Hiring Cutlery, Plates, Tables and Chairs

by Audrey
(London, East Ham)

We’re having a BBQ for our wedding reception and we’re looking to hire tables and chairs. We’re also looking for somewhere to hire cutlery (or buy disposable cutlery) and plates. Have you got any suggestions?

Thanks for your help.

Audrey

Answer:
You can hire virtually anything these days, so you should easily get hold of the items you’re looking for. For my wedding, we hired all the tables and chairs as well as all the cutlery, linen and crockery. The only thing we didn’t hire were the napkins as they pushed me over my budget (instead we had nice, thick paper napkins instead).

Anyway, you can easily find places that will hire these items near you. For the tables and chairs, events companies, marquee companies and general hire firms all have a selection of different types of tables and chairs for hire. Some ranges will be better than others, but you’ll always find bistro chairs, garden chairs and banqueting chairs.

Tables also come in a variety of sizes, although some companies will have a better selection. Most event companies will have the fold down banqueting tables in various sizes. These have wooden tops and need either banqueting roll or a table cloth on them so the scuffed wooden surface is covered. Some other companies will have a better range and provide metal garden tables right through to boardroom tables!

With cutlery and crockery, you’ll probably need to find a specialist catering company. I used a local one close to our venue as I didn’t want to pay huge delivery charges. The good thing about hiring crockery and cutlery is that you can often pay to have it washed up as well. You literally give it back to them dirty and they’ll do all the hard work!

If hiring is slightly out of your budget, then you can easily pick up disposables from pound stores and Woolworths. I find these are by far the best sources for cheap disposable goods. Even when I searched on the internet I found that the value, quality and price of the disposables wasn’t that good, which is why I ended up hiring. It cost a little more, but gave the day a more special feel.

I specifically haven’t given any recommendations on companies to hire from as it very much depends where you live. The south east is likely to be more expensive than in the north and prices vary dramatically. The best place to start though is with a search on Google or in your local Yellow Pages. It may sound obvious, but use the term ‘chair hire’ , ‘chair rental’, or ‘catering equipment hire’, followed by the city or county where you live.

When you’ve found some companies, decide on your numbers and get some quotes in. Most companies don’t offer the prices lists online, so you’ll have to do an enquiry. Don’t forget, most companies will charge delivery, so choose one close to your venue! Finally, don’t forget VAT will be charged additionally as well.