For a couple months I had worked as an Event Specialist at a local event rental company in Santa Barbara. As an Event Specialist, it was my job to inform the client about certain details to consider when planning their wedding (or any event for that matter) because plenty of clients, usually brides, don't always think about these details when planning their wedding. And the details are super important for the overall brilliance of any event. I am going to share with you the tips I had learned from my very short time as an Event Specialist.
Beach Weddings In Southern California, it is very common to have weddings on the beach. When we were renting to a beach bride, one thing we needed to ask was if the bride was planning on having an aisle runner on the sand at the ceremony. If they were, we suggested that they rolled out the aisle runner after the guests had been seated and before the bride walked down the aisle. This was so the guests wouldn't kick a lot of sand on the aisle runner before the bride could walk on it. The other thing to consider when having a beach ceremony or reception is to have a back up venue in case the weather isn't fair, even if the sun is out but the wind picks up. You don’t want your special day ruined by getting sand in your eyes.
Chairs
Chair style is important to consider. Here's a tip: Those Chiavari chairs that look elegant and sophisticated, aren't all that comfortable. Because their back rest goes straight up instead of slanting back a little bit, they can actually be bothersome after a while. My tip: rent chairs that have leaning back rests for the ceremony, since your guests will be using them for a long while, and rent the chiavari chairs for the tables at the reception if the guests will mostly be sitting in them to eat the meal and for breaks in between dancing. And if you choose Chiavari chairs for the reception and you plan on having toasts, don't let the toasts go too long. I say this because in the office I had to sit in a Chiavari chair for quite a bit of the day, and trust me, they're not great for long periods of time.
Test Your Tablescape
Always do a test run on your tablescape before you finalize your rental order. There is a word for this, I just can't think of it. You go to your caterer for a tasting of the food you are going to serve, so you should also do a test run for your table. You can call your rental company and make an appointment to have a sample of your table - table, linens, chairs, china, glassware, flatware, and whatever centerpiece or decorations you are using (you can also coordinate with your florist for a centerpiece sample). This is to make sure everything you want on the table will fit on the table and will go well together, so you are getting exactly what you envisioned.
Child-Safe Glassware
Rent glass for the drinks for adults and buy plastic glassware for the children. Young children are not so careful with glass, so if children under say seven or eight years old are going to be present, get some plastic glasses for the children's drinks, to limit the number of broken glasses you have to send back to the rental company, and pay for.
Rent glass for the drinks for adults and buy plastic glassware for the children. Young children are not so careful with glass, so if children under say seven or eight years old are going to be present, get some plastic glasses for the children's drinks, to limit the number of broken glasses you have to send back to the rental company, and pay for.
Think of The Musicians
You have to think of the needs of your musicians. Not only do you need to make sure your musicians have chairs to sit on (and maybe stands for their sheet music?), but if you are having musicians play outside in the sunlight, you will need to rent an extra umbrella or two for the musicians instruments. Warm temperatures can change the sound of musical instruments. Help your musicians play as beautifully as they can and provide for their needs.
How To Serve Your Food
When coordinating between your rental company and your caterer, often times your caterer will need to rent a few extra items. Plan with your caterer what you are serving and how you are going to serve it (buffet style, sit-and-serve, food stations, etc.), and your caterer can tell you if they will need waiter trays, tongs, serving spoons, bread baskets, among other serving pieces, and maybe even some cooking equipment or transit warming boxes.
Don't Forget The Cake Table and The Cocktail Table
If serving pre-dinner drinks and appetizers, consider having a few cocktail tables for guests to mingle around. And the cake table needs a cake stand, a cake cutter and a cake server. If you want to include dessert plates and dessert forks on the cake table, get a table big enough for all those items.
The Bar
If your are serving drinks, consider what you will need for the bar. Who's tending the bar and what will they need? For starters, a table or a bar for the bartender. Plan what drink you are serving and what kinds of glasses you want to serve them in: high ball, low ball, martini, red or white wine glasses, 12 oz. or 16 oz. mason jars (and yes, the size of the mason jar does matter), pilsner, margarita, zombie, endless possibilities! Will they need pitchers? A refrigerator? Bar mats? Ice tubs?
Tents
If planning to use tents, be sure to finalize your plans for tents at least two weeks ahead of your wedding, so you can be sure all the fire permits are ready in time for your event. TTM filed the permits for you and just added it to your bill, and fire permits are not the funnest things to file for, so it was more convenient for clients to let us do it for them.
Velon
Velon is plastic that you wrap around items such as heat lamps that either may be dinged up from previous use, or for ordinary items that you don't really want to be seen with your prettier things, like trash bins or ice tubs. They come in a few different colors to help blend with your overall theme, so amongst your opulent decorations you don't see some grimy, scuffed up trash bin.
What Does Your Venue Offer?
Does your venue have special lighting? Or will you be needing to rent some of those cute Market Style string lights to hang over your dance floor? Do they provide tables or chairs? How about trash or recycling cans? Any cooking equipment for your caterers? If it is an outdoor venue, do they have heat lamps or even bathrooms? Before talking to your rental company about renting these sort of items, ask your venue staff what they can provide for your wedding.
