Wedding furniture hire for UK couples: compare suppliers

Compare wedding furniture hire on the work included: BE Event Hire offers UK-wide delivery and collection, while Options Greathire expressly offers delivery, setup and collection on its Birmingham service page.[1][2] For a dry-hire venue, send suppliers the same item schedule, layout and access requirements, with furniture and logistics priced separately.

Compare coverage, furniture and setup scope

BE Event Hire

• Coverage: Nationwide UK delivery and collection.[1]
• Furniture: Chiavari, Crossback and wooden folding chairs, round banqueting tables and rustic trestles.[1]
• Delivery/setup: Delivery and collection are offered.[1] Ask BE to confirm carrying distances and table-and-chair setup.

Options Greathire

• Coverage: Options Greathire advertises chair hire in Birmingham; confirm delivery coverage for the venue’s specific postcode.[2]
• Furniture: Dining chairs and tables include the Nature rectangular oak table, measuring 240 × 100cm and 73cm high.[2]
• Delivery/setup: Delivery, setup and collection are expressly offered, including on-site setup support.[2]

Special Event Tipis & Marquees

• Coverage: Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire, Scotland, North Yorkshire and the North of England.[3]
• Furniture: Tables, chairs and lounge pieces are available independently of its tipi and marquee structures.[3]
• Delivery/setup: Furniture delivery and installation are offered for events at customers’ own venues.[3]

Send one brief to every supplier

Include the wedding date, venue address, guest numbers, preferred furniture, an area-by-area item schedule and an annotated layout sketch. BE asks for the date, venue, guest numbers and furniture preferences; Event Hire UK also recommends a rough item list and layout sketch.[1][6]

Use the same dated version for every quotation request and send revisions to everyone quoting. Mark unresolved details “to confirm”. Ask suppliers to quote against the schedule, separating furniture from delivery, carrying, setup, furniture moves and collection.

Turn BE’s catalogue into an item schedule

Group the order by ceremony, drinks reception, dining and evening, then identify the room, floor or outdoor zone for each item, following Event Hire UK’s planning guidance.[6] BE offers round banqueting tables from 3ft to 7ft and rustic trestles for communal layouts.[1]

Include only the areas and furniture needed:

• Ceremony: ceremony chairs.[6]
• Drinks reception: outdoor furniture and lounge seating.[6]
• Dining: guest tables and chairs, plus top, cake and gift tables.[6]
• Evening: additional seating or lounge furniture.[6]

For each product, record:

• Location: room, floor or outdoor zone.
• Product: catalogue name, reference and selected finish.
• Dimensions: the selected product’s measurements, including diameter for round tables.
• Guest places: the number required and supplier-confirmed seating capacity.
• Quantity: item count, marked provisional until capacity is agreed.
• Use: ceremony seating, dining, cake display or another specified purpose.

For example, BE’s 3ft round table gives you a diameter to record, not a confirmed guest count.[1] Ask BE and Event Hire UK to confirm seating capacities, place-setting allowances and recommended aisle dimensions before finalising quantities and the room plan.[1][6]

Assign responsibility for reused chairs

Mark chairs as dedicated to one zone or reused between named zones. Check how many are needed simultaneously rather than adding every use across the day.

For each reused allocation, specify:

• Quantity, origin and destination.
• The movement window and when the destination must be ready.
• The person or team responsible, and whether the move needs quoting.

Check the route: Event Hire UK recommends establishing which room must be ready first and whether lifts, ramps or stairs are involved.[6] Get explicit agreement on changeovers rather than assuming delivery staff, caterers or venue staff will move the chairs.

Separate delivery, carrying and setup

Ask for a written task list covering unloading, carrying to each room, assembly where relevant, positioning to the layout, later furniture moves and preparation for collection. Assign each task to the supplier, venue or your own team.

Build the access plan around Event Hire UK’s venue questions and checklist:[6]

• Where can the vehicle unload, and what parking or loading restrictions apply?
• Is there a fixed access slot?
• Are lifts, ramps or stairs involved?
• Which room must be ready first?
• When may collection begin, and what is the deadline?
• Who is the delivery contact, and who will sign off the delivery?

Have the venue and supplier agree where furniture will be left and who makes each room ready. Ask for the agreed carrying route and setup tasks to appear in the quotation, including when choosing an advertised installation service.

Compare complete quotes, not catalogue rates

BE’s listed furniture prices are weekly and exclude VAT; catalogue rates alone are not an installed wedding total.[1] Match quantities and hire dates, then request separate lines for furniture, VAT, delivery, carrying, setup, changeovers, collection and additional charges.

Specify delivery and collection dates and times, and ask the supplier to identify the chargeable hire period. Options Greathire asks customers for both delivery and collection dates and times.[2]

Event Hire UK offers free self-collection and return or paid transport, with a standard postcode-based charge covering delivery and collection. Non-standard requirements cost extra.[6] Ask for those requirements to be priced against the access plan.

What to confirm with each provider

BE’s wedding-furniture page does not state cancellation, postponement, refund, deposit, loss, damage, cleaning or replacement terms.[1] Before paying, request written answers covering:

• Access charges: carrying limits, stairs, waiting time and failed delivery.
• Hire and collection: chargeable dates, collection deadline and charges for changes.
• Cancellation: deposit, postponement and refund conditions.
• Item liability: loss, theft, breakage, cleaning, replacement and any accidental-damage waiver.
• Handover: who counts items, records condition and signs at delivery and collection.
• Return preparation: who gathers furniture, where it must be left and when responsibility ends.

Resolve provisional quantities, unallocated chair movements and vague “delivery included” wording before accepting a quote. Event Hire UK recommends reviewing final quantities 7–10 days before the event; confirm the chosen supplier’s amendment deadline separately.[6]

References

1. Wedding Furniture Hire – Chairs, Tables, Dance Floor – BE Event Hire (beeventhire.co.uk)
2. Furniture Hire in Birmingham for Events and Weddings (options-greathire.co.uk)
3. Wedding Furniture Hire | Cumbria, Northumberland & … (specialeventtipis.co.uk)
6. Furniture Hire Harrogate (eventhireuk.com)