Renting Wedding Supplies | Renting Wedding Decorations

How to Keep Your Guests Safe During Events

Dec 19, 2022 | How to

Even though you might want to get the best tent possible from Wander Event Rentals, it frequently isn’t enough. You should think about your guests’ safety in addition to renting tents, chairs, tables, and other party supplies. You don’t want any of your guests to leave the event with scrapes or other wounds, do you?

To prevent this, make the visitors as secure as you can. And the good news is that there are many security precautions you can take. These steps consist of:

Choose a secure venue

This is where it all starts. As a general rule, you must select a secure location. In addition to being in a secure area, the venue should have additional security measures.

CCTV cameras, for instance, should be strategically positioned throughout the venue. Let it be known that there are security cameras in the area to ensure that nobody tries to compromise the area’s security.

It would also be beneficial if the venue had its own security team. In this way, you can feel secure knowing that there will be security personnel on hand to eject troublemakers from your venue if they appear.

You can relax knowing that no visitor can bring anything dangerous inside the establishment thanks to the security staff.

Work on controlling the crowd

If you are expecting a large number of guests, consider how you will manage the crowd. As a general rule, the entrance and exit to the venue should have a clear path for patrons to follow.

Stickers pointing people in the right direction can make things simpler. The security personnel can also assist you with control by being involved.

Renting a space that can accommodate your guests is of utmost importance. Inadequate space is avoided in order to avoid injury and fire risks.

Keep in mind that choosing the right location requires time; you might need to check out a few different options.

The ideal venue should be big enough to accommodate your guests and safe to walk on. If you have been to event locations, you must have run into some that were too rocky or steep.

Even though they might be intriguing, you should stay away from such places because they aren’t safe, especially for the visitors.

Be cautious of the weather

Even with all of your ducks in a row—the best venue, tent, and security are all rented and hired—things can still go wrong because of the weather.

To make sure that nobody is hurt because of the weather, you should properly plan for it. Here are some suggestions to think about to aid you:

Are you an Event Planner? Let’s Get Together!

Dec 9, 2019 | How to

Marcella Laine

Seriously, if you need Event Rentals, we should meet!

Do you design weddings and events? Then let’s be friends! In fact, you should totally come over. We love to show off our warehouse full of event rentals, especially to fellow designers. We are located in Bellingham and we are getting new stuff all the time. We know a visit isn’t always in the cards, that is why it is a top priority for us to have all of our inventory online. Complete with pictures, measurements, and quantities. So when you’re putting together an event for your clients you have all the props and inspiration at your fingertips anytime of the day.

Prop house anyone? A new wave of Event Rentals

Did I mention props? Well, not just props but an entire warehouse of velvet sofas, arbors, lanterns, peacock chairs, side tables, cake tables. . .. I could go on and on. We certainly love our Vanilla rental friends, with cocktail tables and chafing dishes, but we are definitely not your average vanilla Event Rental company. Just check out our collection, we are one-of-a-kind. We know every client wants a totally unique look that no one has ever seen before and our collection can be put together in countless ways. Showcasing the unique style and taste of your imagination and your client.

Our event rentals are used for all kinds of events:

Weddings – of course
Baby Showers
Corporate Parties
Holiday Parties
Launch Parties
Photo Shoots
Film and Print Props

Below is how Wander Event Rentals work:

Step 1: Get Inspired – shop the inventory

Have you checked out our wishlist yet? You’ve got a vision and now you can shop for the elements to pull it together any time, day or night. Feel free to pull the images of our inventory off our site and plug them into your design. We try to have our inventory on white backgrounds just for this reason. If your ready to get the process started just submit your wishlist and we can check availability and send you a quote.

If your ready to book then skip ahead to Step 3, if you or your client want a more hands on experience, jump to Step 2.

Olivia Strohm Photography

Step 2: Book a design consultation

This is the fun part for us. Let’s jump on a call or meet in person at the warehouse and go over the plan. We can pull lounges together, pair pillow with sofas, unroll the rugs. touch and feel and do all the fun stuff. You’ve got lots of ideas and we’re happy to chat them out with you. Once this is done we’ll put together a design board of what we came up with and send it to you with a quote.

