Advice: Renting tables/chairs directly or through caterer

Poodip

Hi!  I'm starting to get price quotes for renting individual items (tables, chairs, dance floor, etc) directly from RI unlimited or RI rentals, and I think it may be cheaper to do so directly than to go through the caterer (we're using Russell Morin).  However, I'm not sure if doing so will cause any problems/inconvenience on the wedding day for setup and breakdown.  If we don't rent these items through the caterer, will they still take on the responsibility for setting up tables and chairs?  I'm hoping the rental company can deliver the items to the venue for a cheaper price, and then the caterer can take over.  Any advice on this?  We're really trying to save whereever we can cuz we're already spilling over our budget! Thank you!!

JandA7406

It IS cheaper to not use the caterer, and I believe your caterer will handle the setup with no issue.

Poodip

hmm....From one rental company, I found that although the individual items were cheaper, they have to include special delivery fee (for after regular hours) + an awfully expensive ($144) labor fee for setup and breakdown....which ended up being more than what the caterer was quoting(!)   From a second rental company, it was cheaper overall because they had low labor fees (<$20).   I was hoping to work with as few vendors as possible to avoid all the need for multiple coordination, but maybe it will be worth it to save ~$200. 

Newport2013

I would def. suggest going through your caterer.  If something is delivered incorrectly you want them to be incontrol and be able to fix it for you.  The slight extra cost will be worth the piece of mind.

RoyalOrient

If your caterer offers a DOC as part of their service package, they should be able to set up and break down the tables, chairs and linens and everything else in between. 

cristin517

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_advice-renting-tableschairs-directly-or-through-caterer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:122Discussion:3abd5ad8-f5fd-460e-b80b-556c49a91b06Post:3ea9133a-4b56-4a59-b66a-8f02eb6acb35">Advice: Renting tables/chairs directly or through caterer</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi!  I'm starting to get price quotes for renting individual items (tables, chairs, dance floor, etc) directly from RI unlimited or RI rentals, and I think it may be cheaper to do so directly than to go through the caterer (we're using Russell Morin).  However, I'm not sure if doing so will cause any problems/inconvenience on the wedding day for setup and breakdown.  If we don't rent these items through the caterer, will they still take on the responsibility for setting up tables and chairs?  I'm hoping the rental company can deliver the items to the venue for a cheaper price, and then the caterer can take over.  Any advice on this?  We're really trying to save whereever we can cuz we're already spilling over our budget! Thank you!!
Posted by Poodip[/QUOTE]

What did you end up doing? We are also using Russell Morin. Just at the beginning of planning so have not looking into rentals yet and don't know exactly what we need for tables and chairs