Wedding rentals & equipment

Ask what models there are, what each one costs and what the price covers: transport, setup and takedown. Give your estimated guest count and ask whether you can mix tables of different sizes. If the venue already has some of the furniture, work out what is actually worth hiring separately.

Ask whether the price covers the structure alone or the flooring, the side walls, the lighting, the heating and the carpeting as well. Clarify what size you need for your guest count, how the marquee is anchored and what happens in rain or wind. Ask how far in advance it goes up and when it can come down.

Ask what is available for your guest count: plates, glasses, cutlery, cups and anything else. Ask for the price per piece or per set, and whether transport, washing and sorting are included. If the venue or the caterer already provides tableware, check what is actually missing.

Give your estimated guest count and the size of the space, and ask what size of floor they recommend. Clarify the material, the price, and whether transport, setup and takedown are included. If it is going outdoors, ask what kind of surface it needs to be installed on.

Ask what is needed for the band or DJ, for the ceremony and for the dance floor, and what your supplier already brings. Clarify whether you can hire extra microphones, outdoor speakers, dance-floor lighting and ambient lighting. That is how you avoid hiring equipment the band or the DJ already has.

Ask for the full cost of transporting, setting up and taking down the tables, chairs, marquee, tableware, dance floor and any sound or lighting equipment. Ask when things are delivered and when they are collected. If you also need a generator, ask whether you can hire it from the same company and what its price covers.