Planning guide
What Happens on Delivery Day
The delivery window, what standard delivery does and does not include, what triggers extra charges, and the five-minute checklist that makes the whole day smooth.
The rental order you placed weeks ago becomes real the moment the truck pulls up. Here is exactly how that day works at Party Connection — no surprises, because surprises are the one thing nobody wants delivered.
The window
Standard delivery runs 9am to 4pm Monday through Friday and 9am to noon Saturday. Yes, Saturday — the showroom keeps weekday hours, but the trucks work weekends, because that is when Memphis parties. Our routes run the whole Mid-South service area: as far south as Hernando, north to Covington, east to Somerville, and across the river to West Memphis and Marion. Delivery is quoted by distance and order size — the short version lives on our delivery and pickup page — and per the value line printed on our own price sheet, no hidden fees.
One honesty about the window: trucks route by geography, so we cannot always promise a to-the-minute arrival. If your venue only opens its doors at a fixed hour, tell us when you book and we will build the route around it — a locked-in time outside standard hours can carry the non-standard-hours charge, and you will see that on the quote, not at the curb.
What standard delivery covers
Standard delivery rates are based on first-floor delivery with no stairs, within 50 feet of the delivery vehicle, and to an easily accessible area. Meet all three and your quoted delivery rate is the whole story.
What costs extra — and why we ask so many questions
Additional delivery charges apply for:
- Stairs or elevators, up or down
- Delivery during non-standard hours (before 9, after 4, or outside the Monday-Saturday routes)
- Areas with difficult access
- Carries longer than 50 feet from the truck
Party Connection determines whether a delivery incurs an increased charge — which is exactly why we ask about your site when you book. A third-floor ballroom, a backyard through a narrow gate, a venue that only allows load-in at 7am: all workable, all quoted up front if you tell us up front. The expensive version of this story is the one where we find out at the curb.
Three deliveries, three quotes
Here is how the policy plays out on real-shaped orders:
- The East Memphis backyard. The truck parks in the driveway, the gate is open, and the patio is forty feet away on flat ground. First floor, no stairs, inside 50 feet — that is a standard delivery, and the quoted rate is the whole story.
- The downtown reception room. Loading dock around back, a freight elevator up, then a long corridor to the ballroom. Completely workable — we do it all the time — but the elevator and the carry past 50 feet both add to the delivery charge. Because you told us at booking, your quote already includes them.
- The fellowship hall up US-51. Double doors straight off the parking lot, order stacked just inside. Standard access at the far end of the territory — the delivery is simply quoted by distance and order size, like every order.
Same policy, three different quotes — and in all three, the quote came first.
Setup is an add-on, not a default
Standard delivery places your order stacked and ready at your accessible spot. Setting up — and breaking down — tables, chairs, tablecloths, and chair covers is available for an additional fee; ask our staff for rates when you book. Plenty of customers set up their own room and pocket the difference. Plenty of others decide their wedding morning is worth more than the fee. Both are right answers; just decide before delivery day, not during it. If you do take the setup service, have a floor plan ready — even a phone photo of a sketch — so the crew places the room once instead of twice.
What we will ask when you book
You can make your quote exact in one phone call by knowing five answers:
- Where can a box truck park, and how close is that to where the order goes?
- Any stairs or elevators between the truck and the spot?
- Is the path clear — gates, narrow side yards, security desks?
- Does the building or venue restrict delivery times?
- Who will be there to receive and count the order?
Thirty seconds per question, and your invoice will match your quote to the penny.
Or skip the truck: showroom pickup
For small orders, pickup is the budget move. Rental rates are based on one day or weekend use — pick up on the business day nearest your event and return the next business day, so a Saturday party usually means load Friday and return Monday at the same rate. The showroom is at 174 Collins Street in Midtown, Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm. Folding tables and chairs ride flat in most SUVs and truck beds, and dishes and glassware travel in the crates we pack them in. Bring along whoever will make the return run, too — the counts and the crate layout make more sense once you have seen them loaded. If the order outgrows your vehicle, that is what the trucks are for.
How to be ready (five minutes, tops)
- Clear the path. From where a box truck can park to where the order lands: gates open, cars moved, dogs inside.
- Be there, or send someone. Count and check the equipment when it arrives. If no one is available to receive it, the invoice stands as the valid count — so being present is your protection.
- Check it before the party, not during. If anything is wrong with your order, contact us immediately at (901) 309-9664 — and if we do not answer, leave a message right then. We cannot repair, replace, or refund what we are not told about right away.
When we come back
Pickup runs like delivery in reverse, and the price sheet terms are simple:
- Tables and chairs folded and left under cover
- Dishes and glassware rinsed free of food and put back in their crates
- Everything ready when the truck arrives
Rinsed does not mean washed — just no food left on anything. Excessively dirty returns can carry a cleaning charge of up to 100% of the rental rate, and if you already know you will not be able to rinse (caterer leaves early, venue kicks you out), call us ahead and make arrangements. Late returns past the contract dates carry a late fee, lost or damaged pieces carry replacement charges, and unused items are not credited — so fine-tune your counts before the one-week change deadline, not after the party.
That is the whole system. It has been running since 1987, and it works best when we both know everything before the truck rolls. We have got you covered.
Questions about your site? Ask us about your delivery — tell us about stairs, distance, and access, and your quote will be right the first time.
