At Home Memphis and Mid-South  - August 2017.  Text by Jordana White

Planning a wedding can be stressful—especially when you consider the growing number of couples who choose to marry in non-traditional venues. Beautiful and unique? Sure, but also lacking in some of the most basic necessities, like tables, chairs…even roofs! Enter: rentals, the solution to pretty much every wedding décor crisis. Couples who choose to rent wedding items often find the options can be overwhelming, so At Home Memphis & Mid South sat down with Ann Marie Shivers of Details Specialty Rentals in Oxford, MS, to nail down the dos (and don’ts!) of wedding rentals.

AHMMS: What types  of brides/venues are best suited to wedding rentals?
AMS: Any type of bride or venue can benefit from a rental company. At Details we carry everything from wood plates and McCarty china to copper, silver, glass, gold and Annieglass.

AHMMS: What advice would you offer engaged couples about choosing a rental company?
AMS: When picking a rental company it’s crucial to make sure that they have a variety of options for all budgets, and that they are willing to work within your budget. Everyone has a budget; it doesn’t matter how small or large, and everyone’s wedding is just as important, regardless of that budget size.

AHMMS: What is the biggest mistake a couple can make when choosing rentals and how can they avoid this problem?
AMS: The biggest mistake we see is when couples spend above their means. We want the experience to be a pleasant one for everyone involved. The rentals are not the only thing that will be important in the wedding. A bride and groom still have to remember the cake, food, alcohol and dress, just for starters. It is awful to see rentals get out of hand—sometimes it’s best to step back and reduce wherever possible to stay within budget and make everyone happy, especially the couple and the father of the bride!

AHMMS: What are the must-have wedding rentals at the moment?
AMS: More than anything else, people are renting furniture and lighting installations right now.

AHMMS: What’s the hottest new tent design today?
AMS: I would say the newest is the sailcloth tent.  It is beautiful and makes a lasting impression.

AHMMS: How can a couple take their event to the next level with rentals? What kind of extra items are you seeing people use?
AMS: To take an event or wedding to the next level, I highly recommend renting furniture, rugs and lighting. These items give the wedding reception a more intimate and fun atmosphere.  

AHMMS: How can a couple take their event to the next level with rentals? What kind of extra items are you seeing people use?
AMS: To take an event or wedding to the next level, I highly recommend renting furniture, rugs and lighting. These items give the wedding reception a more intimate and fun atmosphere.  

AHMMS: In addition to delivery and pick-up, what kind of services does your rental company offer?                                                 AMS: We tell our clients that we really do not want or need to talk to them the week of their wedding. We should be finished with all of the planning and paying the week before so that they can enjoy the time leading up to their special day. We then will be prepared to go and set everything up according to the CAD (floorplan) of the chairs, tables, lighting, draping, etc… exactly the way we discussed in our previous planning meetings. We want the bride to walk into exactly what she envisioned in all of our meetings—that is our goal. After the event is done we come and remove everything.

AHMMS:  What are some of the most unique wedding items you’ve rented?
AMS: Some of the most special rentals we’ve seen are our hanging table (used for cakes, bar, appetizers), lucite cupcake tower (we can add different colored lights to each of the levels), chandeliers (we have many different styles to pick from), and pinspot lights (we have different styles to choose to highlight cakes, flowers, furniture…whatever we really want to pop).

AHMMS: What types of trends are you seeing in wedding design?
AMS: Gone is the oh-so-trendy use of burlap—thank goodness! We’re seeing everything more natural, simple and elegant: more greenery than flowers and candles, and, of course, brides love the furniture!