While some bridal couples revel in the joy of the hunt for the perfect wedding décor, buying such items outright can be costly and time-consuming, even if you’re lucky enough to unearth them at thrift stores and second-hand shops. And then the question arises as to what to do with them after the big event.
Event rental shops, such as Touch of Glass (TOG) in Niverville, cater to couples interested in elegance with ease. And they carry it all, from linens to décor pieces, vases, silk flowers, wine goblets, and dinnerware.
Being in the business, though, means staying well on top of changing wedding décor trends.
“In our area here, rustic-chic and vintage-chic are still going really strong,” says Charmaign Derksen, owner and operator of TOG.
2018, she says, will continue to see many couples favouring one of these two looks. Rustic, she explains, usually includes elements that are close to nature such as raw wood and burlap. Vintage is a newer trend, focusing on antique pieces like old photo frames, classic books, and interesting items one might find in grandma’s china cabinet. According to Derksen, both of these become chic when they’re paired with glamorous items like strings of pearls and golds and silvers to create an elegant display.
Vintage dishes are relatively new stock items in TOG’s rental inventory.
“From everything that we’ve been seeing on Pinterest, [brides want it] eclectic,” says Derksen. “You don’t necessarily have to have a matching pattern. So we decided to go with a colour theme. All different styles and patterns [of vintage dishes], but in golds and pinks.”
Copper is another element that Derksen says will be a popular choice in 2018. She has already established an inventory of vases and copper-edged pieces to complement table centrepieces. According to Pinterest and bridal magazines, terrariums will also be big this year. Derksen’s terrariums are geometrically shaped table-toppers with gold trim and glass inserts, perfect with the addition of the bride’s choice in candles or flowers tucked delicately within.
TOG offers free consultations to bridal couples, first establishing the couple’s tastes and then providing artistic tabletop mockups for them to see firsthand the options they might consider. In terms of linens, the options are virtually limitless. While they carry the standard polyester tablecloths and napkins in upwards of 40 different colours, they also offer a wide variety of specialty linens such as satins, metallic glitz, pin-tuck and pinwheel patterns, and more. And if they don’t carry exactly what you’re looking for, chances are they can find it.
“There are lots of great [rental companies] in Winnipeg and Steinbach,” says Derksen. “We are open to sharing [our product]. It’s a community and we help each other out. Having that kind of relationship means that, at the end of the day, it’s the client that gets what they want.”
TOG’s rentals are available for pick-up or delivery. They also offer complete event setup and takedown if bridal couples want a completely hands-free experience.
Events in 2017 kept TOG hopping, providing décor and linens for Christmas parties, corporate events, meetings, galas, and fundraisers, but weddings were their primary focus through the summer months.
“There were weekends when we would do 18 to 21 events in one weekend,” Derksen says.
