Weddings are joyous occasions, bringing together the families and friends of the happy couple for a day of celebration.
Weddings range enormously in both size and type, from small, intimate occasions through to large scale weddings for many hundreds of people for which wedding furniture hire is often needed. However, that’s in normal times. 2020, of course, turned everyone’s worlds upside down…
Whilst almost no industry came through the COVID-19 pandemic unscathed, it’s fair to say that the weddings, events and hospitality industries were affected more drastically than others. Lockdown meant – quite literally – the shutting of the doors of thousands of venues around the country. And whilst, as 2020 progressed, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel with a gradual relaxation of measures, these were quickly re-established as we found ourselves in the midst of the second wave. At the time of writing this article, the vaccination programme in the UK is proving to be a huge success, so long may it continue!
So, after writing-off 2020, wedding venues and brides and grooms are once again looking forward to these special occasions. Whilst many wedding venues often offer wedding ‘packages’ with everything included, here’s our checklist of furniture hire and all you need for weddings if you’re a bride and groom starting your wedding planning from scratch…
Table and chair hire – Whilst this might seem obvious, there’s a whole world of choice out there! Consider the space at your venue, how many guests you are inviting, and your preferred layout. Typically, at weddings, you’ll find a top table for the happy couple along with their immediate family – for this you can use trestle tables joined together. Your guests all typically seated at round banqueting tables – these are available in a range of different sizes, with 6ft round tables being the most popular, being able to seat up to 10 guests. And don’t forget the chairs! Look at Instagram or in your favourite bridal magazine, and you’ll find limewash Chiavari chairs, as these really are the go-to wedding chair around the UK. Of course, if you don’t want traditional, then consider other styles of chairs and tables – the world really is your oyster!
Portable bar hire – A key consideration for many people when choosing their wedding venue is the bar prices! If there’s a bar there already, is it affordable and big enough to provide a fast service to your guests? The last thing you want at your wedding reception is a long queue at the bar to buy expensive drinks. If there’s no bar at your venue, don’t worry – portable bars are readily available, usually as modular bars, which means that you can hire multiple items which will then fit together to create the bar of the size and shape you need to suit your requirements.
Dance floor hire – Don’t forget the dance floor! Everyone loves a dance at a wedding reception and so you’ll need to allocate space to this when planning your room layout. Most temporary dance floors come in panels which simply lock together to create the size of party dance floor you need for your wedding.
Outdoor furniture hire – This is often overlooked by brides and grooms, so remember that your wedding venue is likely to have an outdoor space as well as indoor space, so make use of it! By hiring outdoor tables and chairs, outdoor rattan furniture and other furniture rental for outdoors, you can create a welcome outdoor space, like a chill-out area – for people to enjoy the setting sun! Of course, it might be that you are actually holding your wedding ceremony outdoors, in which case you’ll definitely need to rent outdoor furniture!
So, what makes weddings in 2021 different to any other year? Well, in terms of furniture hire, not much. What WILL make weddings unique and memorable in 2021 is, however, the ambience, the excitement, the pleasure of getting together with friends and family, and basically the fact that we can!
Enjoy every moment of your special day and the sheer emotion of the occasion…and congratulations!