Renting items for your wedding? You’ve probably already researched and budgeted for the obvious things—chairs, glassware—but there are other items that a lot of couples tend to forget. Meredith Jackson, from Charlottesville’s rental company Festive Fare, clued us in about some of those lesser-known rental needs.
You know about the linens, but don’t forget the table pads. “Rental tables or venue tables may have warped over time,” Jackson says. “Putting a pad over it makes the edges of your linens fall nicely to the floor and gives you a nice flat surface for the table.”
Certain kinds of chairs—Chiavari or cross-back chairs—should be finished off with a chair cushion. At Festive Fare, cushions are included with chair rental, but you’ll need to think ahead about the style of the cushion (tie-on, or not?) and its color.
Especially for outdoor weddings in barns or tents, check in with your caterer to find out what equipment they provide. A four- or six-burner stove may be necessary for last-minute cooking on site. Transit cabinets are those metal racks on wheels that keep food hot, cold or just safe; smaller catering companies may not own these, meaning you may have to rent them.
Of course you need glassware, but did you realize you’ll need more than one glass per guest? Extra glasses are a must since folks tend to sample different types of drinks and also to set down a glass and forget about it. “You need about one and a half glasses per person, depending on the duration of the event,” says Jackson.
Whatever you’re serving your guests for dinner, you’re also expected to serve to your vendors, so you should figure on extra china as well. Jackson’s rule of thumb: “If you have 100 people, you need 125 plates.”