Reserve Rental Equipment (Chairs, Tables, Linens, etc.)

5 Months Before the Wedding

Now you are at the point where you are getting into the nitty gritty details of what must be done for your special day. You’ve got the date, the place, are working through your vendors—you’re feeling pretty good about yourself at this point! The picture of the organized bride! Before you get too relaxed, it’s time to think of any rental equipment that you plan on renting. If you are having your wedding reception at a venue that supplies each and every item, then consider yourself very lucky. Some reception halls include everything from chairs and tables to tablecloths, and everything in between. For the majority of brides however, there will be at least one item that you intend on renting so get ready.

You first want to locate a company that is close to your reception venue, that way you can ensure that they can reliably get their delivery to the location in a timely manner. It helps to ask the venue if they have any recommendations as they likely work with these companies all the time. Once you’ve located a company, you want to convey your needs to them. If you are having your ceremony or reception at venues that require chairs and tables, then you want to provide the number based off of the most people you see attending. Sure there are always a few people that don’t show up the day of, but you want to plan for the most people that could be there so that you have enough places for people to sit. Consider not only chairs and tables, but any linens that you could possibly need. Make yourself a checklist and think through every area that you’ll be responsible for at your venue. If you need a table for gifts or the cake, then be sure that you get linens for those tables as well. If you’re having a separate area for appetizers or need linens for the bar, then be sure to include that in your total.

Chances are that your venue has the tables and chairs under control, but the linens can be a major task. Add to that the fact that many brides want chair covers to complete the look and this can be a lot of planning on your part. The company you’re working with has likely handled all of this detail before so they know what they’re doing. You need to feel comfortable with them and the fact that they will supply everything you need the day of. They may very likely have a checklist to go through with you to remember each and every need, but just in case do your part to prepare for all of your rental needs. If you need to walk through the ceremony or reception venue one more time to visualize everything, then include that prior to your meeting with the rental company. Always remember to go off of the highest number of guests you know could attend your special day, you don’t want a guest to be without a chair or a table to be without a tablecloth.