Monday, September 9, 2013

Why Should I Use Vintage Rentals? 10 Reasons to Rent Rather than Buy

Sometimes when we explain to acquaintances or new connections that we're in the vintage rental business, we get a few strange looks and even some incredulous questions: "What's the point of that?" We like to say that Momentarily Yours Events exists to help make event planning a bit more lovely, affordable, and a lot less stressful.

Chances are, if you're a bride or a party hostess looking to pull off a vintage, whimsical, eccentric, or rustic-tinged event, you also aren't afraid to get your hands dirty digging for treasures in someone's basement, barn, or flea market stall, and that you already have some antique gems you'd like to use at your event. But that doesn't mean that you have to do it all on your own. You can incorporate family heirlooms and personal purchases into your event design and supplement them with our vintage rentals for a truly original look.

Still think you want to do it all yourself? Read on for a few reasons Momentarily Yours Events' vintage rentals will help you create the celebration you've envisioned!

1. Vintage rentals save you time.



Let's say you want to emulate the tablescape above at your wedding reception, shower, or other event. The collected glass bottle look is so gorgeous and it saves money on larger floral centerpieces, but to affordably replicate it on just one table, you'd have to search for months at flea markets, thrift stores, antique malls, and estate sales in order to amass all the glass vessels. Doing it on a larger scale would take even more shopping time! You run the risk of running out of time to find all the bottles you need to complete the look (and just think of all the gas money you'll spend trekking around the Kansas City area!). With our vintage rental inventory, you can reproduce this look with just a few clicks of your mouse! We have aqua, clear, purple, cobalt, and amber medicine bottles as well as soda bottles and assorted clear vases, all already collected for you!

2. Vintage rentals also save you money.

Since we're constantly scouring Kansas City's antique stores, thrifts, fleas, and barn sales, we know a thing or two about price points--and we always set our rental prices lower than the cost of buying our items. Take the eclectic bottle look pictured above. Since aqua is an on-trend, in-demand color right now, those beautiful blue bottles start at $6 and only go up from there (even online!) Comparatively, you can rent our blue medicine bottles for just $1.25 each. In fact, our most expensive item (our rustic sideboard) rents for just $25.00! You can find pricing information on our website; just select a category and the specific item you're interested in.

3. We have the one-of-a-kind items that you just can't find anywhere else.



It'd take some real digging (maybe even an antiquing road trip) to find some of the vintage and rustic items we've unearthed, like our weather vane, chicken feeder trays, zinc lanterns, wooden ironing board, tin heart molds, kids' school chairs, or crayon boxes, all pictured above. They're completely unique to our collection; even if you did find a place to buy them, chances are they'll rent for less than their purchase price! If you have your heart set on a unique item that we don't currently have in our inventory, we can also complete a custom search for you!

4. We have the quality...

Even if you're up to the task of searching for good deals on unique vintage items, you still might struggle to find gems that are in good condition. Obviously with age items can gain a lovely patina and a nicely weathered look--that's a part of the vintage aesthetic that you're most likely drawn to--but at the same time, you don't want jars with large chips or cracks, crates that could fall apart at any second, or lace linens with rips or stains. It takes time and dedication to find quality vintage items that don't cost an arm and a leg. We've done the groundwork for you and curated goods free of major aesthetic damage.

5. ...and the quantity!



While we're constantly adding completely new items to our inventory, we're also careful to grow our existing collections of jars, vases, and votive holders to ensure that we have enough for centerpieces and accent tables. One of the downsides of purchasing items on your own (apart from the cost) is that it's often hard to find whole sets of vintage items for sale. We love a collected, eclectic look, but recognize that some tablescapes look best with matching votives and vessels. We have high quantities of all of the items pictured above (plus many of our other vintage rentals!), and like all our items they're available for rent at the fraction of the cost of purchasing them.

6. Go green, y'all.

I've been to a few weddings where items (especially votives and other candle holders) get tossed into the trash at the end of the night--partially because they're covered in wax (which is pretty easy to remove, by the way--I feel a "How to Clean Vintage Items" post coming on!) and partially because they're items that people don't really plan on using after the event. Why spend more to buy something if you're just going to throw it away? It's not a very cost effective or environmentally friendly option. Since we buy our items used, you'll be participating in a "green" cycle, preventing new emissions and preventing goods from going to the landfill.

7. You can mix and match and create a truly unique look for your event. 




Don't get us wrong--we love Pinterest, but because of all of the inspiration photos floating around on the site, we have noticed that even vintage and rustic weddings are starting to look a little cookie cutter. It's so easy to get attached to a beautiful image and want to recreate it exactly--but we encourage you to personalize your centerpieces and other decor so that things don't feel too familiar. We have such a diversity of vintage rentals that it's easy to customize tablescapes and add eccentric, unexpected details, such as our cheese graters, alarm clocks, wire candleabra, bingo cards, toy cash register, child's microscope, chippy old kitchen scale, or colorful milk bottles. You also might be tempted to use more traditional vases or decor provided by your florist or your venue, and that's fine too! You can always add some of our vintage items to make your guests say "Wow! I've never seen that done before!"

8. Where are you going to store 200 china dinner plates after your reception?


If there's any vintage item you need en masse, it's not only cheaper and easier to rent them, but it's also much easier to handle them after use at your event--just hand 'em back over to us. (We can also pick the items up if necessary!) It's better than trying to unload your purchases on Craigslist, letting them grow dusty and take up precious storage space in your basement, or hauling carloads of donations to the thrift store. Trust us--we have plenty of vintage goodies stored in our studio (see the photo above), but that's not even half of it! It takes a lot of space to store this stuff.

