Jan 14, 20195 min read

All Star Rentals – Four Ways to Avoid Wedding Day Headaches!

If you’ve recently “said yes”, congratulations! You’re about to embark on an amazing journey as you begin to plan your wedding!

One of the first steps many couples take is finding the perfect venue, followed immediately by choosing a rental company. Whether you’re in charge of picking the event furniture and linen company, or it’s part of your tent rentals, we want to show you how to avoid the four most common mistakes that can cause unnecessary chaos on the big day!

1. Not Allowing Enough Time – Hiring the right event rental company means you’re hiring an expert. If you think it will take an hour for set-up and we know it takes two, we’re going to offer that input and make sure you don’t have guests arriving before the last chair is set.

A good example of this is a common request we have at All Star Rentals regarding chair rentals – many couples want to cut cost by using the same chairs from the ceremony for the reception, which is often at a different location. We know from experience that sometimes guests like to catch up after the ceremony, leaving our team in the awkward position of packing up chairs around them. Our team is sensitive to maintaining a welcoming environment, so we recommend allowing more time – or choosing another set of chairs so both locations are set and ready to go, well before guests arrive.

2. Choosing a Space That’s Too Small – Although we offer bounce house rentals, we typically try to avoid that feeling for our wedding clients! Believe it or not, planning in a space that’s too small (or even too big) is all too common. One thing you’ll notice at a wedding that’s too cramped is that the bride has trouble moving between guests, which can make it awkward for people trying to squeeze their chairs in as she, or other guests, move by.

The same is true if the space is too big – guests won’t connect with each other because they’re too far away or the layout isn’t conducive to conversation. It’s an important day and we want your guests to be comfortable – just like Goldilocks, it should be just right!

The way we handle this challenge at All Star Rentals is to staff trained planners that work with our clients to create a custom CAD (or computer-aided drawing). We want you to be able to envision your event before it happens to ensure you love the chair placement, wedding tent design, linen colors, pipe and drape layout and more! If you aren’t working with a party rental that offers this service, spend some time reviewing photographs of other events so you have the best chance of bringing your exact vision to life.

3. Not Having a Clear Plan – We love a couple who comes together surrounded by a large support team! It’s great to see friends and families who are eager to help make the day a success, even if it means picking up garbage or working on chair covers. We know that once the day starts moving it’s hard to know exactly what needs to be done! Did the candles get lit, is the bartender set up, where exactly does the overflowing garbage go, who is responsible to turn on the generator and by the way – where is that bridesmaid?!

Our clients tell us they love how much we acted like family, and we like to consider ourselves the one with the best organizational skills. We offer our clients a custom checklist to help combat this problem, created for you after you book. If you don’t work with us, ask your party rental company what they suggest and if that’s not an option, we recommend you create your own list of to-dos’ and assign each task in advance.

4. Skipping Plan B - It’s true, one plan is never enough and “hoping for good weather” is never something we recommend for our clients. Instead, we like to have a plan A and a plan B. The reason being is that we know a wedding is often the largest expense a couple has spent to date and seeing it go to waste because of a temperature drop or incoming rain breaks our heart. Here are the type of options we like to offer our clients.

Tent Rentals – Tents are one of the easiest and most beautiful ways to accommodate conditions outside of your control (thank you mother nature). If the weather is great, we can easily move your high-top tables or cake and present tables outside and add beautiful décor as fillers throughout the tent. It’s a simple way to ensure your money doesn’t go to waste and it’s one of the easiest ways to make an elegant statement at your event – we don’t recommend planning outdoors without them!

Heaters and/or Tent Sides – Here in Wisconsin, we see dramatic temperature changes in the Spring and Fall, with very little warning. We talk with a lot of clients who don’t anticipate any problems their guests might face – other than maybe having to bring a coat – but in reality, it’s about more than just comfort.

One thing we’ve learned is that condensation can cause a big problem, which forces people to leave early when they’ve caught a chill and can’t get warm! Wind is another problem if it comes in strong enough to blow décor (and guests) around. The good news is if you plan for it and don’t end up needing it, we can typically remove tent sidewalls with just a few days’ notice!

Here's the checklist to make it simple:

- Don’t just google “party rentals near me” and hire the first company that comes up. Work with an expert that can offer input and support for your wedding rentals, especially in the area of time management.

- Choose a space that will be effective for your event and welcoming for your guests. If possible, use CAD drawings to visualize the layout and always check linen colors, chair styles, décor options, etc. in advance.

- Work with your party rental company to complete a checklist – from candles to bartenders to parting gifts. If your rental company doesn’t assist in this area, create the checklist yourself and assign each task before the day of the event.

- Hope for the best and plan for the worst – meaning, wherever you can, have a plan B. This is especially true for areas that are outside of your control, like weather!

At All Star Rentals, we want your event to be the thing of dreams. Use these tips to avoid the most common mistakes we see and contact us if we can be of help!