As I write these blog posts, I try to think back to 22-year-old Sydney who was just starting out in the event industry and chat with you all in that sense since I know that if you are not in the industry, you likely have not planned events before your own wedding. Settle in because this post is chock-full of photos and tips.
Did you know that you can rent linens (ie. tablecloths, napkins, runners, etc.)? Surprisingly (or not) you can pretty much rent anything and everything you could ever want for any wedding or event. Linens are things like tablecloths, napkins, runners, pillows, etc., which we are chatting about today.
We are using Mosaic which is a linen rental company in Pittsburgh. I first met the owner, Susie Perelman, when I worked in the event industry and I knew upon getting engaged I'd be giving her a call! While she is based in Pittsburgh, she ships products across the country so you can work with her no matter where you live or where your wedding destination will be.
One of the things I love about the event industry is the amount of women-owned businesses. I worked at a woman-owned business and it's just really cool to see the success that these women have achieved. Susie and her team have been in business for almost 20 years and her latest venture is really impressive (read about that at the bottom). She is also charitable which I really admire and co-founded a non-profit, Event Pros Take Action.
I had my first appointment at Mosaic back in June and then just finalized everything in our last meeting! Susie recommends reaching out around a year before your wedding to start planning!
In some situations, you have to rent these kinds of things because the venue is a blank canvas and they don't offer anything other than the physical event space. In other situations, your venue might have it all already but you might want to achieve a look with items that your venue just doesn't have.
I'm in the latter position for our wedding. Our wedding is at The Duquesne Club which is a full-service club. Meaning they have china, glassware, linens, etc. For example, the linen color options were plain white polyester cloth in the dining room and then for high cocktail tables, they only offered gold-colored linens, which is totally fine. However, I had a specific look in mind and bringing in rentals from Mosaic is what will help me achieve that 'look' (hopefully it looks as good on our wedding day as it does in my head, ha!).
Choosing linens is an easy way to make a big impact in any venue. The 'linen' category ranges from tablecloths to napkins to fabric for draping (like draping a ceiling or the walls), table runners, chair sashes, cushion covers, etc. The options are truly endless (which you can see in the photos).
I'm not sharing what we chose (I will post-wedding, though!), obviously to keep that element of surprise but I am SO excited about it and can't wait to see it all come to fruition. I wanted to share some examples with all of you, though, so you can get a feel of just how different you can make your tables look just by swapping out different linens.
For brides to be, Mosaic has a ton of china/glassware/chairs/etc. options on hand so if you are renting those items, too, you can see a mock set up of what a place setting might look like with different linens.
We are renting chairs, too, and I was able to compare chairs next to the linens to get a feel for which I liked better (which was really helpful). You can also bring linens to your florist appointment so you are able to see them with your florals.
Susie and her staff are creative and really know their inventory so for our linens, she suggested we do something that I would have NEVER thought to do on my own and I absolutely loved the idea so we are doing it! I am not as creative as I wish I was so having someone suggest different looks was really helpful.
Our florist, Mt. Lebanon Floral, made these beautiful bouquets that you see in the photos below. Each bouquet was a different style/color to show how different styles of florals can also change the look.
Here's a neutral look on the left and then on the right is an overlay (which is a sheer cloth that goes over a solid linen). The same flowers but with two different linens, you get such a different look! It also goes to show on the left that neutral expands so much further than just a white linen!
Here's another overlay where the undercloth was switched out and you can see side-by-side that the two really look different even with the same flowers. Napkins can be monochromatic with the undercloth!
Greenery is super popular (I love it!!!) and this is a great example of how you can pair it with pretty much anything. I am so into the printed linen on the left but also love the textures of the linens on the right.
Here's a colorful example! Two linens that have some shimmer to them with bright colored flowers. They offer two very different looks!
And you know I love my blues. There were SO many good ones.
White Ginko Panama// Olive Ginko Panama
Gray Splash Panama // White Splash Panama
Blue Tiles Panama
Pink Blossoms Panama
Mosaic is launching its own line of linens, Made by Mosaic, that have been custom designed by the owner, Susie, and will be exclusive to Mosaic. You can see some of her designs in the photos above. Susie designed these linens herself by hand-drawing the designs and then worked with a very talented digital designer on her team to create the prints for the fabric. So not only is she a talented business-woman but also an artist! The line also includes coordinating plates and napkins, too, so you can create an entire tablescape with these exclusive designs. They are launching March 2nd so they are brand new to the event industry nationally and available for rent for weddings and events!
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