or constrictive dresses. You’ll all have more room to move around.

One last thing I always like to mention—make sure you book your toilets up to three months in advance. Especially during the summer months, because there are so many festivals and outdoor events. You should book your toilets early, but even if you forget (and a lot of people do!), we can probably help you find last-minute toilets if you give us a couple days’ notice. You may have to pay a fee for ordering on short notice but give us a call and we’ll do our best to find what you need.

Most people don’t realize this, but October is actually the busiest month for portable toilets because there are so many haunted houses and pumpkin patches that run all month. If your wedding is in the summer or October—call and rent those toilets at least three months in advance!

I hope that helps put your mind at ease—you and your guests will be perfectly fine in your porta potty rentals. And if you need help figuring out how many porta potties to rent or what type is best for your guests, give us a call here at ZTERS and we can help you get what you need.