You are getting ready for the big event and your big box of purchased linens has just arrived. You are as excited as getting the present you always wanted for Christmas. As you are opening the box you think back to how much money you saved over renting linens.
Then reality hits in a big way. The linens aren’t quit the right color. Matter of fact it’s not very close at all. The fabric is substandard. You can see right thru it. The worst is the wrinkles. The event is in a few days. You don’t have time to send them back. All you need is one more thing to stress out over and it’s happening.
So you come up with a plan B. You call your family and friends and they all bring irons and ironing boards to the event for a ironing party. The whole day passes and everyone is exhausted from all the iron work. Disaster averted – well sorta.
The event is over and you get to take home all the dirty linens. You painstakingly spend hours washing and ironing the linens with no family or friend help this time. You try to sell them, but nobody wants your linen color. You feel guilty about throwing them out after storing them for years but your moving or having a child and need the room.
This story is actually true. I have lost count of the times I have showed up to setup event rental equipment and the ironing brigade is hard at work fixing a disaster. The customer considered renting from us, but decided to buy instead. The question is always asked if we have time to finish ironing their linens. I always have to sadly say no. The fabric is more like a disposable fabric and our equipment can very quickly destroy the purchased fabric.
Please plan and think carefully about linens for your next event. Buying linens may be cheaper than rental quality no hassle linens. The hassle and embarrassment factor usually out weighs buying an inferior product. The old saying “you pay for what you get” does apply here.