May 18th, 2010

Wedding Advice Pt2

Ok, so you’ve decided on a budget, you’ve got a venue and you’ve finally learned the fine art of delegation - lets move on to the details.

Personalize your big day by picking a colour theme.

Even if you don’t have the budget to go all out you can make an impact with something small like a colourful red sash for your chair covers. Just having a bright splash of colour can really pull everything together and something like a sash is relatively inexpensive and easy to do. Flowers can make a big impact too - if you don’t have your heart set on a specific bloom ask your florist what kind of flowers are currently in season; going with an in season bloom will help keep your cost down.

A big misconception is that everything needs to match. Not all of your vases and candle holders need to match nor do they need to be expensive. Mixing and matching adds an eclectic look and leaves room for you to pick up one-off sale items. Accent pieces are always nice but sometimes less is more. Sure you could have a 5 tiered chandelier over every other table and candelabras all over the place but I find extreme decor seems to overwhelm the room and you want the focus to be on the bride and groom, not on the lighting. Pick just one stand out item to feature, such as a chandelier, and keep the rest of the décor to a minimum. Just having some small tea candles strewn about the room and a few flowers here and there adds a touch of romance without blowing your budget.

Feeding your guests

Next comes the menu. Ask your food services provider if they can come up with a menu that has a little bit of everything in it and that way everyone can have a choice and you don’t have to plan a thing! This option works best if you’re having a small wedding like I did and it definitely adds a more personal touch as often you’ll be able to get the bride and grooms name written at the top and that always makes for a good keepsake. If you’re having a larger wedding crowd then a buffet might be the best option for you. That way you can have a few different dishes and everyone leaves satisfied. If you’re providing the booze just stick with domestic everything. People will drink it if it’s free so don’t feel like you have to spend and arm and a leg just so someone can have a beer from Denmark. To ease the cost even further you could brew up a batch of sangria and make up a few big punch bowls of the stuff which is always a crowd pleaser. I went to a friends wedding last year and one of the best parts was the homemade sangria - I don’t think anyone there was drinking anything else and it won rave reviews from all of the guests. In fact that could be a great idea for a small memorable gift for everyone. Print off your favorite recipe (could be for that amazing sangria) and attach a little chocolate or something to it and there’s a perfect party favor for everyone that you can leave by their plate. It’s the small touches that really pull everything together.

Get ready to smile…for hours.

Start practicing your pose and smile now because you will need it on your big day. These photos will be your reminder of one of the most special days in your life and you want to look your best in all of them. Start looking at other wedding pictures and start collecting clippings of the style or composition you like. If you have ideas of the types of pictures you want it will be a lot easier to convey your wishes to the photographer if you have some examples. Finally, practice your beautiful smile. You will be smiling ALOT. For HOURS. For some people it’s an awkward task so start practicing at home so you get comfortable and can turn it on at a moments notice. Sure, at the time all of this will seem tedious and all you’ll want to do is just sit down but trust me you’ll be happy you suffered through the hours of poses because when you see your wedding album for the first time you’ll get why it was all worth it.

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Wedding Advice, Part 1

April 13th, 2010

With the (mostly) nice weather hopefully here to stay it reminds me that wedding season is just around the corner. I just recently got married and looking back on the whole experience, I’d like to share a few insights and tips to make your big day go a little bit smoother.

Decide on a budget for your wedding

Toronto party rental and tent rentalsGetting married is a very exciting but often stressful time. After the whole excitement of the engagement dies down you have to sit down and face the reality of planning your wedding. My first and best advice is to establish a realistic budget and STICK WITH IT! When you decide how much money you want/have to spend then you can get real about what that money will get you and how many guests you can accommodate. Sure you might want a big fairytale wedding with horses, a string quartet, endless champagne and 500 guests but those kinds of weddings cost lots of money and do you really want to spend your big day having to say hello to 500 guests? You’d be surprised what you can do with a small budget if you just get a little creative.

Consider a tent for your wedding venue

Next thing you need to do is decide on a venue. Unfortunately everyone wants to have a summer wedding, so, for a lot of popular venues you need to book years in advance. Who wants to wait years to get married?! Why not rent a 40’x80’ Pole Tent? We have tents ranging from 10’x10’ pop ups to much larger 60’x150’ tents available. The styles and sizes vary, perfect for making your big day extra unique and tents can be put up all year round and almost anywhere. Inquire about packages as well. One stop shopping is way better than trying to coordinate with 5 different companies and hoping it all comes together on time. Not that I’m going to be pushing our gear on you all the time, but I would like to mention a little something about our special event packages. We have packages set out by guest number and the recommended items to be included. For example, if you’re having 150 guests we would recommend a package that includes a 40’x80’ Pole tent, dance floor (various flooring available), 60” round tables and bistro chairs. These packages can be tailored to your specific needs and décor theme. Get creative with your layout and inquire about different styles of tables and chairs – even something simple like changing your folding chairs to bistro chairs can make all the difference in the look and won’t cost an arm and a leg.

