The short answer
The questions to ask a wedding rental company before booking are whether each item is held for your date, when the order must be final and what changing it costs, what delivery, setup and pickup include, what the damage waiver covers, and when each payment is due and what cancelling costs. Ask for the answers in the quote or contract.
Is the inventory held for your date, and for how long?
A rental quote lists items, but a quote by itself may not reserve them. Ask the rental company whether the items on the quote are set aside for your date now, or only once you sign and pay a deposit. If the quote holds nothing, a popular chair or a set of farm tables can be booked by another event while you compare prices. Ask how long the quoted prices stand, too, since a quote may carry an expiry date of its own.
Ask to see the actual items, not only catalog photos. A showroom visit, a sample place setting or a photo of the current stock tells you the color, finish and condition you will receive. If the company might send a similar item when one runs short, ask how it decides what counts as similar and whether it tells you before delivery.
Before you call, read your venue contract for what the venue already supplies. The venue inclusions guide covers how to set a venue list against a rental quote so you rent only what is missing and do not pay twice for tables and chairs.
- Are these items reserved for our date now, or only after a deposit?
- How long do the quoted prices stand?
- Can we see the items in a showroom or as samples?
- What happens if an item runs short before our date?
- Will you tell us before substituting a similar item?
- Is there a minimum order for our date or delivery area?
When must the order be final, and can it change after booking?
Your guest count moves until RSVPs close, and the rental order moves with it. Ask when the rental company needs a final count, whether you can add items after that date, and whether you can reduce items at all. Adding items may depend on what is still in stock, and reducing them may carry a fee or may not lower the total once the order is locked.
Ask how a change is confirmed. A change agreed on the phone is easy to lose, so ask for a revised order each time a count or item changes, and keep the latest version with your contract. Set the rental deadline in your planning timeline next to the caterer’s final count date, since the two numbers need to agree.
- When is the final count due?
- Can items be added after that date, and at what price?
- Can items be reduced, and does the total change?
- Is there a fee for changing the order?
- Will you send a revised order for each change?
- Can we change the delivery address or date, and what does that cost?
What do delivery, setup and pickup include?
Delivery can mean items left at a loading door, or tables set and chairs placed in rows. Ask exactly what the delivery line covers and whether setup, breakdown or carrying items up stairs or across a lawn is charged on its own. Ask what time window the company gives for delivery and for pickup, and check both against the times your venue opens and closes to vendors.
Then ask who has to be there. A crew may need someone to sign for the order, count it and show them where things go. The delivery and pickup windows guide covers how those windows fit around venue access and who receives the order.
- Does delivery include setup and breakdown, or are those separate?
- Are stairs, long carries or an early or late window charged extra?
- What delivery and pickup windows can you give us?
- Who must be on site to receive and sign for the order?
- Will you deliver the day before or collect the day after, if the venue allows it?
What does the damage waiver cover, and how should items be returned?
A damage waiver is a charge in the rental contract that changes what you pay if an item is damaged. Ask whether the waiver is optional, what it covers, and what it leaves out, such as loss, theft or items left outside. Ask whether the company also takes a card or a deposit against damage, and when that is released. The rental damage guide covers how charges are counted and how to question one.
Ask how items should be ready for pickup. Ask whether dishes go back rinsed or as they are, how linens are bagged, and whether items must be stacked in the crates they arrived in. The answers belong in your day-of notes for whoever packs up, since the caterer, the venue staff or a friend may be the one doing it.
- Is the damage waiver optional, and what does it cover?
- What does the waiver leave out, such as loss or items left outdoors?
- Do you hold a card or a deposit against damage, and when is it released?
- How must dishes, linens and glassware be packed for pickup?
- How and when will you tell us about a damage or cleaning charge?
When is each payment due, and what does cancelling cost?
