Hiring linens, furniture and other props from a wedding vendor but setting these up yourself on the day – aka dry hire – is becoming increasing popular in a world where creative freedom is in and budget inflexibility is out. At JMFS, we love to dream up a wedding aesthetic that’s even more beautiful than you imagined (and take away some of that planning pressure!) just as much as we love seeing our couples take full control and personally create something truly magical themselves. There is no right or wrong way to approach wedding styling, but dry hire offers many more benefits than most would think!
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The initial costs for dry hire tend to be substantially less. This is because you’re only paying for the items themselves and not their delivery, setup and pack-down. Who doesn’t want a little (or a lot!) of extra cash to splurge on other important aspects of their wedding? Save here, spend there!
You get to determine when and how these items are set up, which often makes dry hire an even more cost-effective option. Instead of having a strict timeline dictated to you by external suppliers on the wedding day, you can work away at your own pace. Just be sure to discuss this with your bridal party or whoever is helping out prior!
You can make your chosen venue look and feel exactly as you see fit, which is immensely satisfying for the inner artist! There are endless ways to transform a space and design a wedding that is entirely your own.
A few things to be mindful of
More planning is involved, which can be time-consuming and feel overwhelming initially – especially if you haven’t got a solid vision in mind from the get-go.
With setup comes the dreaded clean up. It’s a bit of a contrast to the emotional high that is your wedding day, but asking a couple of loved ones to pitch in often makes this task a lot more manageable. It can also be a fun way to regroup and reminisce about the epic experience you all just shared.
If you’re not particularly imaginative, you might struggle to develop a cohesive wedding aesthetic. Our advice? Concept-only consults. Many wedding stylists offer these online, allowing couples to pick the creative brains of experts and brainstorm ideas before executing them themselves.
Favourite dry hire items from the JMFS treasure trove
For those dreaming of rich jewel tones and luxe fabrics – our emerald petal armchairs and Persian rugs
For the traditionalists after timeless ivory styling – our clear acrylic plinths, travertine pieces, Oak Lab sand vases and latte muslin runners
For lovers of earthy, rustic autumn colours that radiate warmth – our terracotta table runner, rose gold lanterns, copper signing table chairs and gold chalice
To browse our full collection of dry hire styling items, click here. Happy DIYing! x
Photography: Veri, White Parrot, Storytellers Wedding Co, Ben Howland + Keegan Cronin
