This whole discussion seems like borrowing trouble, as no one is holding a lovely reception at a barn and then bringing in a porta-potty that hasn’t been cleaned since the last music festival it was used at. Come on now.
We weren’t talking smelly holes in the ground. Some of these units are quite sophisticated, you wouldn’t know you weren’t in a real room in a house. We aren’t taking scout camp.
I do have one daughter who was very peculiar about rest rooms, down to the color of the seats. 9 months in a 3rd world country took care of that.
^^^That’s kind of sad. Your choice of course.
Missing an entire special event of someone important/special to you (or who thinks you’re important/special)because of a 2 minute potty stop?
You were at Woodstock? I am SO impressed! ^:)^
I’m surprised someone remembers what the bathrooms were like at Woodstock. But yeah, nice to think of Baez.
I just checked with a relative who attended the barn wedding with the porta potties. He didn’t see them.
Just because some of us would rent the luxury trailer type for an event we host does not mean everyone would.
I’ve never seen the nice porta potties. I’ve only seen the OMG-this is so gross, hope my leg muscles hold out-kind. (blushes).
Regular porta potties, just cleaned before the event and not used by lots and lots of people already, are fine. Come on now, people…
I’m one who uses the paper thingies at the airport bathrooms (blushes again).
Yet I would never skip a wedding over this issue. I’d either suck it up or not drink anything. 
I agree with jaylynn. Good god. A clean one is fine. It’s going to be used by a dozen people over the course of an event and be no dirtier than any public restroom. It’s not being used by hundreds. I really think some people are being waaaaay overdramatic.
Being squicked out in a bathroom used by thousands of people is no reason to blush 
Those freshly cleaned porta potties will be used by a hundred people or so (less per potty if there are many of them) and those people are presumably one’s friends and family. Hardly the gutter-dwelling minions.
And frankly, even with something standard, wedding guests are unlikely to be the usual slobs at some park or a public corner.
I’ve heard and read that avoiding using the bathroom can increase one’s likelihood of bladder or urinary tract infections and other health issues, so I’d rather chance a random public bathroom over a possible infection any day. Heck, I’ve handled camp latrines and bathrooms at rest stops in S Korea.
My friend had her reception at the a Brown Palace. Even with the beautiful bathrooms, roomy, full closing doors for each closet (not really a stall) and with a nice but not huge gown, she needed help holding her dress while tinkling. I don’t think she worried about bathrooms when choosing her venue.
Another friend did plane her wedding around portapotties, or rather her desire to avoid them. She would have liked to have had a wedding in her huge backyard, but at the time her house had one bathroom (now 2) and even though her MIL lived next door, that would have only added 2 more and she would have had to get a portable option. I don’t think the fancy ones were available 20 years ago, so we all trudged to a mountain town and paid for hotels. There was a accident on the highway, wedding had to be delayed 2 hours as all the ‘day trippers’ were stuck on the highway…really I think I’d rather have used the portapotty.
Not likely that one will get a UTI due to abstaining during one evening or afternoon wedding.
But it is known to be a bad thing to consistently hold it for many hours. Nurses are really bad about this.
@Nrdsb4 - At my age, I’m impressed that it’s even a possibility.
I attended an outdoor wedding with a nice porta-potty trailer. The outside looked like a mobile home and the interior had multiple stalls and a vanity with sinks and mirrors. There were lights, the toilets flushed and there was running water in the sinks. There was no odor. It really was very nice and looked like a hotel bathroom. You would never guess it was a portable bathroom from the inside.
I’m imaging the RSVP letter sending regrets for some of the reasons stated on this thread:
Dear beloved friend:
Regretfully,I am unable to accept your kind invitation on this joyous occasion because, if I did attend, I would be wearing underwear that requires me to completely disrobe in order to pee, which would be absolutely disgusting in the filthy porta-potties I am assuming to you are intending to assault your guests with (although I cannot be sure since you thoughtlessly left off the toilet plans from the face of your invitation). (I would just hold it, but doing so causes UTIs).
Love,
Your close friend
nottelling–obviously you haven’t looked for “portable restrooms” images on the internet. Marble counter tops and flushing toilets are not the construction site loos that come forefront to the mind.
I can hardly imagine that you would respond outright in such a negative manner to a “beloved friend”. Perhaps a gentle inquiry? (Like " WTH are you thinking?" with maybe the response of “It’s nice! Not what you think! It’s all good!”
That being said…25 years ago I went to a party (not a wedding but just a big BBQ) where port a lets (the plain blue ones) were on site. My two year old REFUSED to go in.
Okay I said–want to go over by that tree? Yep!. That’s fine. Woods good, port a let bad.
@gouf78 – my post was meant to poke gentle and friendly fun at some of the prior posts on this thread. I’m well aware of the “portable luxury executive restrooms” and have been to many events where they’ve been used.