9. Speaking of storage, where are you going to store those 200 dinner plates before your reception?



Repeat: it takes a lot space to store this stuff. Who wants to feel claustrophobic, tripping on boxes full of mason jars and milk glass in the months preceding the big day? You don't have to stress about washing your items and keeping them safely stored to prevent breakage. We'll carefully package your rental items for pick-up, or we can deliver them straight to your venue for you!

10. We have lots of styling ideas, and we love to share!



We don't just provide vintage rentals--we can also help you decide how to repurpose our items at your event. When you rent from us, you get a complimentary 30-minute styling consultation to discuss your vision and how we can help implement it! You can show us your favorite inspiration photos, play around with our rentals to make sample centerpieces, and just generally pick our brains for styling suggestions. Sometimes you have to step outside of the mood board and chat about your ideas with someone--that's what we're here for! (I guess you could try this with the cashier at the thrift store or the owner of the antique mall, but chances are they'll zone out or ask you to leave after 10 minutes of tablescape chatter.)

So there you go. 10 reasons we think you should give Momentarily Yours vintage rentals a try, Kansas City! From our standpoint, the #1 reason you should? Because we love to help make people's moments lovely, and we can't wait to meet you and discuss how we'll do that for you!

Any questions? Just drop us a line or give us a call. We're waiting.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Fave New Five: Candleholders

Welcome back to another installment of our fave new five series! This week we're highlighting the latest additions to our candleholder category. We're big fans of having candles on every tablescape, and these will give people more options. Depending on how you combine these candleholders with different elements, they'll evoke different aesthetics, from rustic to classic to romantic.



These wood pillar holders will add height to your tablescape. We picture them in woodsy-feeling green, amber, and brown centerpieces like this, but they will blend with any color scheme. You can rent them for $3 each, or $7.50 for all three!




We've nicknamed this wire candleabra "Steampunk Lumière" due to his industrial edge. The votives are removable so you can customize the look of this piece. He would be a great accent on a head table or buffet. He's one-of-a-kind, but that won't stop us from searching for more on our shopping expeditions! Rent him for $3!



These were a custom search item sourced for our July bride Anna, and we couldn't be any happier that she wanted them for her big day, because they're a great addition to our inventory! The champagne color is classic, yet chameleonic--it'll work with almost any palette. We're dying to pair them with emerald, aqua, or scarlet. And these puppies are so easy to clean candle residue out of! They rent for $1 each and we have 55 of them.



Oh, beautiful lacy votives--you so would be #1, if only we had more of you! There are just two of these lovelies in our inventory so far, as they're the only ones we've ever found on our shopping trips. The lace pattern is actually printed onto the glass. Here's hoping that we find more! They rent for $1.50 each.



This last one may seem a little strange, but trust us! These 1950's kitchen staples are so great as votive holders. (We also repurpose them around the office to hold pushpins, paper clips, and other little bits). They're just a touch whimsical, they have a gorgeous scalloped shape, and they look right at home in rustic centerpieces, but also play nice with more classic pieces like our clear striped votives (see the picture below for proof!)


Plus, when you remove the melted candle from inside, it's in the cutest scalloped shape with "Jell-O" stamped on its bottom! And no need to worry about the heat on the metal--when we cleaned up the shower where we used these, the tin votives were cooler to the touch than the glass ones! We have 37 of these renting for $0.75 each. And be sure to check out their cousins, the tin heart molds!

Stay tuned for more of our favorite finds!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Fave New Five: Rustic Decor

Hello, all! We apologize for our long absence from this slice of the internet...since I was living in Montana August-May of this year, we took a little hiatus. We've been busy this summer unpacking and settling in, rephotographing our old inventory and our latest finds, revamping our website, networking with other professionals, styling events, and setting up our beautiful studio!

Now we're geared up and ready for weekly updates here. We plan on highlighting our favorite new finds from all of our inventory categories, including a whole new one, linens & furniture!

First up, our top 2013 finds for Rustic Decor! We're working on getting all of these listed on our website, www.momentarilyyours.com. Click here to contact us and inquire about their availability!

#5: Oil Cans



These galvanized oil cans would make beautiful vases, or you could use them to stash sparklers for a grand exit. They rent for $5 apiece and we currently have 3 in our inventory!

#4: Metal Flower Frogs


These worn metal flower frogs can be used for floral arranging, sure, but we think they' be even cooler as table number holders, photo displayers, or even for labeling items on a buffet. They rent for $2 each, and we currently have 2 in our inventory, but hope to get more soon!

#3: Bronze Birdcage & Pedestal Stand




This find is a little tricky to include on a Top 5 list since it's really like 2 items in one! This bronze birdcage comes on a great pedestal stand. Put them together and display pillar candles on it, or separate them and use the bottom as a cake stand and the top as a cage for over a floral display. You can rent the top and the bottom separately for $4 each, or the two pieces together for $7.

#2: White Wooden Planter with Chalkboard Sign


This chippy estate sale find has two of our favorite things: weathered wood and a chalkboard! We envision it holding cards (as evidenced in the photo above), programs, or flowers, but the possibilities really are endless. You can rent it for $3.

#1: Chicken Feeder Trays


This one might seem strange, but these former farm implements can find new life at your next event as chic trays! We used them at a July 6th wedding to corral vases and votive holders in the centerpieces (see the picture below). Perfect for adding just a little country flair to your tablescapes. Imagine lining the bottoms and filling them with candy or appetizers! The 5 small trays rent for $3 each, the medium one for $5, and the large (not pictured) for $8.


(Don't worry, we'll share more photos and styling secrets from this wedding next week).

What do you think of our favorite rustic finds for 2013 (thus far)? Fingers crossed that we'll find more to share soon!