Many clients tell me that they don’t even know where to start with picking out rentals. What items do you need to put on a wedding? Who is responsible for setting up and cleaning up those items? Brides have so many questions, and I’m here to answer them! We’re going to talk about all things rentals, and most importantly, what you should look for when reviewing your rental contract prior to booking with a company.
Who is responsible for rentals on the wedding day?
A typical rental company will deliver and pick-up rentals, and you are left to deal with what happens to those items and how you utilize them in the meantime. As part of the rental delivery, you can expect the company to set-up larger items such as tables, chairs, and tents, but they will not setup your table décor & place settings, meaning your linens, plates, flatware, etc., even though they provide those items. If you are using the same space for your ceremony and reception, then you can pay the rental company extra to return for a room flip, but again just to move tables and chairs.
For linens and place settings, you will have to allocate those duties to your other vendors and be sure that you have booked enough time with those vendors to cover these jobs. This is something that your planner will typically coordinate with your caterer. For example, as the planner I might throw on the main linen and then have catering come in to put out table settings. Or the caterer and I might decide to split the job, where I put out the linens and chargers, while the caterer comes behind me to do flatware and water glasses.
The most important thing is to have a specific plan and book your vendors accordingly. Whoever is setting up your tables will need multiple staff members and several hours built into their timeline. We want your tables fully set before your guests arrive so that people are not working in the background of your ceremony.
Ultimately per your rental agreement you will be the one legally responsible for returning all the rentals at the end of the night. Your planner can help with this by supervising the clean-up process. You should hire catering to stay through the end of the night to pack away all dishes and bag up dirty linens. Typically, plates must be scraped of food (not fully washed) and packed away into the crates that they arrived in.
With all of these people involved, you may be wondering…
What happens if rental items get lost or damaged?
This brings us to the first point of what to look for in your rental contract – When you’re dealing with large gatherings, some things get broken from time to time. How does your rental company handle these situations? Typically, these companies account for a certain amount of loss each year, but you may be charged a fee for these items. Is it a certain fee per item? Is there a cap on the amount that you would owe? Is there a certain grace period for replacing or returning the items? These questions should all be addressed in your contract.
What else should you look for in a rental contract?
Delivery and Pick-up times (Plus fees!)
All of the times for delivery and pickup should be outlined in your contract clearly so that you and your planner can arrange the day accordingly. For delivery, do they promise a set time or a delivery window? If your ceremony is at 3:00, you can’t have your rentals delivered at 3:00, or even 2:00. Your vendors will need those items delivered hours in advance so that there is plenty of time to set up. Many venues and rental companies require someone to be present at the time of delivery to sign for rentals and check that everything that you ordered has arrived. This is a job for your wedding planner, so she will need to know what time they are arriving!
For cleanup, you will want to arrange a time shortly after the end of your event for rentals to be picked up. Many venues will require that rentals be picked up the same day because they will often have another event the next day. Unfortunately, most rental companies will charge a late-night pickup fee in addition to the regular pickup charge. Your contract should state if there is an extra charge for late-night pickup.
What is the cost of adding or removing items after signing the contract?
My recommendation is to collect your RSVPs 30 days before the wedding day, but you will need to book your rentals long before that, so you will end up booking without before you have a final headcount. Your wedding planner can estimate the number of items needed based on your invite number, but it won’t be exact.
Rental companies usually do not charge extra fees for adding items later, just the cost of the item itself. The biggest risk of adding items later is that they might already be sold out or booked by someone else.
However, removing items is a different story. I’ve seen companies charging varying fees for items removed. Some might be just a loss of the deposit amount. Others may charge 50% of the item. And once you start removing items the week of the wedding, you usually must pay the full amount. A good way to avoid this loss is to replace the removed item with something else. Most companies will apply the paid deposit to the new item. So, if you rented chairs for 100 and only 90 decided to come, instead of losing that deposit money you could decide to rent something extra like a pretty sofa lounge set.
My ceremony is outside. What happens if I need a tent last minute?
It’s a pretty big risk to try to book a tent at the last minute. Your planner won’t be able to ensure that a tent is available unless you put down a deposit in advance. A common way that we set this up is to pay a 50% deposit on the tent. If you need the tent, then you pay the rest of the amount owed. If you decide not to use the tent then you don’t pay anything else, but you also don’t get the deposit back. It’s not fun because you feel like you’re paying money for nothing, but that’s not really the case. You’re paying for security. The truth is that weather is completely unpredictable, especially in Middle Tennessee. We can say that it typically doesn’t rain much in October, but we won’t know for sure. If you are booking a ceremony or reception outdoors, the tent will buy you security.
So, if you have a tent agreement in place, you want to make sure that your rental contract outlines this fully: How much will you owe if you don’t use the tent? When is the deadline for deciding if you will use the tent? If another couple at the same venue also wants to use a tent, is it possible to do a tent share? Tents are a topic on their own, so we’ll discuss all the details of renting a tent in another post.
Details to give your rental company:
This section won’t typically be in your contract but will be a job for your wedding planner to communicate with your rental company. She will want to be very clear with them on when to deliver and pick up rentals so that everything arrives on time. If the company is returning for a room flip there will be a very small window in which to get that work done, so she will give the company her timeline and instructions for returning for the flip. Regardless, your planner will also give the rental team a layout so that they know where to place tables and chairs.
When it’s all said and done, coordinating your wedding rentals is hours of work. It involves communicating with the rental team and the catering team. It involves creating a layout that may factor in your buffet, your DJ or band, your live painter or photobooth, or whatever else must take place within the confines of your reception space. You’ll need your headcount, your venue requirements, and a host of other information to organize the space for the day. This is not a job for the novice bride to take on. I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner with design experience to help you navigate these issues and relieve your stress both before and during the wedding.
If you need a wedding planner in Nashville, you know who to call 😉 Fill out my contact form or email me at kelsey@kelseygrayevents.com
Photo credits in order of appearance:
- Header image: Kendall Parsons Photo; Venue: Saint Elle; Rentals by Please be Seated
- 1. Haley Maria Photography; Venue: Cheekwood Estate; Rentals by Please be Seated
- 2. John Myers Photography; Venue: the Barn at Fiddle Dee Farms; Rentals by Southern Events
- 3. Gipe Photography; Venue & rentals: the Noelle
- 4. Kera Photography; Venue: Cheekwood Estate; Rentals by Please be Seated
- 5. Chelsea Duff Photography; Venue: Old Natchez Country Club; Rentals by Southern Events
- 6. Kendall Parsons Photo; Venue: Saint Elle; Rentals by Please be Seated
*** Disclaimer: The materials available at this web site are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.
