Event rentals, explained

Event rental glossary

31 terms you will meet on rental quotes, contracts and product pages, in plain English. Each one links to where you can price it or read more.

Gilded ivory chair detail tablescape, styled at an event (AI-generated example)

Quotes, fees and contracts

Damage waiver: A fee, usually a percentage of the rental total, that covers accidental damage beyond normal wear. It usually excludes loss and theft. Some houses make it mandatory. Compare quotes line by line
Deposit: The part of the rental paid upfront to hold your items for a date. Check how much is refundable and until when.
Order minimum: The smallest order a rental company will deliver, often set by full-service houses to cover a truck and crew. Options when the minimum is too high
Booking fee: What Beyond Chiavari charges on top of the rental company's price to coordinate your order: 10%, shown on every proposal. How payments work
Itemized quote: A quote that lists every item, quantity and fee separately, so it can be compared with another quote. Build an itemized quote
Certificate of insurance (COI): Proof of a vendor's liability insurance. Many Chicago venues require one from every vendor before load-in.
Rental period: How long the price covers: one day, a weekend, or a fixed number of hours with overtime charged after.

Delivery window: The time range when the truck will arrive. Narrow, early, late-night and weekend windows usually cost more. Delivery and pickup times
Load-in / load-out: The venue's allowed times for vendors to bring items in and take them out. Get these before you ask for quotes.
Setup: Placing rentals where they go. Ask whether it means placed in your layout or dropped stacked near the door.
Breakdown: Collecting, stacking and loading rentals after the event, before pickup.
Long carry: Extra distance between the truck and the room, which some companies charge for along with stairs.
Drop-off rental: Items delivered and picked up without setup. Common for party rentals and backyard events.

Chiavari chair: A light, stackable ballroom chair with thin spindles, usually rented with a seat cushion. The classic wedding reception chair. Chair rentals
Cross-back chair: A wooden chair with an X-shaped back, popular for rustic, barn and garden weddings. Cross-back chair
Ghost chair: A clear acrylic chair, often in a Louis shape, that keeps a room looking open. Ghost chair
Resin folding chair: A sturdier, more finished folding chair than basic plastic, common for ceremonies.
Seat pad: The cushion tied to a Chiavari or cross-back chair. Color is usually chosen with the linens.

60-inch round: The standard banquet round. Seats 8 comfortably, 10 snugly. Rental calculator
Banquet table: A long rectangular table (often 6 or 8 feet) used for buffets, head tables and family-style rows.
Highboy: A tall cocktail table for standing guests, usually 30 inches across. Plan about one per 10 guests during cocktail hour.
Drop length: How far a tablecloth hangs from the table edge. Floor-length means it touches the floor; lap-length hangs about 15 inches.
Spandex cover: A fitted stretch cover, mostly for highboys, that hugs the table shape.
Runner: A narrow cloth along the center of a table, on top of the main linen. Linen rentals

Charger: A large decorative plate under the dinner plate. It is removed or left as the courses change. Dinnerware rentals
Place setting: Everything at one seat: plates, flatware, glasses and napkin.
Chafing dish: A buffet warmer that keeps food hot over fuel or electric heat.

Frame tent: A tent held up by a metal frame with no center poles, so the inside is open. Can go on hard surfaces with weights. Tent rentals
Pole tent: A tent held up by center poles and staked into grass. Usually cheaper and taller than a frame tent of the same size.
Sidewalls: Panels hung from the tent edge to block wind and rain. Clear or solid.
Dance floor: Interlocking panels laid on grass or carpet. Sized by guests dancing at once, not total guests. Dance floors

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