Wedding hire
Wedding HireThe physical pieces for your ceremony and reception, from the first chair to the last candle.
Wedding hire covers the equipment you rent rather than who designs the day: ceremony seating, arbours, signing tables, reception furniture, tableware, décor and lighting. Build the list here, then brief hire companies once.
- Covers
- The ceremony, the reception and the pieces in between
- Usually booked
- Once the venue and approximate guest numbers are settled
- Watch for
- The changeover between ceremony and reception
- Pairs with
- Wedding styling and wedding stylists
Three moments
Three parts of the day, three lists.
Most weddings move guests through a ceremony, a pause while photos happen, and a reception. Each needs its own pieces.
Before the vows
Ceremony
Seating for guests, a structure to frame the couple, an aisle runner and a signing table with two chairs.
- Chairs
- Arbour
- Aisle runner
- Signing table
- Welcome sign
While photos happen
Cocktail hour
Somewhere for guests to stand, drink and wait: cocktail tables, a bar, shade or heaters and a few lounge corners.
- Cocktail tables
- Bar
- Umbrellas
- Lounges
Dinner and dancing
Reception
Dining tables and chairs, linen, tableware, a bridal table, lighting for the evening and a dance floor.
- Dining tables
- Linen
- Glassware
- Lighting
- Dance floor
Which page do you need?
Wedding hire, wedding styling or a wedding stylist?
Three related searches, three different jobs. This page is about the pieces.
What do we need to rent?
Wedding hire
The pieces themselves. You choose them, or your stylist does, and a hire company delivers them.
How should it all look?
Wedding styling
The design service: palette, layout, sourcing and dressing the space on the day. Read about wedding styling.
Who should we book?
Wedding stylists
Choosing the person or studio who designs and delivers the styling. Compare wedding stylists.
Décor
Wedding décor hire and decoration hire.
The smaller pieces carry the look from the aisle to the last table.
Signage
Welcome signs, seating charts, table numbers and bar menus guide guests through the day. Confirm who supplies the wording and when it is needed.
Candles and vessels
Hurricanes, candlesticks and bud vases carry the look along the tables. Check the venue’s rules on open flame first.
Draping and structures
Ceiling draping and backdrops change the scale of a room. They depend on rigging points and installation time.
Leave the flowers to the florist
Flowers are usually handled by a florist. Share their plans so the vessels and décor you hire suit the arrangements.
The changeover
When one space hosts two parts of the day.
If the ceremony and reception share a space, the room has to change while guests are somewhere else. Chairs move from rows to tables, the arbour shifts behind the bridal table and the lighting comes up for the evening.
Put these questions to every hire company you are considering:
Who moves the pieces?
The hire company’s crew, the venue’s staff or your stylist. Agree it before the day.
How long does it take?
Ask for an estimate based on your guest count and layout, then check it fits the time guests spend elsewhere.
Where do guests wait?
The cocktail area needs its own furniture and shade or warmth while the room changes.
What happens at the end of the night?
Find out what is packed away straight after the reception and what is collected the next day.
Packages
Reading a wedding hire package.
Wedding hire packages save time when you know what sits inside and what sits outside them.
Guest count
Packages are often priced by guest or by table. Confirm your numbers and what happens if they change.
What is bundled
Chairs, linen and tableware may be bundled, while arbours, lounges and lighting can be extras.
Delivery and setup
Check whether setup, pack-down and any changeover are included, and the hours they cover.
Timing
Late finishes and next-day collection can change a quote. Share the venue’s hours.
Damage and loss
Ask how breakages and missing pieces are handled, and whether a bond applies.
Holding your date
Ask how a booking is confirmed and what the deposit covers.
By venue
Your venue decides most of the list.
Some venues arrive furnished; others arrive empty. Start by finding out which kind you have booked.
Farm or private property
Bring almost everything
Expect to hire most things, from the marquee and flooring to lighting and furniture. Truck access and a wet-weather plan come first.
Restaurant or function centre
Personalise the room
Tables, chairs and basic linen are often included. Hire the pieces that make the room yours: a feature arbour, lounges, candles and signage.
Warehouse or blank space
Fit it out
A blank space needs furniture, lighting, draping and a bar. Check loading access and the times the venue opens for setup.
Beach or reserve
Plan for the ground
Councils often require a permit for ceremonies on public land. Ask how chairs and arbours are secured on sand and grass.
Near you
Wedding hire near you.
Wedding venues range from city ballrooms to farms hours from town. For a regional venue, ask about travel, the time crews need on site and whether pieces can be delivered the day before.
These market pages cover the areas where couples search for wedding and marquee hire most.
Location pages
- Brisbane
- Gold Coast
- Geelong
- Sunshine Coast
- Melbourne
- Newcastle
- Toowoomba
- Central Coast
- Cairns
- Perth
- Byron Bay
- Ballarat
States
Brief it well
What a useful wedding hire brief covers
Name both parts of the day, the guest count and where each part happens.
Wedding for 110 guests at a garden venue near Toowoomba in October. Ceremony on the lawn, reception in a marquee. We need ceremony chairs, an arbour, a signing table, dining furniture and linen, and lighting for the evening.
Questions
Wedding hire, answered.
Common questions from couples building their hire list.
What is usually included in wedding hire?
Wedding hire companies commonly offer ceremony chairs, arbours and arches, signing tables, dining furniture, linen, tableware, lounges, lighting and décor. Ranges differ, so put your whole list in one brief.
When should we book wedding hire?
Once your venue and approximate guest numbers are settled. Popular dates can book out, and hire companies will ask for final numbers closer to the day.
Can one company supply the ceremony and reception?
Often, yes, and it can simplify delivery and the changeover. Some couples use one company for furniture and another for lighting or a marquee.
Do we need a stylist to hire wedding pieces?
No. You can choose and brief the pieces yourselves. A stylist becomes useful when you want the whole look designed and set up for you.
Can pieces be delivered the day before?
Sometimes, depending on the venue’s access and the hire company’s schedule. If it is possible, confirm who is responsible for the pieces overnight.
Build your brief
Every piece for the day, in one brief.
Tell hire companies about the ceremony, the reception, your guests and the look you want. Those who suit your wedding can review it and respond.
There is no obligation to book.