Rental catalogs make it easy to add one more thing to the cart, and harder to know what you actually need. This guide on how to choose wedding decorations turns the decision into a short list of questions about your venue, your colors, setup, quantities and timing, so you order the pieces that change the room and skip the ones that don’t.

Start with what the venue already provides

Before you browse, ask the venue for a list of what comes with the space. Many wedding receptions take place in rooms that already have tables, chairs and basic lighting, and some have house linens or a dance floor. Whatever is already there doesn’t need renting, and whatever is plain or missing is where rentals do the most work. Once you know the gaps, our wedding rentals checklist lists what to rent for each part of the day.

Walk the room, in person or by video, and note three things: the walls guests will face, the spots where photos will happen and the outlets. Those notes answer most of the questions below.

Rent or buy?

Decor that you will use for one night and then store is usually a good candidate for renting. Lighting fixtures, backdrops and a photo booth are bulky, and you would need somewhere to keep them afterwards. With a rental, everything arrives with setup instructions and a prepaid return label, and it goes back after the event.

Items you want to keep, such as a guest book or a sign with your names, are better bought.

How to choose wedding decorations: six questions to ask

1. Does it fit the room?

Measure the walls you want to light or cover, the ceiling height and the length of the head table. Rent My Wedding’s backdrops come 8 or 10 feet tall in any width, which you choose on the order page, and the head table package sizes the backdrop to your table. If the backdrop has to clear a low ceiling or frame a long table, the measurements decide it.

2. Does it come in your colors?

Check the actual color list, not the photos alone. The backdrops page shows drape swatches in white, black, royal blue, navy, burgundy and red, plus sequin fabric in gold, silver and rose gold, and a second layer called a valance or swag can be a different color. Uplights can be set to any color with the push of a button. Chair covers come in white or black, with sashes in a wide range of colors.

3. Can you set it up yourself?

Rent My Wedding doesn’t offer a professional setup service, so pick pieces your helpers can handle. Uplights go on the floor against the wall and take less than a minute per light. A pin spot for the cake sits on the table and is aimed in under a minute. Every rental includes setup instructions, and 24/7 phone support is there if something isn’t working.

4. Will it work indoors or outdoors?

Some items are made for one or the other. The tripod backdrops are designed for indoor use only, because they aren’t stable outdoors in the wind. Canopies, on the other hand, are promoted for outdoor parties as well as ceremonies, for example to cover a reception area or a bar.

5. How many do you need?

Quantity is where most guesswork happens. Rent My Wedding provides calculators and recommendations based on event type and guest count. For uplighting, the cheat sheet suggests 10 uplights for up to 75 guests, 16 for 76 to 150, 24 for 151 to 225, 32 for 226 to 300 and 40 for more than 300. One pin spot is enough for an average cake, and a large cake of 18 inches or more across looks best with two.

6. When does it arrive, and when does it go back?

Rentals are scheduled to arrive at least two days before the event, and the rental lasts 5 days. Repack everything in the same box, attach the prepaid label and take it to a physical FedEx location within two days after the event. Never leave it in a FedEx drop box. Decide now who will do the drop-off, so nobody is scrambling the morning after.

Bundle where a package fits

If several items work together in one area, a package can save you choosing them one by one. The all packages page groups them by area:

• Ceremony Kit: a canopy or chuppah with 4 wireless uplights, with chair covers and sashes as optional add-ons.
• Head Table: a white backdrop with a decorative swag and wireless uplights, sized from 12 feet wide for 2 to 6 people to 36 feet wide for the largest tables.
• Cake Table: 2 cake spotlights and 3 wireless uplights, with a monogram, linen backdrop or canopy option.
• Dance Floor: 8 uplights in any color, a custom monogram light and a tripod stand, with options such as a starry night light or a black light.

There is no minimum order, so you can also rent a single item if that’s all the room needs.

Put it together

Once you know how to choose wedding decorations for your venue, the order itself is quick: you enter the event date, shipping address, quantities and payment at checkout. Our guide to how online ordering works walks through each step, and the gallery and all event rentals page are good places to compare looks before you decide.

FAQ

Does Rent My Wedding ship outside the U.S.?

No. Rent My Wedding currently ships only to locations within the United States.

Is there a security deposit?

No. Rent My Wedding does not require a security deposit for any of its rental items.

Can I rent items for more than one event?

Yes. You can rent items for multiple events. Schedule the rentals with enough time between the events for shipping and returns.

People Also Ask

How do you choose wedding colors?

Start with two or three colors and check them against what you can actually order. The backdrops page shows drape swatches in white, black, royal blue, navy, burgundy and red, plus gold, silver and rose gold sequin fabric, and uplights can be set to any color with the push of a button.

Is renting or buying better for wedding décor?

Renting usually suits large pieces you will use once, such as lighting, backdrops and a photo booth, because you don’t have to store them afterwards. Buying suits keepsakes you want to hold on to.