Backyard Wedding String Light Rental Cost Calculator

Price the lights line by line so you can compare vendor quotes on equal terms. The calculator adds the light rental, the install, the poles and the delivery, then shows the upfront amount due with the deposit.

1. Enter the number of strands and the total feet of lights.
2. Pick how the vendor charges, per strand or per foot, then enter that rental price.
3. Pick the install level. Standard install covers hanging the lights, and full install adds takedown.
4. Enter the poles you need and the price per pole, then the delivery fee and any refundable deposit.
5. Press Calculate, or press Enter. The total rental cost appears first and large, with the light rental, the cost per foot and the upfront amount due below.

The total is a simple line item sum. Total rental cost = light rental + install + poles + delivery. The light rental is strands x price per strand when the vendor charges per strand, or total feet x price per foot when the vendor charges per foot. The poles cost is poles x price per pole.

The deposit stays outside the total because it is refundable. Upfront amount due = total rental cost + refundable deposit. Typical 2026 US prices are $3 to $5 per linear foot installed for bistro string lights, $15 to $30 per 25 foot rental strand, and $20 to $40 per wooden pole. Our backyard movie night rental cost calculator prices a related backyard rental the same line by line way.

A couple rents 8 strands totalling 200 feet at $25 per strand, with standard install at $200, 4 poles at $30 each, a $50 delivery fee and a $100 refundable deposit.

1. Light rental: 8 strands x $25 = $200.
2. Install: standard install = $200.
3. Poles: 4 poles x $30 = $120.
4. Delivery: $50.
5. Total: $200 + $200 + $120 + $50 = $570.
6. Upfront amount due: $570 + $100 deposit = $670. The cost is $2.85 per foot and $71.25 per strand.

As a second check, price the same 200 feet per foot instead. At $4 per foot the rental is $800, plus $350 for full install and takedown, 6 poles at $30 for $180, and $75 delivery, for a total of $1,405. The same steps work for any yard, so try your own numbers in the tool above.

Length is the biggest driver. Every extra strand or foot adds rental cost, and a canopy pattern that crisscrosses the whole yard needs far more feet than a single run along a fence. Measure the area first, then work out the strands from the layout, not from a guess.

Install is the next driver. Hanging lights yourself costs nothing but time and a ladder, while a vendor crew charges for the rigging, the ladders and the takedown after the event. Poles add up fast too, because a yard with no trees or house wall to anchor to needs a pole at every corner and often one in the middle. Delivery and the distance from the rental yard matter less, but a far venue or a second trip for takedown can add a real fee.

Location moves every line. City vendors charge more than small town vendors, and a Saturday in peak wedding season costs more than a weekday off season date. Always compare quotes with the same lines included, because one cheap rental price can hide install, poles and delivery that another quote includes.

Renting suits a one off wedding. You pay for one night, the vendor handles the heavy commercial grade strands, and you return everything the next day. A 25 foot rental strand usually runs $15 to $30, and the vendor replaces any strand that fails, so a dead bulb is not your problem on the day.

Buying suits a couple who will reuse the lights for parties, a patio or a holiday display. Home store kits run $50 to $150 for 100 feet, so buying 200 feet can cost less than one rental. The catch is storage, untangling and testing the strands before the next event, plus the poles and the install time. If you buy, still budget for poles and a ladder, and test every strand the week before the wedding.

A middle path works for many backyards. Rent the commercial strands and the poles, and buy a few cheap fairy strands for tables and trees where the light is decoration only. Our wedding DJ cost calculator prices another evening reception cost the same way, so you can see the full evening budget before you book.

Start with measurements, not with a phone call. Sketch the yard, mark the tables and the dance floor, and note where each strand will anchor. Count the strands and the poles from that sketch, then ask each vendor for the same lines, namely rental, install, takedown, poles, delivery and deposit.

Get three quotes and read what each one includes. Ask whether install and takedown are in the price, whether the deposit is refundable in full, and what happens if a strand fails or rain forces a change of plan. A quote that looks cheap without takedown can cost more than a full service quote once the crew comes back on Sunday.

Book early for a Saturday in May through October, and keep the lights low enough to read as a ceiling, around 9 to 10 feet, so the yard feels like a room after sunset. Our catering cost per person calculator helps with the food budget that sits next to the lighting budget on most backyard wedding plans.