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September 2012 Weddings
Got a stupid question! Re: linens
Okay...I think I slept through this part of wedding planning class. 
I was going to be renting linens from the vendor that services the restaurant that will be our caterer. They just do white tablecloths, and napkins in many colors, so I was just going to either pick white or see if I liked a color that worked w/ ours. And then I see pictures w/ table runners (going w/ long tables, like 3 tables that seat 30 or so) and was starting to wonder if the party rental place would rent those (the place we're renting the flatware, plates, etc. from). But now I see a lot of people purchasing linens. So here are my stupid questions:
I was going to be renting linens from the vendor that services the restaurant that will be our caterer. They just do white tablecloths, and napkins in many colors, so I was just going to either pick white or see if I liked a color that worked w/ ours. And then I see pictures w/ table runners (going w/ long tables, like 3 tables that seat 30 or so) and was starting to wonder if the party rental place would rent those (the place we're renting the flatware, plates, etc. from). But now I see a lot of people purchasing linens. So here are my stupid questions:1- How does that not cost eleventy-billion dollars? I admit I haven't looked anywhere- any suggestions? I expect I'll still rent the tablecloths & napkins but maybe that's the way to go w/ runners.
2- Okay, I know not everything you buy for the wedding must have a use after the wedding, but I am trying to rent more "single use" things than I buy, apart from my dress and some smaller items. But what in heaven's name would I do with said runners after the wedding? Goodwill? Craigslist?
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Re: Got a stupid question! Re: linens
i'm renting 8 ft banquet tables. to rent linens it's about 10/piece. for me to purchase linens, its about 12/piece. once i sell them after the wedding, i plan (hope!) to get at least 50% of the price i paid back, bringing my cost down to 6 dollars a piece. still cheaper than renting.
for runners, i purchased a 100 yard roll of burlap from ebay. it cost me $80 (with shipping) and I can make about 30 runners, easily. If I sell those after the wedding, I'm sure I could actually make money on them, bringing my costs down.
if i didn't have to rent them in the first place though, i would probably just go with what the venue provided. much easier.
When you rent they are pre-used so might be a little worn.
There are no contracts to sign when buying, and if one gets ruined you don't have to pay a lot of money to "replace" it. It's already yours!
The price is a big one too. HERE is a link to buy online. A 90 inch round table linen is $8.59, and free shipping over $50. HERE is a rental store (local to me and is the cheapest in my area) and their 90 inch round linens. It's $9.50 to rent the same thing! (granted there are more colors when renting but it's the same cost for white)
After you use your linens, you can sell them for half you paid, helping you and the person buying them. Granted if they don't sell you have to store them but personally I'd rather have them sit in my basement for a couple months than spend more money to have them for just one day.
I guess it depends on what is more important- price or convenience.
Same with my table cloths, I bought them for $10 when a rental store was clearing out excess inventory, they are $35 to rent. I plan on selling them for $15 on kijiji therefore making a profit.
I need to rent 50 or so more chair covers and I am renting my napkins, but in the long run I'm saving WAY more money by buying rather than renting.
Check out bbj linen and linentablecloth.com, great prices and free shipping
Not only will I be saving a dollar or two in the purchase price compared to the rental price, I can sell them and make some of my money back, and hopefully help another bride on a budget. Cuz, she can buy them from me instead of paying full price.
there are three or four good linen sites that have coupons pretty often. My rental place was charging about 10.00 per linen to rent. I can buy them for about 7.
Websites/blogs where our wedding has been featured:
http://www.dapperq.com/2013/11/a-very-dapper-wedding/
http://www.onabicyclebuiltfortwo.com/2013/10/wedding-christina-g.html
http://4realequalityweddings.com/2014/05/16/g-christina/