Depending on where you choose to hold your reception, you may find yourself in need of items not provided by your reception facility. That’s when Harrisburg area party rental companies such as Golden Rentals, Weir Event Rentals, and Capital Rentals and Sales come in handy.
The need for various rental items increases when the event is held outdoors or at an event facility where you are required to provide your own caterer. Party rental companies will supply you with a variety of rental items, including linens, chair covers, tables and chairs, tents, fountains, plants, props and theme decorations.
When you do decide to use a party rental company, find out in advance what the delivery, set-up, pick-up and payments policies are. Be sure to coordinate with the facility manager to ensure the location will be open when your rental company drops off your order.
You may be surprised to know that the major difference between party rental companies for most things isn’t price, but the quality of their items. Most have extremely similar prices on the majority of rental items, but some feature items that may be too short, stained, or just generally not as high quality as those of other companies. If you don’t have a caterer, planner, or other pro to ask, it may be worth going by some showrooms to look at the quality of their items in person.
Other key differences between rental companies are delivery windows and charges; minimum order amount; if dishes/glasses/silverware need to be returned scraped, rinsed, or washed (all of which are decidedly different amounts of labor); and willingness to work with you without having you setting up a professional account. If you’re handling your rental orders yourself, it’s probably worth calling a few different companies to ask them these questions and get a general quote .
Have you ever wondered why most weddings feature floor length tablecloths? Standard event/rental tables are…ugly, even when they’re not beat up. Don’t forget to rent tablecloths that are full length.
Cotton and polyester linens almost always cost the same. Cotton is always way, way nicer, so request it if you can (and make sure to request it from your caterer if they’re running your rental order).
Always order approximately ten extra plates/forks/knives/napkins. You may have one or two show up chipped, or have a guest drop one, or realize you forgot to include your vendors in the headcount (and they need to eat off of something!). If you’re serving cake, don’t forget about an extra set of plates and forks to serve it on!
If you’re not sure exactly how many guests you’re going to have (i.e., if you’re placing your order before the RSVPs are in), put your initial rental order in for the high amount. The vast majority of rental companies will let you change your order with no penalty up to about three days before delivery, which means that if you need to drop two tablecloths, it’s no problem. However, if you need to add two at the last minute? There’s a chance they’ll be entirely out of your color of choice.
Generally you’re going to pay a flat delivery and pickup fee, no matter how many items are in the order. Because of this, it’s best if you can only have one rental order, so if you want to rent specialty items, talk to your caterer or venue to see if they’re placing a rental order and you can add onto their existing order. This also makes it easier on the return side. With two orders you have to make sure things get separated appropriately and not sent back to the wrong company.
Make sure to line-item read your rental order carefully a week before the event. And maybe have someone else read it carefully, too. You want to realize that they put the wrong pickup time on the order before you’ve sat around for an hour at the end of the night waiting for the truck to show up.
From the proper tent size for an outdoor wedding, to the portable dance floor complete with table and chairs and beautiful linens, a good rental company will work closely with you to determine what rental items will be needed to make your guests comfortable and your special day a complete success.