Delegate Duties, Many Hands Make Light Work

And that’s what your mom is there for.  Now that you’ve got two very important things out of the way and this is about the time that brides and grooms start to get a little overwhelmed because it’s all the little details that come next. Before we deal with all the rest I must emphasize the importance of delegation. Don’t try to do it all yourself, it’s too big of a task and far too consuming. I tried that and ended up getting incredibly stressed out and in turn certain things didn’t get done on time which led to more stress and it just snowballed from there. Use your mom and best friends – this is the time they expect to be called upon to help. Your flowers will look just as good whether you’re the one ordering them or your mom. I know my mom was trying really hard to not say anything and to just stay out of my way but I knew inside she was secretly dying to do something, anything! I finally realized that I wasn’t able to do every single thing myself so I let go and assigned tasks. Things got done faster and knocking things off your to do list is very satisfying. Plus, if you get everything done and out of the way you can take time to actually enjoy being engaged. Enjoy the compliments and questions about the ring, the big day and so on because once you get married all the attention is going to move on to someone else. So, ask for help, you’ll be able to enjoy the process much more with less stress.

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Introducing Laura, Our Friendly and New Absolute Tent and Event Services Blogger!

March 22nd, 2010

laura blogger absolute tent and event rentals Hi, my name is Laura.  I’m writing for you because I want to share with you all the exciting stories, accumulated knowledge and helpful tips that I’ve gathered along the way. I work at this crazy (but fun) place called Absolute Tent & Event Services in Toronto,
We deal with weddings, all kinds of special events and lots of TV commercials with the occasional feature film thrown in between.  We rent out all kinds of items from directors chairs, 10×10 pop up tents and air conditioners to big wedding tents, electric heaters, tables and chairs.    We have anything and everything!
Absolute Tent & Event Services provides a great opportunity for me to learn the events planning industry. I work in the warehouse and every day is different.    I started working here part time about 3 or 4 years ago vacuuming location mats – very glamorous!    After paying my dues and with a lot of training, I’m now full time and the main point of contact here in the warehouse for all our customers that come here for their gear.   I do everything from picking and loading gear, driving a forklift and processing paperwork for customers.

Absolute Tent and Event Services in downtown Toronto Ontario, 185 Eastern Ave

It’s certainly not the type of job I thought I’d have… Keep in my mind I thought I was going to write a blockbuster screenplay or two (because my first would be so amazing) and be a famous director by now.

As you can see, that’s not what happened.   However, sometimes you just have to go where life takes you and you’ll somehow end up where you should be.  I get to work in the events, catering and film support industry and see an entirely different and exciting side of things.  Plus I have some really great people working alongside me, and together we make a pretty amazing team.  Having such great friends around really makes a day’s work so much more enjoyable.

Working in a tent and party rental warehouse isn’t the easiest of jobs.

Laura the Absolute Tent and Event Services BloggerDepending on the season we could have trucks lining up at the back door all day for months on end!   Spring and summer are our busiest seasons, especially when it comes to special events and tenting.   Some days I get so swamped that by the time I look at the clock it’s almost time to go home.  I swear, for the first six months of working here the beeping sound of a truck backing up would haunt me.   I heard that sound EVERYWHERE, even when I was at home half asleep on the couch.   However, like with anything, you get used to it.   I’ve gotten used to my nails looking nasty, wearing steel toed shoes, popping up a 10×10 pop up tent in under a minute and a half and singeing my hair (just a little) when testing the 72” BBQ.  All in all it’s a really great place to work.  I’ve seen what’s really involved in making TV commercials, heard all kinds of crazy stories from movie sets, and seen some of the most beautiful weddings.

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Wedding Savings Tip: Rent the Best and Save

January 8th, 2010

(CRA) There are a million things to think about when you begin planning a wedding. There are the big things like booking the reception site, the church, the DJ, and, of course, finding the dress. But once those are out of the way, there are little details to think about, such as a theme, the flowers, the centerpieces, linens, invitations, champagne glasses and countless other things.

With all the elements that go into planning a dream wedding, it doesn’t take long to realize that details can add up — not only when it comes to spending, but also when it comes to storage space. After all, who wants to end up with 250 pink linen napkins once the big day has passed?

