Table runners and centerpieces, buy or rent?

My caterer provided my linens, will yours, or can they recommend a reputable company they have worked with?

As for centerpieces it sounds like you can borrow quite a bit so it will probably be easier to buy the last pieces you need instead of trying to rent pearls and candles. Would your venue let you borrow one set of their mirrors and glassware to make a mock up and see what the finished product will look like?

I work for an events rental company. I would say just rent your linens because a lot of people that I have worked with that tried to buy their own linens ended up getting the incorrect sizes. But if you do end up buying your own try to just find out the right sizes to fit your tables even if you just call a place and ask them.

Thanks ladies! The caterer has crinkled ivory linens I am using (it was either that or black!) I'll ask about companies they've worked with, but that is all they have.

I have asked the venue for table measurements. It's a little frustrating to have to find an event rental company for just one or 2 things but I'll deal if need be!

My venue is providing all of the linens, but they don't have chair covers. I am actually finding that buying them is HALF the price of renting them. However remember anything you buy, you'll have to store and then figure out what to do with when you're done (donate, sell, whatever if may be).

I decided it's worth saving the money even if I have to have them sit in a corner of my apartment for a while.

Hi any idea of prices for renting?Is it worked out by table or how many guests etc?Thanks!!!

I'm renting my table cloths and backdrop and aisle runner, all for 400

Rented tables clothes but buying centerpiece components bc I didn't like the rental companies options. They admitted their lanterns sucked.

@TXBride- make sure you are using the right terms when talking with your venue or there may be some unpleasant surprises.

Votives are only about 2 inches high so chances are you are talking about cylinder vases.

Also chiffon tablecloths are completely see through so you would see the legs and understructure of the tables.

If you just need a couple of table runners, I would just buy them. They're pretty cheap.

Renting. I have no use for those things after the wedding. I also don't want to have the responsibility of removing any of the decor at the end of the night.

@Karen it will depend on the company but the company I work for just charges per item per event. Prices will depend on the type of material and size for linens. Same goes for majority of the inventory for us at least.

We bought our table runners off of Amazon because it was cheaper than renting; but with your wedding coming up soon, it would be risky to order and not get what you need. I agree with PP that you need to make sure you have the right sizes if you buy.

I found it was around the same price to buy or rent. I rented because I didn't want the hassle of hauling everything to the venue and set it up, the rental company and florist did everything.

I think there is added befit to renting because someone else is responsible for making sure they have the right number and sizes. I ended up renting sequin table cloths through the venue for all the gift, cake, cocktail tables exc and they ended up not using three of them because the rental company wouldn't let them put them on food tables (cake, dessert and coffee/water table) so I got refunded for those three by the venue. If I had got them on my own that would have been $150 wasted.

Your guest count will be lower than the number you invite but it's impossible to estimate. We were able to update the florist and rental company when our final guest count was due so we ended up only paying for what we used. If we had bought table runners, chair cover, centerpiece based on the original guest count or table count we would have wasted a lot of money in extras.

@muriel thank you! They are vases and crinkled linens, not chiffon. My brain is mush, I swear. I've seen everything, and it is all good.

I'll check with the florist to see what she has but the venue and caterer don't have much.

Renting table clothes, I bought my runners (they are mix matched animal prints, gold satin, and red satin) from cvlinens.com for very inexpensive - god thank you for reminding me I need to go order 2 more of each that I got bc we have more tables than I thought at first. I have no problem just throwing them away after or giving them away because they were like 1-2 dollars a piece. It was only worth it for me bc I wouldn't have been able to find what I was looking for in someone else's inventory.

Centerpieces I'm using a lot of stuff I already have/am buying specifically for them - but we are keeping it pretty simple and I'm OK throwing away pieces, giving away pieces, my decor/event coordinator is borrowing me a lot of stuff to dress up my idea to my liking (like lighting, floating candles, etc)

Think about the logistics of getting anything you're providing yourself to the venue and set up in the way you want them set up. Are you going to do something small enough to be able to travel already assembled? Are you going to have staff and a DOC that will show the staff how you want them to be set up and displayed?

@magnoliamarie how long did cvlinens take to ship?

I have a DOC, 5 bridesmaids, and 3 Jr. Bridesmaids who have all volunteered to assist with setup.

We're buying, but we're also building our tables because it was so much cheaper than renting

I had my grandma make my table runners. It was cheaper than purchasing. However, I am renting lanterns from my venue because I can rent for $5 each. You could not buy them for that cheap! I'm going to be purchasing the flame less candles for the lanterns. They have a 3 pack at Costco for $10.

Look around before you're set on buying or renting. One choice might be a lot cheaper.

For me linens were cheaper to buy. Im only having 65 guests (14 of that children) so I didnt need a ton. I plan on selling after on FB wedding resale groups

We are renting almost everything. We live OOS from where the wedding will be, so we can't bring stuff to the venue easily. Some small stuff like the card box we bought and had shipped to my parent's house, because they'll be driving to the venue.

Honestly, even if we lived closer, I would still want to rent as much as possible. I don't want a bunch of stuff sitting around the apartment before and after the wedding. It might be more expensive, but it's easier.