Booking wedding furniture hire within four weeks of your date is possible for most orders, but some items and combinations require more lead time than others.
Booking wedding furniture hire within four weeks of your date is possible for most orders, but some items and combinations require more lead time than others.
Booking wedding furniture hire within four weeks of your date is possible for most orders, but some items and combinations require more lead time than others. Here is what to check before you call.
The Expo Hire website shows live stock availability by date. Search for the items you need and check availability for your specific date before calling. This saves time on both sides and gives you a realistic picture of what is available before the conversation starts.
If your preferred chair is fully booked for your date, the closest available alternative is usually a short conversation away. Common substitutions include silver chiavari in place of gold, white linen when ivory has gone, and banqueting chairs when all chiavari colours are out. The hire company can suggest what is available rather than leaving you to guess from the catalogue.
Substitutions work best when you are flexible on finish rather than function. A silver chiavari and a gold chiavari behave identically; the visual difference is minor in photographs. An upholstered banqueting chair in place of a polycarbonate ghost chair is a bigger departure, so be clear on what you need from the chair before accepting a substitution.
For orders under 50 items with straightforward requirements, most hire companies can confirm and schedule delivery within a week. Larger orders, 100 or more chairs combined with multiple table types and linen, need at least 2 to 3 weeks to guarantee a delivery slot, particularly over busy summer and December weekends.
Prepare the following before contacting a hire company about a late booking:
Having these ready means the conversation can move to availability and pricing immediately rather than spending half the call establishing the basics. For a late booking, time matters on both sides.
Splitting a last-minute order across two hire companies creates complications. Different delivery windows mean two separate setup slots on the same day. Linen from two suppliers in nominally the same colour often does not match exactly in person. One supplier for the full order is preferable even when that means accepting a substitution on one or two items.
If the hire company genuinely cannot cover your full list, ask what items are available and build from there. A complete order from one supplier with two substitutions beats a split order that requires coordinating two delivery crews at the same venue on the same morning.
Most hire companies require full payment for bookings confirmed within 7 days of the delivery date. Confirm payment terms when you first make contact. For bookings within 2 to 4 weeks, a deposit followed by balance on confirmation is more common. Ask about this upfront so there is no delay in securing the booking while payment is arranged.
The damage waiver included with Expo Hire bookings applies to late bookings on the same terms as any other. For available chairs and tables for your date, check the live availability on the Expo Hire website.
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