Olivia Strohm Photography

Alante Photography

Step 3: Book it

This part is easy. We’ve sent you a quote, you can change and adjust to fit exactly what you need. Once it is set, let’s book it.

A payment and signed contract are all it takes to secure the rentals. We are happy to bill you directly, or send links you can forward to your client. Payment by credit card can be taken care of online and we’ll send a contract to sign electronically.

Done and Done.

Keep reading to hear about our awesome delivery, but first some more pictures!

Ryan Flynn Photography

Marcella Laine

Let’s talk Delivery of your Event Rentals

On the day of your event we’ll swoop in with everything on your quote and then once the event is done we’ll come and take it away. If you’ve opted for full set up and styling we will place everything according to a floor plan. If you’ve opted to do the set up yourself we will provide the designs to you when we drop the rentals. Either way you can take all the credit, we don’t mind.

Ready to Book?

Follow this link to set up a design call today.

Ryan Flynn Photography

Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

Marcella Laine

Ryan Flynn Photography

Author: Sara | sara@rentwander.com

Wedding Rentals – How It Works

Nov 25, 2019 | How to

Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

We Love a Good Wedding!

Okay, we love all kinds of events, but Weddings are where it’s at. Come June you can find our trucks all over the PNW bringing one-of-a-kind wedding rentals to weddings big and small. Sometimes all it takes is a velvet sofa to set the mood and we’ve got you covered. We’re not your typical rental agency, sure we have 200 folding chairs, but they aren’t white or plastic. We also have tables to seat 200, but they don’t need linens. All of our inventory is meant to stand on its own and stand out at your wedding.

So let’s talk about our complimentary design consultation…

Do you want your wedding to flow, be something your guests have never seen, and create the perfect environment for your guests to have the best time? We love going to these weddings!

Do you want your wedding to be Pinterest worthy, but look nothing like your cousins wedding from last year? Ya, we get that.

Want a lounge at your wedding but you’re unsure of who is going to get it to your venue when your getting ready the morning of your wedding? And worse, take it home at the end of the night? Spoiler. .. . we’re super good at this.

Wedding Rentals can help you achieve all of your dreams and we love helping you come up with a flow, a look, and a style that is uniquely you. We’re a sounding board to bounce ideas off of. We’ve been apart of many many weddings and have a lot of opinions. Let’s get this ball rolling.

Below is how Wander Wedding Rentals work:

Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

Step 1: Get Inspired – shop the inventory

Have you checked out our wishlist yet? It works just like a shopping cart but you don’t have to pay a dime when you hit Submit! Pretend you’re at your favorite online furniture store and start shopping for wedding rentals. Dump everything you love into the wishlist. Things that inspire you, items you must have, or something you’re not sure of but love the color. Once you submit the wishlist you’ll add a few details about your date, venue, and contact info. Send that off and we’ll give you a shout.

If you know exactly what you want, perfect! We’ll shoot over a full quote at this point (see Step 3). If you’re just getting started and looking for some inspiration move to Step 2.

Olivia Strohm Photography

Step 2: Book a design consultation

This is the fun part for us. Let’s jump on a call or meet in person at the warehouse and go over your day. We’ve got your wishlist and if you’ve got a Pinterest board we’ll ask for that too. That way we can have an idea of your style before the meeting. We’ll ask you to run us through your day and where you’re at in the planning. We’ll answer questions and give vendor referrals if you need it. We’ll chat about logistics, when, where, and how the items will be delivered. Most of all we’ll talk design and style. Need a lounge? We can custom design one WITH you. Need a solution for cocktail hour? Let’s talk bars for cocktails and tables for horderves. You’ve got lots of ideas and we’re happy to chat them out with you. Once this is done we’ll put together a design board of what we came up with and send to you with a quote.

Blake Hogge Photography

Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

Blake Hogge Photography

Step 3: Book it

This part is easy. We’ve sent you a quote, you can change and adjust to fit exactly what you need. Once it is set, let’s book it.

