8 Fun Rentals To Personalize Your Wedding
By: Kristen Castillo
Ever dream of dancing under a chandelier? Eating dinner on fine china? Relaxing on a sofa with your guy during the best party of your life?
It’s your wedding, now is your chance to indulge a little (or a lot) with these eight fun rentals that allow you to mix, match and customize your big day.
Make the wedding all about you and your guy, all the while remembering what Melissa Strukel of Pow Wow Vintage Rentals & Design Resource has to say: “Good style really never goes away.”
1 CUSTOM DANCE FLOORS
Dancing is one of the best parts of the reception, so make an impact with a custom dance floor.
You can order floors in custom high gloss, white vinyl or wood. The looks vary but they’re a definite upgrade from a venue’s standard flooring.
Heidi Alderete of Concepts Event Design says high gloss floors are popular with couples who “want to mimic invitations, initials or designs” on the dance floor.
Work with your rental specialists to create a design, which can be as large as four feet by four feet.
2 FURNITURE
These days a venue’s tables, chairs and additional seating options won’t cut it. You need furniture rentals that reflect your style and your wedding vision.
“Furniture rentals make a vast difference in transforming a barren event space, either outdoors or indoors to a chic, inviting atmosphere that clients or guests can enjoy themselves in,” says Kristy Griggs of Lounge Appeal Event Furniture Rentals.
Both upholstered furniture and lounge seating keep the party sophisticated but not overly formal.
“Lounge furniture reduces barriers to socialization,” says David Wright of AFR Furniture Rental. “It gets people comfortable.”
You can rent furniture for indoor and outdoor events.
“Most brides opt for white furniture and accent with pillows in their colors,” says Wright. For example, a bride might dress up the couch by buying plum colored pillows, which she can keep after the wedding as a memento.
Furniture arrangement is another important consideration.
“I recommend lounge furniture close to the dance floor or the bar so people will use it,” explains Alderete.
Wright agrees: “Try to build seating together and bring people to the center of the event.”
3 VINTAGE VIGNETTES
There’s something so charming about vintage designs. Maybe that’s why its one of the top rental styles at Teal Green Design & Rentals.
Teal Green’s owner Kimberly Teal says brides and grooms are drawn to “vintage vignettes.”
“I love how weddings have evolved to show the bride and groom’s personalities,” says Teal, whose eclectic chairs from the 50’s and 60’s are a big hit. “They love old vintage chairs.”
For a wedding reception at Marina Village, she focused on lighting, which created a cozy feel.
Another personal touch? “We did a whole wall of frames. It was really nicely done,” says Teal. “You can add small touches for very little.”
4 CHINA & GLASSWARE RENTALS
Think you have to use the house cups, plates and silverware? Nope. You can rent ones that match your taste.
“A charger plate will dress up your table,” says Alderete who did two events last year where brides brought in their own dishware and custom glassware.
Mismatched china is a great way to add flair to a reception. For a recent wedding, Strukel used 1200 pieces of mismatched china. She currently has two BBQ weddings where the couples want to rent the mismatched china too.
5 LIGHTING
Dress up your party with the right lighting.
These days, your furniture including chairs, benches and cubed tables and chairs can introduce lighting to the space.
“A lot of our pieces are illuminated,” says Wright.
You can also add some sparkle with event lighting like custom gobos, which shine your logo, theme or design onto a floor, a wall or another surface.
Glam up the space with chandeliers that ooze elegance. Or consider market lights too, which are party lights strung across your venue’s ceiling. The lights create a warm glow that’s very romantic, and chic too.
6 SOHO STYLE
If you can’t decide on your celebration’s style, you may like the “it” look that blends lots of elements into one cohesive design.
“The industry trend that is most popular is creating the ‘Soho’ lounge look, combining three main elements: something distressed (rustic furniture), something modern (lounge appeal signature furniture) and something of a conversation piece (our new posh chairs),” says Griggs.
While the “SoHo” look started out in New York hotels and lounges, it’s now a part of many West Coast events.
“It is popular because of how easy to juxtapose different pieces together to make an eclectic lounge look, where not everything has to match perfectly!” explains Griggs.
Teal often combines vintage with midcentury modern, such as a wedding featuring silver goblets with succulents, mixed with industrial letters, which she calls, “a cool mix.”
She also uses interesting textured fabrics such as burlap, muslin and naturally dyed fabrics.
7 CANDY BUFFETS
A popular wedding rental is all about savoring something sweet.
Candy buffets make for a great dessert and a cool favor too.
“It’s a feel good,” says Tammy “TJ” Johnson of Candy Girl Candy Buffets.
She uses a minimum of half a pound of candy per guest. Any leftover candies go to the bride and groom to enjoy.
The couple selects the candies and the table design. “We have lots of props to make it very clean, crisp and what they like,” says Johnson.
A beach themed candy table for a destination wedding for example might have buckets and flip-flops for décor, complemented with treats like red fish candies, old-fashioned bubble gum and jellybeans.
For couples who love the 80’s, Johnson can create a candy buffet with “me” decade faves like Pop Rocks, Fun Dip, gummy bears and ding dongs.
“Lots of times they want something fun,” says Johnson. “They want something interactive. Something everyone will like.”
Typically, guests put candies in cello bags or takeout boxes, which are finished off with a custom label with the bride and groom’s names.
8 CHIVIARI CHAIRS
Standard venue chairs look, well, standard. Spice up the décor with some cool chair rentals.
Chiviari chairs, or chivari as they’re sometimes called, are popping up at more and more weddings.
Available in black, gold, silver, mahogany and white wash/antique, the chairs are classy, versatile and will dress up your celebration.
INSPIRATION
Don’t be afraid to express yourselves with rentals.
For one of Teal’s weddings, the bride and groom used an old vintage chalkboard on wheels as a welcome sign.
“People aren’t afraid to veer out of the box,” says Strukel. “Customize who you are.”
One of Sturkel’s couples, a bride and groom who were both doctors, chose a sign-in sheet like at a doctor’s office for their guest book.
“This is a big day of celebration,” says Strukel. “Keep it focused and remember the love that’s in the room at the wedding.”
Get inspired by your interests and your lifestyle. Then go ahead and have some fun too. Your wedding look should reflect the tastes of you and your groom.
