Vintage Wedding Rentals: I Fall in Love

With a desired list of decorations in my hand and a love of vintage in my heart, I made my way to the beautiful barn that contains all of Treasured Rentals goodies. Since I wanted to make a fun afternoon of it, I invited Bridesmaid Smiley along. This proved to be an awesome decision, since she kept me from renting everything in the store. Because basically, this GIF sums up the experience I had that afternoon....

Gif via Giphy

There were no truer words to describe walking into a barn full of the most lovely, beautiful vintage wedding decorations, ready to be added to the rental list for my wedding. I may or may not have pinched myself upon first seeing it all. I liken it to a man walking into a showroom full of shiny new cars, mesmerized...except, my shiny new cars came in the form of old pretty stuff that I actually got to take out of the showroom and out for a spin (at least for the night).

Believe it or not, there's a whole other "showroom" on the other side of the wall. Photo via Treasured Rentals FB Page

Upon meeting the owner of the business, she told me that the barn was set up by type of decoration, ranging from small accessory items to bigger pieces of furniture and architecture. She wanted to know all about my wedding, not only where it was taking place, but my colors, what "theme" I was going with, the food/cake I was serving, etc. She was truly interested in helping me find pieces that fit both my style and my budget, and helped me pick various different elements that would form a cohesive look. I told her I was interested in more vintage, less rustic, and definitely no burlap. She knew exactly what I wanted, even though I had a difficult time describing it. A telepathic vintage superstar, I tell ya.

I will admit to being seriously overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that barn held, even with my list. It took us a solid hour to go through all of the pieces, and I may or may not have ended up with some items on my list that weren't on the original list...oops. I blame it on Bride Brain...which is totally a thing.

Sadly, I wasn't able to find every single thing I needed in the barn, but I sure was able to find a lot of it! All in all, I ended up with a few pieces of larger furniture and a few little odds and ends to add the perfect touch of vintage elegance to the evening.

While being transparent about money and budgets can get a little uncomfortable, I wanted to share the costs on everything we picked out so that those wanting to go the vintage rental route had at least some idea of what to expect. The breakdown of what we're renting and for how much moolah (with pictures, of course!).

White Bureau - $45 (This is going to be our guestbook/welcome table)

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

Double wash-tub - $35 (we'll use this for the beers and other bottled drinks)

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

2 Gold Frames w/ Wrought Iron Easel - $60 

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

3 Stacked Suitcases - $21

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

French Country Buffet - $85 (Will be used as a cake table)

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

3 Apple Crates $18

Image via Treasured Rentals FB Page

Grand total for all rentals, including tax and delivery fees : $391.56

If you were like me, I was a little shocked when I saw that big number at the bottom of the rental contract. It really didn't seem like I was spending that much money, but once delivery fees (about $120) and PA sales tax ($21) were added on, I was a little stunned at how much everything came out to be. Since we had a previously agreed-on budget for decorations, I was afraid that these rentals ate way too much of that budget, and we wouldn't be able to make it worth. Thankfully, I've been able to acquire a lot of our other decorations free-of-charge or at a seriously low price.

I know that while I definitely could have acquired most of these things on my own, either at flea markets or antique shops, I like having the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly what I will be working with. I'm not scrambling to find the perfect distressed vintage dresser, or trying to find the perfect gold frames. There are a lot of things I have purchased on my own in the way of decorations (like cake stands, small gold frames, etc.) and will be able to keep after the wedding, but I knew that renting was the right way to go for the bigger items. Was this the cheapest way to go in the long run? No, probably not. Do I feel like my money's being well spent? Totally.

Getting to work with the Treasured Rentals team had been so much and I am excited that I get to work with them on my wedding day, too! They will be at my venue early in the morning with us as we are getting everything set up, and they'll arrive at the end of the day to pick up all the items and take them back to the barn.

Anyone who is thinking about renting some (or all!) of their vintage wedding decorations, I would totally recommend it. It may cost you a little more than thrifting all the items yourself, but if you are someone who has no time to spend hours combing through antique shops and flea markets, vintage rental companies may just be perfect for you.