Party time: A fun
table by Chicago Party Rental
Rose-colored glasses
(the drinking kind) have become a trademark of optimistic event
planners. Peter Grazzini, owner of Washington, D.C.-based Perfect
Settings, says colored glassware is trendy. “Jewel tones are still
really in,” he notes. Grazzini is gearing up for a run on amber and
burnt-orange glassware for the fall. Read on to find out what else
is hot in tabletop rentals.
Striking glassware.
Michael Stern, executive vice president of Los Angeles-based
Classic Party Rentals, says Opus glasses, with distinctive long
stems and an angular shape, are “very hot” and have been spotted at
a number of big West Coast parties.
Funky shapes. Planners
commonly request unusual geometry to give tabletops a touch of
pizzazz, says Valerie Braun, marketing director for McCook,
Ill.-based Chicago Party Rental. Triangular plates for dessert or
frosted, square plates for salads are in high demand. Minis are in,
too: Tiny martini glasses, 1-oz. root beer mugs, Asian spoons and
dipping bowls are among items being used to present samplings in
small portions.
Lush linens. Crushed
iridescent tablecloths, typically crafted of textured satin, are
outpacing traditional fabrics, according to Michael Berman,
president of Milpitas, Calif.-based Stuart Rental Co.
Transparent tables.
Frosted Lucite tabletops are popular, in part because they don’t
require a tablecloth at all, says Cecilia Hayward, marketing
director for Teterboro, N.J.-based Party Rental Ltd. And for those
so inclined, there are chairs to match.