Renting materials for your wedding from Absolute Tent & Event Services is one way to solve this problem. Not only is renting often a more economical solution, it also eliminates the storage issue.

“Renting will not only cut down on storage, but you can lower the cost of your wedding too,” says Becky Baumgartner, owner of Aero Rental and Party Shoppe, in Iowa City, Ia. “People often come in to look for materials to buy for their wedding, and I’ll say to them ‘How important is this to you, because you could rent this for a lot cheaper.’ ”

Renting materials for your wedding also gives you access to the latest styles in decor, table settings, linens, chair covers and other things. According to Baumgartner, people often don’t really realize the vast variety of items you can rent for weddings.

In her many years helping couples plan weddings, Baumgartner has learned plenty of lessons. Here are some of her most helpful tips to keep in mind when renting materials for your wedding:

* It’s a lot cheaper to rent the equipment than to buy it. Chances are you will never use half the things at your wedding again so why would you waste storage space and money?

* You can rent anything you need for your wedding, from pipe and drape to hide the wall colour at the hall to crystal candelabras to serpentine tables. Check with your local rental store; they may even have ashowroom.

* Rental store employees can help you think of things you might have forgotten. Let them help you in the planning process to make sure that you have everything you need for your big day.

* Unlike halls and churches that need to be booked at least a year in advance, generally you only need to reserve the rental equipment six to seven months in advance.

* Some rental stores allow you to pick up the rental materials on Thursday evening and drop them off on Monday morning for no additional charge. That way, you don’t have to worry about pick-up and drop off on your wedding day.

* A rental store will provide you with more options, in terms of colour and design, than a reception hall will.

When it comes to planning your wedding, don’t let the cost wipe out your entire savings account — rent your wedding materials. For more information stop in to Absolute Tent & Event Services or call us at 416 203-8332 Toll Free 1 866768-8948

Courtesy of ARA content (CRA).

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Rent It: The Perfect Personalized Wedding Venue

January 8th, 2010

If you want the beauty of an outdoor location for your wedding without the worry about the weather, the perfect place can be elusive. Expand your venue possibilities by creating the wedding of your dreams.

Whether it’s your backyard or your favorite park, you pick the spot — and rent everything you need to create your perfect dream wedding from the rental experts at Absolute Tent & Event Services. We have beautiful tent structures to create the venue, as well as everything you need to make it beautiful and comfortable.

Huge tents, elegant canopies even clear span structures come in wedding white — thus allowing guests to enjoy a summer breeze the drama of a sunset or a sparkling night sky. Our rental options also include sophisticated lighting, fine linens, china and flatware, dance floors, bars, community tables, stages, even flooring for the tent and portable kitchens for the caterer … the list continues. And it’s all available for you to personalize your wedding day.

Whether formal or casual, your wedding can be completely your design. Make an impression by choosing table linens in your wedding colors, or go with all-white, then add chair covers with a bow-tie sash and matching napkins in accent colors. Be sure to ask for sample swatches of the linens so you can coordinate colors with your bridesmaid dresses and flowers. Add your choice of china and glassware to the arrangement for each table and get a rich and sophisticated setting.

Absolute Tent & Event Services offers personalized service through certified event rental professionals on staff who are trained to help you choose the right rentals to make your themed dream wedding come true.

Our staff will help ease the tension of pre-wedding set up with their knowledge and experience. We even help you throughout the event as well, keeping it on track and flowing smoothly.

How do you decide on a venue?

Once you have the date, time, a tentative location and approximate number of people you will invite, consider a theme and the atmosphere you might want to create. Before you put a non-refundable deposit on the unique venue, talk to one of Absolute Tent & Event Services event rental experts who will even have some great tent sites for you. They can assess the site for things like power accessibility, ground water issues, or overhead power lines that may interfere with your vision of a tall tent, among other situations. Our rental staff has the background and experience to help you make an informed decision.

What if you have the perfect spot but don’t know what theme to go with?

The staff at Absolute Tent & Event Services can show you everything that is available to help you create the event of your dreams. Ask us for photos of other events and search the Internet for examples of decorated tents. You’ll find elaborate photos of tents with tent liners, swagging and décor in all colors and themes at www.RentalHQ.com.

All events, no matter how big or small — even for the Oprah’s or Trump’s of the world — include rental businesses.

Tent Event Tips

Make sure you give Absolute Tent & Event Services — and yourself — enough advanced notice. Depending on the time of year, we will need plenty of notice to reserve all the equipment you will need.

For Absolute Tent & Event Services to help you with your next big event, visit us and our downtown Toronto showroom at 185 Eastern Ave. Toronto ON. or call one of rental experts at 416 203-8332 Toll Free at 866 768-8948

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