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Before your wedding, the most you may have ever rented might be a car or an apartment – but renting everything from a tent to dishes is quite common when it comes to planning a wedding (or any large event). Your wedding might be the largest event you ever plan, and understanding what rentals you will need is imperative to the wedding planning process. Here, we’ll break down which rentals you may need in which scenarios, and how to know what rentals to prioritize.

It’s All About the Venue

Before you dive into event rentals for your wedding, it’s important to have already decided on a venue. Your venue will dictate what (if any) event rentals you will need. If you haven’t decided on a venue yet, knowing what rentals may be required for each type of venue could help you narrow down where you’d like to host your wedding. Keep reading to learn about the common types of venues, and which event rentals you may want to consider.

Restaurant / Country Club

If you’re hosting your reception at a restaurant or country club, you probably won’t need tables, chairs, or any table settings. Instead, you’ll want to focus on details like linens and a dance floor to make the space your own. Linens will allow you to pull in your wedding’s colors and help make the space pop. Consider tablecloths and napkins. If the restaurant or county club doesn’t already have a dance floor space, you’ll want to make sure that they can accommodate a rented dance floor. Talk to your venue about layout options to make sure the options meet your needs.

 

You May Need

Conference Center / Ballroom

Often, you’ll find that these types of venues also provide tables and chairs, but be sure to double check. Also ask about buffet tables, which can serve as your gifts table, dessert table, and buffet in the event you plan to serve a buffet-style meal. This type of venue may or may not have a kitchen and serve food. In the event you need to (or plan to) bring your own caterer in, be sure to coordinate with the caterer table settings, food warmers, and food serving equipment.  Another important factor to consider is the bar. Will the conference center or ballroom provide a bar? And will they serve alcohol? Be sure to iron out these details, and decide whether you need to rent glassware and a bar in order to keep the drinks flowing.

 

You May Need

Museum / Art Gallery

Museums and art galleries make unique and interesting venues – but often require a significant number of rentals since large events aren’t typically this type of venue’s area of expertise. While some museums and art galleries may have enough tables and chairs to accommodate your party, many will not. Also work with your caterer to sort out details like table settings, food warmers, and food serving and storage equipment – and consider renting those things if needed. You’ll also need to consider a bar, and whether or not you’ll need to rent everything from the bar and beverage service to the glassware. Finally, be sure to decide if the venue will accommodate a dance floor and whether or not you’ll rent that as well.  In the winter months, you may also want to rent coat racks.  

 

You May Need

Tented Reception

Whether you’re hosting your wedding in your backyard or the lawn of another space, you’ll probably need to rent nearly everything to create your event’s infrastructure. Although these events require a significant number of rentals – they are our favorite! We love building an event space from the ground-up, making it exactly what the bride and groom envision for their big day. Every detail can be customized to meet your preferences and needs. When hosting a wedding outdoors, we always recommend having a tented space for eating, socializing and dancing. Thanks to the possibility of rain year-round in western Pennsylvania, a tent is necessary regardless of the time of year, and offers warmth during the cooler months and shade during the hot months. After you decide on a tent shape, style, and size, it’s time to think about tables and chairs, a dance floor, and a bar. We also recommend cocktail tables (high and low) and lounge seating.

 

In the event you host a wedding on a lawn, you will probably also use a caterer. As we mentioned before, you’ll need to work with your caterer to determine what rentals they may require you to have. We have the resources to build a kitchen from the ground-up, if you plan to have food stored and prepared on-site.

 

Other rentals to consider include restrooms, flooring, tent heating and/or cooling, lighting, and linens (including tent draping).

 

You May Need

 

If this all feels a bit overwhelming – you aren’t alone! Determining which rentals you need for your wedding can be a daunting task. The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone! We’d love to hear about your upcoming wedding, and help you determine what rentals you need – and which ones you don’t.

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