One thing we see as a common struggle is deciding whether to rent or buy wedding related items. And we are here to tell you BOTH are correct.
If there is one piece of advice we can give all our clients, it is outsource linens. Many people think that buying them will be cheaper, and in some cases, maybe, but the time you have to put into cleaning them, making sure they are the right size, ironing them, steaming them, just to make them look nice is not worth saving a few bucks. There is so much work that goes into them before the wedding, and then when it’s all over, you are left with 20 dirty, smelly linens you have to load back into your vehicle, ride with them all the way back home, clean them, and then decide what you are going to do with them after...
Ways to get linens without buying them:
-Ask your caterer if they provide linens or if you can rent them through the caterer.
-White Dahlia Rentals! We have a great resource of linen suppliers. From white to speciality linens we are happy to help you with finding what you need!
-Other rental companies that you may also go through for a tent or speciality items typically have linens as well!
Similar to the previous points, people often assume buying items versus renting is going to save you money, this is not always the case! For instance, renting signage
is the way to go so that you don’t end up throwing the signs away or tuck them in storage never to be seen again. Be honest, what are you really going to do with a large bar menu with a list of signature cocktails?! We suggest only personally buying signage if you plan to showcase it on the wall in your home somewhere. In our rental inventory, we have a variety of chalkboards, frames, mirrors, with an onsite artist who will create the most perfect custom signage for your day.
Another item to rent is a card box! Since you are most likely only going to use the box once, might as well rent it and not have to worry about what you’re going to do with it after your wedding days!
Lastly, candles! Candles can seem a bit pricey to rent, but the biggest perk to renting them is not having to deal with all the melted wax that will most likely ruin the holders as well. One way we try to help our clients save on costs is by offering gently used pillar candles when available! These are great to use in areas like your ceremony, lining a staircase, surrounding the head table - places that your guests aren’t really looking at the fact that the candles aren’t brand new. We promise no one can tell! One candle item we do recommend buying yourself is just plain votive candles. Stores often sell votive candles in glass containers in bulk for very cheap and can just be tossed at the end of the night or recycled! But if you’re looking for specialty votive holders like mercury glass, it’s cheaper to rent them.
If you’re still having a hard time deciding if you should rent or buy, check out how we broke down the list of items below! You can often save by renting items you won’t use again which could allow you to splurge on other items like florals or speciality vendors!
Looking for something particular or thinking about renting? As always, be sure to check out our rentals linked here or shoot us an email, we’d love to hear from you!
XO,
White Dahlia
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