Brides Beware: Renting Can Cost As Much As Buying
Posted on March 05, 2008 by Her and tagged wedding
When planning a wedding, caterers will often encourage the couple to rent many of the necessary items such as plates, glassware, linens, etc (when the venue does not already provide them). They typically rent those items from a third-party rental company, pad the fee with a markup, and may even receive a kick-back from the rental agency. Still, many couples choose to go this route, believing that it is always cheaper to rent than to buy. This is simply not true! For a couple willing to do some legwork, it is often possible to purchase these items wholesale, secondhand, or on clearance, then resell them and recoup some of the cost. The cost (even ignoring any proceeds from selling them afterward) can sometimes be less than renting. Here are some examples from our own wedding:
Charger plates: Purchased secondhand for $1.50 each. Quoted $8.00 to rent similar item. Will sell them afterwards for $1.50 each. Total cost: FREE.
Satin table linens: Purchased secondhand for $400 (less than the previous bride paid for the fabric she used to make them). Quoted $600 to rent similar item. Will sell them afterwards for $400. Total cost: FREE.
Tall vases for centerpieces: Will purchase on sale for $8.00 each. Quoted $24 to rent similar item. Will sell them for $5.00 each afterwards. Total savings vs. renting: $45.
If you are planning to purchase items rather than rent them, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure you have room to store them until the big day. The savings might not be worth the hassle if you have to store boxes in your shower for 8 months! Second, make sure you have a way to transport them. These items can be bulky or heavy and might also be fragile. Finally, if you are planning to resell them, it's not a good idea to advertise them for sale until after the big day. Things can be broken or lost, or even taken home by guests. It would be unfair to promise your leftovers to another bride and then end up with less than you expected.
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caryn | Mar 5, 2008
my only concern about this would be trying to sell this stuff afterwards. you are assuming a resale value and considering it a "free" cost but there is no guarantee that will happen. until that money is actually back in your pocket you're still out the cost.
We tried to do everything on the cheap - so we bought and made all the food, purchased table decorations, etc... we maybe saved a couple hundred dollars, but the stress level was horrible.
I highly recommend using a caterer etc for anything beyond the simplest meals! The little extra cost saves lots of headaches!
Ariella | Mar 5, 2008
Honestly, your assumption that you'll be able to sell the already-used items once they are twice-used items for the same cost is probably naive and incorrect. I would not necessarily assume that you will be getting those things for FREE until you are actually able to resell them.
Further, I guess you're choosing not to take into account the cost of searching for, acquiring, setting up, taking down and then subsequent selling of those items. Maybe not so cheap now, huh?
Kelly | Mar 6, 2008
I think it's a tad presumptous and a little cocky of you to assume that these items will be free after re-sale. How do you really know how much you could get for them? I agree with these other posters that you are just creating more problems by taking this on yourself to save some money. You may have done some legwork but those of us who have alreay been there - done that, know better. Don't create more stress for your lovely bride and you.
Jen | Mar 6, 2008
Um, the whole point is that EVEN IF they can't sell them afterwards it was still cheaper than renting to buy the items. What isn't clear is if the rental of the items also covers the cost of services like set-up, delivery, clean-up, etc, which would go a long way towards explaining a price difference.
Oof, some cynical brides here, huh?
To all re: reselling everything at cost.
Maybe, maybe not. Many of these items are still selling at cost or above on Craigslist/eBay. It isn't that far of a stretch to think that we could get back at least 85% of the value, if not the full price. Even then, we end up not dishing out (I'm not going to use the word "save") as much as we would have.
As for setup/dismantling, our caterer/florist/wedding slaves - not our guests - will be doing all that.
Becky@FamilyandFinances | Mar 6, 2008
Yeah, Him, very cynical. Jeez!
For the record, I once helped set up for a friend's simple, elegant wedding, and I didn't feel the least bit resentful. I thought she was being very wise to have such a beautiful wedding and yet be frugal about it.
Her wedding was actually when I realized that not all weddings have to look and be the same and that I should have the kind of wedding I would enjoy! I did just that this past summer :)
What I find annoying is couples who spend thousands on their wedding when I know they can't afford it (my brother being a good example!).
Monica | Mar 6, 2008
When my husband and I returned from out honeymoon there was an island of vases, photoframes, paper lanterns, etc, etc sitting in the middle of our living room. Our "wedding slaves" lovingly dumped it all there for us to deal with. I'm glad we saved a bundle with DIY, but facing that mess after the fact was NOT fun.
We also got charged a nasty cleanup fee by our recpetion venue b/c our (slightly drunken) wedding party didn't do the best job of removing all our decor that night. Just be sure you have someone responsible in charge of it all!!!
ldub | Mar 7, 2008
as a frequent wedding guest, i've felt honored to get to help set up and decorate for friends' lovely smaller weddings - they were ALWAYS lower stress and more fun than the big church to-dos with fancy wedding halls where if something wasn't just right, it was "all ruined!!!" in these smaller, more personal affairs where friends and family arranged the flowers and put up the lights, we all had fun and enjoyed getting to help create the occasion for them.
Pete | Mar 7, 2008
We recently helped set up for a friend's wedding and were completely honored. This included everything from hanging satin drapes to setting tables to putting centerpieces together to arranging chairs to setting up the sign-in table. It was fabulous and a great way to spend the morning of their wedding.
And a bonus? She gave each of us a $50 gift card and a thoughtful thank-you note afterward.
If your friends see helping you save money and "start your life together securely" as a burden, you need to shop around for some new friends. Go on, kids. Save your asses some cash!
Cami | Mar 8, 2008
Whoa, those first posters ARE quite resentful, aren't they?!
OK. As far as I'm concerned, you're doing a smart thing here. What's better, renting the linens for $600 and getting nothing back, or spending $400 and getting all if not a portion back? Even $300 back means you only spent $100 vs $600. Damn good deal. Sure, you might need to set them up and clean them afterwards.
Also, the comment saying "until the money is back in your pocket, you're still out the cost"... well it's better to be out $400 than $600 anyways!
Good for you guys. A lot of money can be saved by putting in some elbow grease.
I think it's great that you're planning on selling the stuff. But I wouldn't exactly think that it's going to be free. What if a guest spills or the linen rips?
HL | Mar 15, 2008
It's great that you have all the help for wedding setup/cleanup- and definitely, I agree with you about finding the better deals, whether it's buying or renting. For us, renting my wedding dress (the rental fee included alterations, cleaning, and all accessories- veil, tiara, etc), was possibly the most financially sound decision we've made (a mere $200 for a designer dress that costs thousands new)!
Mo | Mar 17, 2008
I am looking for tall vases for my wedding too (also in Chicago!) where did you find them so cheap? I would love to pick some up. Love reading your blog!
Gigi | Mar 5, 2008
Can you set up the venue a day or two before the big day?
If you have to do it the day before, Who will set up all of your tall vases, place your napkins or plates? Which one of your guests will you ask (or burden) with this responsibility?
Who will be responsible for tearing down and taking all of this stuff with them?
Yes it may be cheaper but it also requires more coordination and even stress. There are a thousand things to do the week before the wedding and now you're going to add many more.
Somethings can't be done until the week before the wedding (rehearsal dinner, final payments, picking up items for the church, dropping items at the location to be used such as favors, manicures, pedicures) Now you've just added 3 more things that will be time consuming in a short amount of time.
I know someone that went to the farmer's market for flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces. The day of the wedding, they were assembling EVERYTHING. A few of the guests really resented having been asked to set up and tear down.
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