A payment and signed contract are all it takes to secure your rentals. Payment by credit card can be taken care of online and we’ll send a contract to sign electronically.

Done and Done.

We Delivery your Wedding Rentals

On the day of your event we’ll swoop in with everything on your quote and then once the wedding is done we’ll come and take it away. If you’ve opted for full set up and styling we will place everything according to a floor plan. If you’ve opted to do the set up yourself we will provide the designs to you when we drop the rentals. Either way you can take all the credit, we don’t mind.

Ready to Book?

Follow this link to set up a design call today.

Alante Photography

Olivia Strohm Photography

Alante Photography

Malorie Kerouac Photography

Vonne Wilde

Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

Author: Sara | sara@rentwander.com

Corporate Event Rentals – How it works

Nov 2, 2019 | How to

Sara Welch Photo Co.

Let’s Work Together

We love to spice up a stuffy corporate event and with our complimentary design service you can focus on the corporate stuff and leave the spice to us. Our goal is to make it super easy to bring a little funk and fun into your next event, making you look like a planning superstar. We are well versed in special requests, custom builds, branding displays, and time sensitive setups. We’re also pros at the last minute booking. We go all over the Pacific Northwest for corporate events, from Bellingham to Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and destinations east and west.

Whether you’re just getting started and need venue recommendations or have everything booked already and just need to add the finishing touches we are happy to jump in and help take your event to the next level with our corporate event rentals.

Here is a sample of some of the events we love to put together.

Trade show booths
Retreats
Conferences
Music festivals
VIP Zones
Holiday Parties
Car Shows
Summer Employee picnics
Launch parties

Below is how Wander Corporate Event Rentals work:

Step 1: Let’s jump on a quick call.

Our goal with this call is to get a sense of your vision and needs. We’ll ask about setup times, venue requirements, style, and function for your event. We’ll also ask what type of installation you will require. Full set up, styling, and tear down or just delivering the items for someone else to set up. We are happy to recommend other vendors, like caterers, venues, sound and video, etc. This call usually takes 20-30 minutes.

Breanna Marie Photography

Breanna Marie Photography.

Breanna Marie Photography

Step 2: We’ll put together a design and quote.

After we chat about your event we’ll get busy on a design. Using our extensive rental collection we’ll put together a PDF design board showcasing the rentals you’ll be getting and how they’ll be set up in your venue. If you are needing a custom build or specific brand elements we’ll put together a mock up for that as well. You’ll receive your complimentary design and a quote with full setup and tear down within 24 hours.

** Custom builds and branding elements may take longer to quote.

M. Klein Photographer

Step 3: Book it!

We make booking our corporate event rentals easy! A payment and signed contract are all it takes to secure your rentals. Payment by credit card can be taken care of online and we’ll send a contract to sign electronically.

Done and Done.

On the day of your event we’ll swoop in with everything on your quote and then once the party is done we’ll come and take it away. If you’ve opted for full set up and styling we will place everything according to a floor plan. If you’ve opted to do the set up yourself we will provide the designs to you or your team so they can set up according to the plan. Either way you can take all the credit, we don’t mind.

Ready to Book?

SCHEDULE A DESIGN CALL

Sara Welch Photo Co.

How to Shop Vintage

Apr 4, 2019 | How to

The # 1 question we get is “Where do you get your stuff?”. We usually look at each other and say “Um everywhere”.

The truth is, we’re always looking for that cool mid-century chesterfield leather sofa (still looking for this one) or the little Victorian side table to replace the one that got rained on and ruined. But the best finds are ones that we stumble upon. Like the bamboo and leather peacock chairs we happened upon in the last hour of Farm Chicks in 2017. Or the Cindy Tufted Sofa, this one came from Cara’s sister, Cindy. She called Cara to see what she thought of it and we swooped in and bought it right out from under her. She might never forgive us. .. its just business right? We named it after her to soften the blow.