Ask for the payment schedule in writing: the deposit, the date the balance is due, and whether the balance is charged automatically to a card on file. Ask whether the deposit counts toward the total or is a separate booking fee, and whether any part of it comes back if you cancel. Those answers depend on the contract, so read its wording rather than relying on a sales call.
Then ask what happens if your plans change. Ask what you owe if you cancel at each stage, whether the order can move to a new date instead, and what the company does if it cannot supply an item it confirmed. Put each date from those answers in your payment calendar so nothing is charged by surprise.
- How much is the deposit, and does it count toward the total?
- When is the balance due, and is it charged automatically?
- What do we owe if we cancel, at each stage?
- Can the order move to a new date instead of being cancelled?
- What happens if you cannot supply an item you confirmed?
- Are delivery, setup, the waiver and tax shown on the quote?
How do you compare two wedding rental quotes?
Two rental quotes can list the same chairs and still differ in total once delivery, setup, the waiver, tax and a minimum order are added. Ask both rental companies the same questions, write the answers side by side, and compare the totals once delivery, setup, the waiver and tax are added. A lower item price with a separate setup charge can end above a higher price that includes it.
Keep the log below with your contracts. If an answer came on a call, ask the company to confirm it by email before you sign, so the terms you compared are the terms you booked.
Rental company question log
Use one row for a decision or deliverable. Keep unanswered items visible. Download the blank worksheet to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
On a small screen, swipe the worksheet sideways to see the remaining columns.
| Topic | Rental company A | Rental company B | In writing? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Items held for our date (and from when) | — | — | — |
| Quote valid until | — | — | — |
| Minimum order | — | — | — |
| Final count date and change terms | — | — | — |
| Delivery and pickup windows | — | — | — |
| Setup and breakdown included? | — | — | — |
| Damage waiver: what it covers | — | — | — |
| Deposit and balance due date | — | — | — |
| Cancellation and date-change terms | — | — | — |
| Total with delivery, setup, waiver and tax | — | — | — |
A message you can make your own
Change the wording to suit you, fill in anything in brackets and keep the questions that apply. You decide what to send and send it yourself.
Hi [rental company], thank you for the quote for our wedding on [date] at [venue]. Before we book, could you confirm a few points in writing? Are the quoted items reserved for our date now, or only after a deposit? When is the final count due, and can we add or reduce items after that? What do delivery and pickup include, and what windows can you give us? What does the damage waiver cover? When is each payment due, and what do we owe if we cancel or move the date? Thank you, [names].
Common questions
What questions should you ask a wedding rental company?
Ask whether the items are reserved for your date, when the order must be final and what a change costs, what delivery, setup and pickup include, what the damage waiver covers, and when each payment is due. Ask what cancelling or moving the date costs, and get the answers in the quote or contract.
How far in advance should you book wedding rentals?
There is no single lead time to rely on, because it depends on your date, the items and how much stock the company holds. Once your venue and a rough guest count are set, ask each rental company when your items could stop being available and whether a deposit reserves them, then book with that date in mind.
What should a party rental contract include?
A party rental contract should list each item and quantity, the event date and address, the delivery and pickup windows, whether setup and breakdown are included, the damage waiver terms, the deposit and balance due dates, and the cancellation and change terms. If any of those are missing, ask for them in writing before you pay.
Is a party rental deposit refundable?
It depends on the rental contract. A booking deposit may count toward your total or be kept if you cancel, and a separate damage deposit may be held and released after pickup. Read how the contract describes each one, and ask the company in writing when and why any part would be returned.
What is a typical party rental cancellation policy?
There is no typical policy to rely on, because each rental company writes its own terms. A policy may keep the deposit, charge a share of the order closer to the date, or offer a move to a new date. Ask for the policy in writing and note each date where what you owe changes.
Do party rental companies have a minimum order?
A rental company may set a minimum order for a date, a delivery area or delivery at all. Ask whether one applies to your order, what counts toward it, and whether delivery and setup are included in it or added after. A small order may also be offered for pickup from the warehouse instead.