Easy Items to Rent Instead of Buy For Your Wedding

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue — rented counts as borrowed, right!?

Let’s talk about easy items to rent for your wedding instead of purchasing, because let’s be honest, why buy twelve outdoor Persian rugs for your dance floor when you can simply rent them? Here are six things we recommend renting rather than buying for your wedding day.

Lighting

First and foremost, think lighting. From candlesticks, string lights, light sculptures, lanterns and all the fun new innovative LED options, you have the choice to rent these for your wedding instead of purchasing. Uplighting is the most common type of lighting to rent for a wedding. You can choose colors that compliment your wedding theme/style and even opt in to strobe light features if that’s more your taste. The cost of uplighting generally starts around $100 to $200 depending on the duration you will need it and the size of your wedding. Something to consider is that most entertainment vendors include or sell uplighting in their packages.

Chairs & Tables

Whether you enjoy the thought of going the opposite from uniform seating and instead choosing different styles and colors of chairs for your ceremony and reception or you prefer the classic look of matching aesthetics, you’re in luck! Chairs and tables can easily be reserved and rented.

The average chair rental is between $2 to $10 per chair and the average starting cost of table rentals begins at $8. Keep in mind that if you want to achieve that ballroom look and feel, padded chairs will usually begin at $8 per chair. Be sure to ask if delivery, set up, and take down are included in the price when renting table and chairs.

Linens

Conveniently enough, linens can easily be rented for your ceremony and reception. This option is wonderful if you’ve created an intentional budget and don’t wish to push that by purchasing linens. The typical table linen rental cost has a range starting at $6 to upwards of $100, depending on the quality of linens selected, duration of event, color and quantity. Napkins and other miscellaneous linens usually cost around $2 to $30.

Tents

Outdoor tents for a wedding can come with a price tag of $4,000 or more. However, many outdoor tents that easily accommodate a hundred or so people will be available between $5oo and $1,500. For couples who love a good deal and wish to start off their married lives saving money, this is a tantalizing route to take. Not only can your rented outdoor tent be used for the perfect outdoor reception, it can also serve as Plan B for your outdoor ceremony in case the weather decides not to cooperate. If the clouds gather and the rain starts to fall, simply move your wedding under a white tent, turn on those lanterns and string lights, and exchange your “I Do’s” amidst the rain like any great Nicholas Sparks novel.

Dance Floor

While most wedding venues have a dedicated dance floor, not all of them do. With the option to rent, you are also able to select a more custom dance floor look and feel. Want a particular vibe to match the reception playlist? Perfect! There’s so many fun and classy floor options available — checkered, oak plank, parquet, and a multitude of rugs to look through.

Expect to pay per dance floor section rather than as a whole, although certain companies do offer dance floor packages based on floor space, while others who price their rentals by sections might have some flexibility with the shape of your dance floor itself. For instance if you were holding your reception in front of a gorgeous cottonwood tree, why not build the dance floor around the base of the tree? String some lights along the branches and it would be like living in the pages of a fairytale.

Creative Feature Wall

Not only does a creative feature wall bring uniqueness to your event, it can also serve several different purposes.

1. Ceremony backdrop
2. Reception backdrop (particularly where you choose to place the head table)
3. Fun photobooth area
4. Beverage/finger foods table
5. Game area
6. Kiddos corner

If you want to create your own floral/greenery wall, that’s awesome and more power to you! However, if you would rather rent a wall and spend time and energy on a different wedding project, that is most definitely possible. With all the creative minds out there and artists refusing to limit their craft to just one or two designs, you can rent a creative feature wall to suit your theme and desired vibe.

A standard floral feature wall sized 8′ x 8′ can cost $125 to $175 per square foot or $400 to $500 total to rent. This price is not set in stone — it can increase depending on how customized you wish the feature wall to be and if you want to add certain elements such as lanterns, picture frames, mirrors, windows/window frames, paintings, etc.