To Rent or to Buy?

A Few Pros and Cons to Consider

By Trista Rose Miller of Rose’s Bouquets

In our current economy, today’s brides are forced to craft their budgets carefully; looking for ways to save money in every area of their planning.  A common bridal consideration is taking on the responsibility of making a portion of their decorations themselves or with the help of family and friends in order to save money.  Centerpieces are often the first consideration; and visions of Hobby Lobby’s half off sale comes to mind.  You have a few things to consider before making any major decisions.

The first step is to get pricing from professionals.  Most vendors will provide free consultations and pricing on designs you are considering.  Before sitting down with a professional, determine ahead of time what you have in mind and what you could reasonably replicate yourself so that the comparison is valid.  Get as many details as possible including sizes of glass wear rented, pricing of candles and décor items, and delivery and set up costs. 

To Rent or To Buy??

Then it’s time to do some basic pricing for “doing it yourself”.  Remember, time is money, so take care to limit the amount of time you invest in this process, or you will already be tipping the scales in the professional’s favor.  The internet can be a good resource for pricing supplies, as inventories and options are sometimes far greater than the local craft store.  Do your best in completing your cost comparison with designs that are as similar to the professional’s designs as possible.  And don’t forget to include the cost of gas to travel to stores to purchase needed items.

So now you have a side by side comparison of the professional’s designs versus your creation.  First of all, do you like your design?  If you aren’t pleased with the outcome, then it’s not worth any amount of savings.  It’s your wedding after all and you want it to be a reflection of your tastes and style.  If your creation passes this test, and savings are significant, then it’s on to the next rounds of consideration: practicality and convenience. 

In the practicality area, there are a few things that you will want to consider. 

1. Most craft stores will not provide boxes for their glass ware, so you are left with the time-consuming task of creating a storage unit for your just purchased items.  You may think you don’t need to do this, but it is vital for any potential resale value after the event. 
2. Storing these items until the big day may be a challenge.  Unless you order online, you may have to make several trips to your local store to purchase the quantity needed, or to take advantage of coupons most effectively (keep these trips in mind from our convenience section), requiring you to purchase ahead in preparation.  Does you home provide space for storing your supplies? 
3. What to do with your purchased items after the wedding?  Unless you have younger sisters or friends who likes your tastes, you are most likely not going to want to keep your supplies following the event.  EBay or Craigslist are options for recovering some of your expenses back (your storage boxes come in handy now).  But don’t forget to consider shipping costs and insurance as well as the valuable time you spend in listing/selling the items.

Many times rental items are less expensive than you think

Lastly comes convenience.  By now you have spent hours shopping for the exact items you need and made trips to the store to purchase them (or paid shipping costs).  Depending on the style of design you have chose, you may have the advantage of assembly before the big day (don’t forget about transporting them safely).  But most likely you will have to do some composing onsite, and your time will be limited.  Not only by the reception hall that may only allow a two hour window the morning of the event, but also by hair appointments, make up sessions, photography shoots, and most importantly-family time.  I certainly would not want to spend my wedding morning making my centerpieces, and your best resources (family and friends) won’t want to either.  They have better things to do!  Tear down will be your or your family’s responsibility also.  Not a fun job at 1am after a few glasses of champagne. 

So it is really worth the time, effort, and stress?  How much is your time worth to you per hour?  Are you going to be pleased with the end result?  Will “doing it yourself” create conflicts among family and friends in the process?  And in the end you might be surprised to learn how little money, if any, you actually save by a do-it-yourself project.

Here is a comparison chart to simplify things.

Weigh the benefits of DIY and using a professional before committing to a project