We really do look everywhere to shop vintage. Estate Sales, Craigslist, Auctions, Antique shops, Antique dealers, Facebook, Instagram. There is cool vintage stuff everywhere if you just start shopping. Below are some of our top tips for how to score the perfect vintage items at the best price.

1. Shop the Vintage Shows

These shows are how we got our start selling vintage and handmade goods. Farm Chicks, The Great Junk Hunt, and Anacortes Vintage Market to name a few. Grab some friends and head to the sip and shop on Friday night. This is a fun time and when you get pick of the best stuff. We found the Dylan Rusted cake plates made from old motorcycle parts at one of these shows. Seriously, how awesome are they?! Expect to pay an entrance fee for these shows, usually more on Friday nights since they often include drinks and snacks. There isn’t much dealing going on early in the show so expect to pay what the price tag says. Keep in mind that its hard work to curate that stuff, clean it up, haul it to a show, and set it up in a booth so it catches your eye. So usually the price on the ticket is worth it. If you’re looking for a better price on something you really want then go back in the last couple hours of the show. Vendors are much more likely to make you a deal so they don’t have to take something home.

2. Estate Sales

Do you ever drive around your hood and see those signs, Estate Sale this way? Follow that sign to shop vintage. Then ask the organizer how they advertise their sales. Usually you can start following them on FB to get dates, locations, and pictures of the next sale coming up. Or checkout EstateSale.net, this list sales all over the country. You can search by zip code and see any sales coming up in your area with pictures. You’ll know you have stumbled on a good sale when there is a line out the door the first few hours of the sale. I usually wait until Sunday to hit up these sales, most of the time everything will be half off so you can score the best deals.

3. Auction Houses

This is one of my favorite spots to hit up and where we find some really good deals on vintage items. Unfortunately they are closing down all over the place so if you have one near you make sure to go often and support what they do. The people that go every week are the best characters! Don’t be nervous about the auction process. You’ll want to go early to check out what is up for auction that night, you’ll have a chance to look through the items, usually touch and feel. Make a list of the items you want to bid on and the top price your willing to pay. Make sure to sign up and get your number and then just sit back and watch how the operation goes. Each auction house does it a little differently and at different paces. Once your ready to jump in and bid try to stay below the price you already set for that item. Its really easy to get swept away in the competitive environment and pay more than you wanted (I am speaking from experience!)

4. Follow dealers on Instagram

One of our favorite dealers is MidCenturyTeak. Tova has a small online shop and advertises her newest items on Instagram. Love her! We also love DK Renewal for textiles. We’ve made friends with many dealers and they will often send us stuff they think we might like so we get first dibs. Start searching out vintage dealers whose style you dig on Instagram and engage. #shopvintage

5. Small town antique shops

You know the ones. The dusty and cramped shops that have been there forever, the floor is not at all level and you wonder how they have ever operated for so long? There is gold in those booths when you want to shop vintage! I will be honest, I did not like these places for so long. Going into them made me go a little crazy and I could never find anything. Cara showed me the way and now they are my second favorite place to shop after Auctions. You can find amazing deals in these places and some really funky stuff. Like our lime green vinyl tufted bar! Some are owned by one person, others are a bunch of consignment booths furnished by individuals. They come in all shapes and sizes. Dive in and start looking. Don’t be afraid to ask “what’s your best price?” the longer something has been there the lower they will go.

6. Curated Antique shops

These are the curated shops that take a booth from a show or an online Instagram shop and put it into brick and mortar. You walk in and its totally your style. Everything is clean and perfectly merchandised. Again Thrift in Mount Vernon, WA is one of our favorites. You get items from many different genres and styles but the shop owner has a knack for making it all work together. You hear “I want to live here” from shoppers. These are so fun to shop vintage and I love supporting our local business owners. Go ahead and ask for their best price, if something has been sitting in their shop for a long time they will want to move it to make room for new merchandize. The longer its been sitting the lower the price will be.

7. Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village

Most of the time I walk out of these joints empty-handed, but every once in a while there is a gem! So it is worth taking a regular walk-through. For instance, many of our brass candlesticks and vessels were found in these places. Pay special attention to the colored tag sale days. All 3 of these joints will have special deals on certain colors depending on the day of the week. Totally worth it and the way to get the best deal.

8. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist

We’re pretty careful with these ones because we don’t want to put ourselves in a bad position. However, I personally sell a lot on Facebook Marketplace because it is so darn easy and I find a lot of great stuff too. Facebook is great because you can cyber stalk the seller a bit before agreeing to meet up. We usually meet in a public place and not at someone’s home. Craigslist transactions are always in a public space.

9. Get to know your dealers.

It’s okay to talk to them, in fact they love vintage stuff and usually love talking about it. Tell them how much you love their style and tell them what you are looking for. A dealer rarely has everything on display, if you strike up a conversation with them and tell them what you are looking for they might just have it stashed somewhere. Or know someone who does. Also get to know the story behind the piece. I am a sucker for the story and it helps me guage how much to offer for something. Did they have to dig through a gross barn and then spend weeks restoring this table? Or did they find it on the side of the road and brought it to the sale?

Special Thanks to:

Again Thrift in Mount Vernon, WA for hosting us during our photo shoot. What a beautiful backdrop of vintage items to shop while we posed! Not awkward at all.

Sara Welch Photography, not only are the pictures so beautiful, she made it so fun and effortless.

How to Style a Lounge

May 4, 2018 | How to

You can find inspiration anywhere. Food, travel, art, people, places; it’s literally limitless!

I was inspired by the Jessa sofa because of its unique color and texture of the fabric. It’s fun and funky just like one of my favorite cities, Portland Oregon.

I’ve been craving anything different and unique.

I knew I wanted to create a lounge that felt eclectic but still comfortable.

At this point it’s important to think about the scale of the lounge and anchoring the space with the right sized rug.

I chose our newest sea-grass rug. I love the graphic print of the black pattern (it really grounds the space) while also giving texture with the natural fiber of the sea-grass. I like to incorporate different types of textures.

So far we have the nubby fabric of the sofa and now the texture of the sea-grass.

Time to add some chairs and guess what, they don’t have to match! But this is where it’s good to consider a few rules (even though i say there are no rules).

All of the pieces in this particular lounge so far are mid century so it creates a cohesive look.

The addition of the leather and cane peacock chair is unexpected and fun (that’s sort of the theme of this lounge unexpected and fun).

First I consider shape (in this lounge I considered using a round mid century tulip table but opted for the trunk for a more eclectic vibe)

The silver trunk is perfect for a lounge this size. You want to insure your guests have plenty of space to set drinks , etc. Consider multiple options (coffee table, side table, console table, stool).

I added a copper side and love it! I’m always conflicted on mixing metals and honestly it all depends on the situation. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I like the way this looks especially since I’m going for a funkier vibe

I always like to add a boho element or natural element so the cane side table is perfect. Wicker and rattan are great to use to help soften a space without overwhelming it with too many textiles.

This is where you can either go wrong or knock it out of the park. I always start with my instinct and work from there as far as what pillows to choose. I see it in my head but ALWAYS have a few backup options.

Get creative with color size and texture and don’t be afraid to experiment. I don’t prefer matching sets of pillows and like a more collected feel.

Poufs and floor pillows are always a fun way to add color or drive a theme home.

I added a Boho lantern because I can’t help but always have a boho moment.

A wood tray warms up the trunk and the addition of the green goblets is just enough color.

More texture and color (natural elements) in the pine cone and succulent. Also interesting objects help create a mood so I added in the large pine cone, small clock, and old books.

You can find the Portland lounge for rent as a package here.

We get asked all the time where we get our stuff. The Jessa Sofa came from a fun and uber hip antique shop in Bellingham, WA. The Atomic Kitten. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed. We stumbled across the Pheonix peacock chair during the last hour of Farm Chicks’ antique show and we couldn’t believe our luck when we found out there were 2! We have stories for almost all of our great finds, schedule a tour of our warehouse and we’ll tell you all about it.

Cara