Who's On The Guest List
Consider who is coming to your event: old, young, people with allergies or special diets, parents with babies, people with disabilities, etc. For the elderly, you may want to choose chairs that will be the most comfortable for seniors because it is guaranteed they will be sitting the longest. For young children, it is hard to be sitting quietly all the time. Think about providing some side entertainment for children. I went to a wedding where they had a badminton net set up and a "Nerf Court" set with stakes in the grass and taped off, and the children could shoot Nerf guns or pass Nerf footballs to each other, and a volunteer supervisor made sure they didn't take the Nerf guns outside the court. If you have parents with babies coming, set aside a room for parents to change or take their crying little angels (and have it shown to them when they arrive so they know it's there). I say the allergy and dietary needs part more for your food selection so your guests with allergies or special diets (vegan?) have something they can eat. And for people with disabilities, if you have guests with crutches or wheel chairs, make sure they are able to get to their assigned seats, and have enough room to pull their wheelchairs in and out or a place to rest their crutches, and have enough space to get around everyone.
Dance Floor
These are the things to keep in mind when renting a dance floor. 1). What type of surface is the dance floor going on? Is it on a hardwood floor? A Deck? Carpet? Grass? Gravel? Dirt? A hillside? Find this out so the rental company can bring the right equipment to keep the floor stable and even. 2) How many people are going to dance at the same time? The answer is hard to narrow down. The Tent Merchant website has a chart for a dance floor size according to total guest count. Party Rental Ltd. estimates 3 sqaure feet per dancing person, and up to 2/3rd of the guests could be dancing at the same time. DanceDeck.com estimates that only 30% of your guests will be dancing at the same time. Just talk with your vendor and wedding coordinator how much room you can have for a dance floor, and however many guests can fit on the floor will take up the floor. That's the only advice I can give concerning the size, and to go with what the chart on the TTM website says.
Temperature Control
Keep your venue comfortable for your guests - and for yourself, also. No sense in being a Silent Sufferer on your wedding day. If you want your wedding ceremony or reception outside, consider the climate, the time of day, and the time of year your event will take place. Will you need umbrellas to protect your guests from the hot sun? Do you need heaters if you're having your event outside at night? In Santa Barbara, even in the summer the nights can get a little chilly, and personally I would appreciate a heater. If you are having your event in a tent with walls during the hot season, get some fans or make sure the tent walls can be rolled up if the stuffy heat is absolutely unbearable. And if you are in a tent outside in a colder climate, according to fire codes (at least in our area) you cannot have a heat lamp under a tent. I forgot the name for it, but there are fans that pump warm air into a tent to keep it warm and is safe under the SB county fire codes. And think about the ways to control the temperature of your ceremony or reception if they are going to be indoors. Talk to your venue staff about heating or cooling option.
Rent Some Extras
When in doubt, rent a few extra chairs, china, glassware, napkins, and flatware, and set aside a few extra seats at a table just in case if you have those last minute invited guests. But seriously, it really helps your event to go more smoothy if you know your expected guest count. So hound your guests for an RSVP, since it is becoming more common for invited guests to not respond, which leaves event hosts either with too much or not enough of something.
What Else Does Your Rental Company Offer?
What does the rental company have that can be used to liven up the party? TTM had fancy coffee makers and other things perfect for a coffee bar. They also had a popcorn maker. TTM also rented furniture, oriental style decorations (displayed in a room called "The Bazaar"), and other fun decorations that could add to your theme. They rented wine barrels, tapestries, chandeliers, arches, typewriters, boat oars . . . anything they had they would rent to you.
And here's some tips when it comes to planning with a rental company:
Consultations
When going to rental companies for a consultation, there are a few things to keep in mind. 1). Be sure you have a very good, solid idea of your budget, and the closer you get to your big day be sure your guest count is as definite as you can get. 2). When attending a consultation, it is best that whoever you bring has excellent taste (in a style that you are passionate about) and also someone who has experience in wedding planning, Your consultants as well as the people you bring to the consultation can help you identify the kinds of things you will need and what will go well with what.
Courtesy To Your Rental Company
When making requests to your rental company, be specific, but not demanding, especially during the busy event season. I say this as a person with experience from behind the desk. Event Specialists work very hard to make all of their clients happy. And even though it is there job to serve your needs no matter what, it really helps the Event Specialists, even encourages them to work harder for you, if you are courteous and understanding. Seriously, all the staff at The Tent Merchant wanted was to make their clients' wedding as special as they could, and tried to go above and beyond to accommodate your needs.
Remember: They Are RENTAL Items
Don't forget, you are not buying brand new merchandise. Some of your rented chairs or tables may have scuffs and chipped paint. Umbrellas may have their wooden frames more or less worn. Rental companies do try their best to clean and maintain their stock as best as possible (At least TTM did. I saw them clean up stock all the time). Don't worry, any honorable rental company wouldn't DARE rent you a chair with half of it's paint stripped off.
Awareness of the Company's Policies
Make yourself aware of all the rental company’s policies, including damage charges, delivery fees and times, how long you can keep the rented items, and how close to your event can you add or subtract to your order.
Making Changes To Your Order
Finalize your order the soonest you can, especially if your wedding is during the busy season for events (May through October, by the way). You will want to make sure your most desired items and your needed amounts are reserved long ahead of time. If you change your chair or china selection a week or two before your wedding, there is a good chance you may not be able to reserve your new choice due to other clients having already reserved them. There is also a chance your rental company may be able to accommodate it, and feel free to ask, but don’t freak out if it can’t be changed. And when this case did happen at TTM, the event specialists did try their best to give the client other options that that they could be very happy with, since the Event Specialists and the Owners of TTM always kept up-to-date with the latest trends.
It's a lot to consider, I know, but as it shows, there is so much more to consider than just linen colors and china style when it comes to planning a wedding. These are some of the details that are commonly overlooked until the last minute. Keep these in mind for when you get engaged or are asked to help plan a friend's wedding. I invite you to comment and ask any questions, I would love to help.
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