Whether you are in the process of planning your own wedding or helping someone else plan theirs, you know by now how expensive everything revolving around the “big day” can be. From the venue to the dress, costs add up quickly and break hearts as well as budgets. When it finally comes time to look at rental items such as linens, chairs and décor, quotes can seem a bit daunting, and Amazon can start to look more and more attractive. Why would I pay $11 for a linen when I can buy it for $15 online? When it comes to weddings, there are items that might be a mistake to purchase, just for saving a few dollars and cents.
Linens:
Linens are one of the most popular items to purchase for a wedding, and one of the most common that cause heartache and regret. The pictures online may look perfect, but the linen itself is not going to come straight from the press, steamed and good to go. Colors can often be distorted as well as sizing being off. Working in the rental business, I have had many customers come in almost in tears because of the condition of the linens they had tried to purchase. It does make sense financially to try and sell a linen afterwards to make the money back instead of having to return it to the rental company, but unless you want to have them dry cleaned and pressed (costing more money), the linens are not going to be in good condition to sell. The ease of just having to put the linens back into a linen bag and return to your local wedding company makes everyone’s lives easier after the wedding.
Tents:
Tents are also a common item that people are surprised cost quite a bit of money to rent. Tents require professional maintenance to upkeep, and are much more expensive to purchase than the EZ ups from Costco. Tents also require the most man-power to install as heavy weights or long stakes need to be transported in order to secure the tent. Safety issues also are often not accounted for as most people do not know the best ways to set up large tents. If you are needing a tent for your wedding, you also have to take into account the lighting and decorating of the inside of the tent, which can often be a difficult task. With this kind of rental item, the hazards and difficulties of set up and storing can outweigh the benefits of owning a tent afterwards.
China:
China is not an item every bride opts for as it can get spendy, but often the cost of renting can be much more reasonable and less of a hassle than buying your own plates, or even purchasing paper plates. With renting china, you are able to use it, rinse it off, and then place it back in the appropriate containers. With paper plates, often people have to double or triple up because of the flimsiness of the plate, using more than expected – especially for wedding food. More trash bins are needed as well, which often do not add to the aesthetic of a wedding. Sometimes an eclectic, mismatched look is desired for plates and the hunt will be on for cute plates that go together. The challenge of finding all of these plates can prove to be very difficult, as well as expensive with large wedding parties. After the wedding, you are then left with many plates you might not have use for.
When it comes to large events, sometimes it is better to leave it up to the professionals to make sure your wedding goes off without a hitch. You wouldn’t want your linens showing up in an extra small size, your tent falling on top of your wedding party, or not having enough plates to go around. Rentals can be a great way to save money, and have someone else double checking you have the items you need for your big day.