Planning for your Graduation Party

Let me just start off saying, this seems scarier than it actually is. For many of you, this is the biggest party you’ve thrown since your own wedding. DO NOT THINK ABOUT THAT. This is nothing like your wedding, nor should it be. This is about your graduate, and should reflect THEM! The child that frequently doesn’t pickup after themselves. 

When you start planning your party, think about what your goal with this party is. Is it to see old friends and family? Is it simply to celebrate your child’s accomplishments? Is it to raise money for their “Life After School” plans? It can be one, all, or none of these (though we’re not exactly sure how you could manage the last one), and that’s alright! But it is helpful when you start planning to think about your goal BEFORE you begin your browsing of  the many options you have for this party. 

Next, SET YOUR BUDGET. If your goal is to raise money for their “Life After School” plans, it doesn’t make much sense to spend more money than will be raised. If your hope is to celebrate your child and raise money? It may make sense to spend a bit more money on a “Dunk the Graduate” Tank. If this is really just an excuse to throw a party, you may want to splurge on the crystal chandelier (I am kidding about that. Unless you really like that idea, in which case, please let us know right away, and we will find one for you!) The important thing to remember when you’re going around looking at things, is to remember what you notice at other graduation parties. Do you notice the chairs? Did you pay attention to the fact that this party had linen while this one only had plastic? Or were you too distracted by both of them blowing around to notice what they were made of?

Next, consider your date. The second and third week of June tend to be the most popular for graduation parties. For your school, it will probably be the weekend immediately following graduation. There are some benefits/drawbacks to holding your party those weeks. For one, you get your party over with. It’s nice to be able to finish your event right away. Secondly, you are sharing your day with many other people, which means sharing your food costs with everyone else. People are not going to stay at one party the whole time during those weeks, so they are more snacking at each of the parties. The downsides? Because those are the busiest weeks, you are competing with the other parties. When there are so many parties going on, there are times where people just will not be able to make your party work. We suggest that if there are friends who are graduating the same year who you really want at your party and you at theirs, to somewhat coordinate your times. You can still have them on the same day, but maybe not at the exact same time. The other downside is that rental items do end up scarce during those weeks. If you are planning on having your party during one of those weeks, you should plan on reserving your items as soon as possible. Most years things are nearly all reserved by the end of April. The earlier you reserve, the more you have to choose from. While there may be items still available after April, they may be more expensive than you wanted to spend, or in an older condition than you would have liked. 

The benefits/downsides of having your party later in the year are the exact reverse of having it right away, with the only additional downside is that the later your party is, the more likely people are to be away at college, or to have forgotten about it. That usually only happens if your party is in late July or August. This may or may not actually be a selling point for the late summer grad party.  

After you’ve figured out your goal, budget, and date, you just have to go out there and make your choices. Each party is different and the same, so don’t stress about it. There really is no standard right and wrong, just what’s right and wrong FOR YOU. So go with your gut, and enjoy it! The next party you may have to plan could be their wedding.

Thanksgiving

Whether you’re happy or sad about the outcome of the elections, there is plenty to be happy about. The very fact that you are reading this means you have access to a computer, and one with internet, which puts you ahead of most of the world. Which means you’ve got things to be grateful for, and things to celebrate on Thanksgiving.

A Thanksgiving setup a customer did last year.

For many people, Thanksgiving means a crowding of family and friends into a house. For others, it means donating your time to a food bank. For whichever way your heart is leaning towards, we are here to help!

From extra Tables and chairs, to linens and dishes, we can make your Thanksgiving a bit more hassle free.  If you have the out of town, out of bed guest, check out our Inflatable Bed!  We even have the ever popular Children’s Table and Chairs, to let the squirrely little ones have some alone time. And for those wanting a clearer picture for the big games, we’ve got a 42″ LCD HD flat screen!

For those going out to bless others, we have serving ware, from Roaster Ovens and Chafing Dishes to keep the food warm, to large Serving Spoons to supplement any additional needs.

If there is something you’re looking for that we don’t have listed here, don’t worry, and give us a call!  We are always adding to inventory, and if we don’t carry it or have time to get it in, we do our best to know where you’ll be able to find your elusive item.

Reserving Policies

Renting is different than any other business out there. We’re entrusting you with our equipment (for a fee, of course), you’re trusting us that the equipment you’re reserving is good quality and that we will have it for you, and we’re expecting it returned, on time and in the same condition.  It can be a strain to put on so new of a friendship, which is why we have certain policies.

We require 25% down when you reserve more than a month in advance. That way, we know that you actually are going to be picking up the equipment. You would be surprised how many times people call and want to reserve equipment “just in case” and then decide the day of their event that they don’t want it.  We can’t do that, because then the people who do want the equipment won’t be able to use it. When you reserve, we GUARANTEE that we will have the equipment here for you.  The 25% you put down is your commitment to us that you will be getting it!

We require a State ID #. We realize that some of you are calling for companies, or on behalf of a friend/family member, but unfortunately, not everyone is as wonderful as you are!  Our insurance REQUIRES us to get State ID numbers from whoever places a reservation, whether its for a delivery or pickup, and the Drivers License of whoever picks up the equipment. This is for two reasons. 1. We have had customers not return our equipment, even from businesses. It’s unfortunate, but because of it we do need that information. We need someway of getting our equipment back, and that does mean putting a black mark on your permanent record. YES. We will report you to the police if we don’t get the equipment back after a while. We do realize that there are extenuating circumstances, and that sometimes things happen, but that’s why we need things like the person placing the order and picking up the order’s numbers, so we can be informed and not turn you into the police prematurely.  The second reason is sometimes, in this land filled with Olsons, Smiths, and Johnsons, sometimes there are people with the same last name with similar orders on the same day. One day, many years ago, we had a customer pickup something that was for the wrong Ron Olson. Since then, we’ve made it mandatory that we get driver’s license of whoever is picking up and a phone number. Mistakes like this DO NOT happen often, but if they do, we want to have a way to fix it, and this is the easiest way. Also, every once in a while, a piece of equipment gets left behind, and if we have a cell number, we can call you before you get too far off!

The thing to remember when it comes to State ID numbers, is 1, you don’t actually use them for anything other than renting and getting pulled over, 2. they are public record, and 3. whenever you rent ANYTHING, they require that information. From car rentals to back in the day when video stores still were kicking, they all require a State ID. And so do we. We are not the only ones in the rental industry either. We are members of the American Rental Association, and it is standard protocol everywhere. We do keep your information secure in our systems, though, to point out again, there really is no danger if that information does get out. The only danger is if you DO NOT return the equipment, which you’re going to do anyway, right?

Curtain Backdrop for a Head Table

You typically see a head table at formal dinners, state occasions & most often at wedding receptions where the head table holds the bride & groom, wedding party & sometimes the family. 

The head table is set apart from the rest of the reception tables & often serves as the site for toasts & announcements.  So, sometimes a backdrop is desired to create more of a focal point of a head table, as well as hide unsightly walls that might be behind it–for example, if you’ve rented a hall with walls made of cinder blocks or covered with tacky paneling.

If you’re too busy planning the rest of your wedding to spend lots of time figuring out your head table backdrop, the fastest & easiest solution is to rent a simple curtain to hang behind the table. A curtain will provide an understated elegance to the activities at the head table, without distracting from them. We rent the equipment to help you do this!

Welcome!

Hi there! Welcome to our new website! We’re so glad to have you on here. We hope that our equipment and staff can help you with your upcoming events! So feel free to wander around here, or to give us a call!

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