Planning guide
The Wedding Rental Checklist
A timeline-ordered rental checklist for Memphis-area weddings — what to reserve when, how deposits and final counts work, and what happens on delivery day.
Wedding rentals are not one decision. They are a string of small decisions that land at different times — and the couples who enjoy their planning are the ones who make each decision in its season instead of all at once in the last month. We have been outfitting Memphis and Mid-South weddings since 1987, for planners and for couples doing it themselves. This is the order we would walk you through it.
One thing to know up front, because it shapes the whole timeline: a 50% non-refundable deposit reserves your order, and any changes or cancellations must be made at least one week before your scheduled pickup or delivery date. Reserve early, adjust as you go, and lock your final counts in that last-week window.
6+ months out: reserve the big stuff
- Set your working guest count. A range is fine — 120 to 140 is enough to plan tables.
- Walk your venue and ask exactly what it includes. Some rooms come with tables and chairs; many come with nothing. Ask what size their tables are (then check our linen size chart so the cloths fit).
- Reserve tables and chairs for your date. Peak Memphis wedding weekends — spring and fall — book against everyone else's spring and fall, so reservations made in advance are how you make sure availability is never your problem.
- Decide your chair direction now if you want Chiavari chairs: they set the look of the whole room, and they are the item couples most often wish they had reserved earlier.
- Put down the 50% deposit to hold it all. The balance and the fine-tuning come later; the reservation is what matters at this distance.
- Come see everything in person. Our Midtown showroom is open Monday through Friday, 9 to 4, no appointment ever needed — we can set a sample table so you can see linen, china, and chair together instead of guessing from a screen.
4 to 5 months out: choose the look
- Pick linen fabrics and colors. Five lines — Polyester, Satin, Majestic, Iridescent Crush, and Krinkle — cover everything from classic ivory to statement color. Order floor-length for guest tables, and remember overlays if you want a second color in the room.
- Settle chairs: Chiavari with cushions, or chair covers with sashes over folding chairs. Our chair cover guide walks the tradeoff.
- Choose place settings from our china rental lines: white china, a metallic band (silver, gold, or platinum), or clear glass — plus flatware pattern and glassware for your bar plan. Charger plates go on the list here too.
- Book the ceremony pieces: arch or White Colonnade, columns, candelabras, red carpet for the aisle, stanchions if you need to shape the crowd.
2 to 3 months out: the reception takes shape
- Map the room: guest tables, head table, cake table, gift table with card box or wishing well, guest book table, bistro tables for cocktail hour. Our seating guide has worked plans for 100 and 150 guests.
- Ask us about a dance floor — it is priced by quote, so call with your room size and floor type.
- Layer the atmosphere pieces: uplights, bistro lights, pipe and drape to soften a plain wall, a disco ball if your crowd earns one.
- Talk to your caterer about serving equipment — chafers, punch sets, coffee percolators, beverage dispensers, tray jacks — and decide who is renting what, so nothing gets ordered twice or not at all.
- Planning an outdoor ceremony or an open-air cocktail hour in October? Patio heaters keep guests comfortable once the sun goes down.
- Round out the fun details while there is still time to think: a cake plateau to lift the cake, champagne buckets with stands for the toast table, a frozen drink machine if your reception leans that way, and coffee percolators or beverage dispensers for the late stretch of the night.
- Ceremony and reception in the same room? Plan the flip now. Somebody has to move 150 chairs during cocktail hour — decide whether that is the venue crew, your helpers, or our setup and breakdown service (available for an additional fee — ask for rates), because it will not be the guests.
1 month out: logistics
- Confirm delivery details with your venue and with us. Standard delivery runs Monday through Friday 9 to 4 and Saturday 9 to noon, first floor, no stairs, within 50 feet of the truck. Stairs, elevators, long carries, tight access, or off-hours delivery can be arranged for an additional charge — but only if we know in advance, so ask your venue the annoying questions now.
- Decide on setup and breakdown. Having our crew set tables, chairs, linens, and chair covers is available for an additional fee — ask for rates. It is never automatic, so if you are counting on it, book it.
- Nail down the timeline with your venue: when can rentals arrive, and when must they be out? Saturday weddings usually take delivery Friday; rental rates cover one day or weekend use, so this rhythm is what the pricing expects.
- Reconcile your RSVP trend against your table plan while changes are still easy.
2 weeks out: final counts
- Lock your numbers. Changes and cancellations must be made at least one week before pickup or delivery — after that, the order bills in full. Do the final adjustment in this window, not the night before.
- Round up, not down. Add about 10% extra napkins and a spare place setting or two per table section; add a few spare chairs for plus-ones.
- Confirm every delivery detail in writing: date, window, site contact, and where the truck can park.
Wedding week and day-of
- Name a rental point person who is not you. Someone — coordinator, venue manager, an organized cousin — should receive the delivery, count and check every item against the invoice, and call us immediately if anything is off. If no one is there to receive, the invoice count governs, so make sure someone is there.
- Stage smart: linens on tables first, then settings; keep china in crates until tables are dressed.
- Enjoy the day. That is the whole point of doing the list in order.
After the party
- Rinse dishes, china, and glassware free of food and put them back in their crates — no washing needed, but excessively dirty returns can carry a cleaning charge, so the ten-minute rinse is worth it.
- Fold tables and chairs and leave everything gathered under cover, ready where the truck can reach it.
- Returns go back the next business day for pickup orders. Spot a problem with anything? Tell us immediately — that is the only way we can make it right.
The checklist at a glance
- 6+ months: guest count range, venue walkthrough, reserve tables and chairs, 50% deposit down, showroom visit.
- 4–5 months: linen fabrics and colors, chairs or chair covers, china line, flatware, glassware, chargers, ceremony pieces.
- 2–3 months: room map, dance floor quote, uplights and drape, caterer equipment split, heaters, cake plateau, plan the flip.
- 1 month: delivery details confirmed with venue, setup and breakdown booked if wanted, timeline nailed down.
- 2 weeks: final counts locked before the one-week change deadline, 10% extra on napkins and settings, delivery details in writing.
- Day-of: a named point person receives and counts the delivery against the invoice.
- After: rinse dishes into crates, fold tables and chairs under cover, return the next business day.
Since 1987, our job has been making this list feel short. We've got you covered.
Start your reservation early — build your wedding list and request a quote, and we will hold your date with a 50% deposit.
