We love working with other great vendors in the wedding industry. It not only makes our job more fun, it makes it easy when we know we can recommend brides to other vendors and they'll be in good hands. One of those vendors is Maggpie Vintage Rentals. Over the past few years, we have been sending more and more of our brides Maggpie's way to add that little extra something to their wedding decor.
We finally had the chance to sit down with owners Maggie and Jason in their warehouse to discuss all things wedding and vintage rentals so we could get some insider tips from the experts and learn a little more about their company we love so much.
The company, which first started out of Northeastern PA a few years ago, quickly spread across the area and then relocated to Philly just last June. Their new home takes up two floors of a Northeast Philly warehouse. And it's not only home to their business, Maggie and Jason live in the warehouse too, along with their two golden retrievers.
Maggpie's Favorites
From a Sweetwater Farm barn wedding to a black tie Union League wedding, vintage rentals can be a great addition to any wedding theme and style, say Maggie and Jason, all when used the right way.
Some of Maggpie's most popular items and our favorites are their signature farm tables and their mismatched chairs. The farm tables are the perfect clean slate, easily decorated to match your wedding design. So many brides have been requesting them that Jason is working on building more this fall to keep up with the demand upping their collection to 45 tables. Yes, Jason makes all the farm tables by hand in his personal workshop!
Originally an idea for their own wedding, Maggie and Jason began collecting mismatched chairs early on in their rental business. They soon realized that they never wanted a bride to contact them for a 150 person wedding and not have enough chairs, so now there's a full collection of white chairs and a full collection of brown chairs to choose from.
Vintage Lounges
At first, Maggie admitted that brides didn't really understand the concept of vintage lounges, but they have quickly taken off and been a key element in several of our weddings in the past few years.
Here's a list of essentials for every vintage lounge according to Maggie:
-1 couch or settee
-2 side chairs
-1 or 2 side tables
-1 coffee table
It's not just about the furniture though, it's also about accessorizing and decoration your vintage lounge. Whether you rent some of their smaller decor items or bring your own from home, a little accessorizing goes a long way.
"I think accessorizing it gives it more character," Maggie says. "I think it's a good idea to get your florist involved to help decorate the lounges. Flowers make everything come alive at a wedding."
The Not So Obvious
Besides the obvious table, chair, and lounge rental, Maggpie has a great collection of other rental items that might not be so obvious. From entire bars and china cabinets to smaller items like candlesticks, there are so many beautiful pieces you can incorporate into your wedding design. Take this fireplace mantle, which could be perfect as a ceremony altar piece or for displaying your memory photos at your reception.
For Jason, it's all about getting your planner and caterer involved in the design, since many of their items can be used for catering purposes, not just decor. Like putting the wedding cake on a vanity Maggie says. There's also large bookshelves that can be used to display dessert and hold other decor items like picture frames and flowers.
Their smaller decor items include candlesticks, cake stands, lamps, pillows, china, suitcases, and more are a great way to make your displays different from other brides who may have used similar furniture.
Rental Budget
If vintage rentals are what you want, there is no excuse that it can't fit into your budget. Brides can spend as low as $50 on renting a table to display escort cards or water before the ceremony, and as much as $5,000 on renting farm tables, ceremony chairs, and other decor.
"If you want a memorable piece for your desserts, you can literally get it for under $100," Maggie says.
Designing Your Wedding Rentals
Maggie and Jason are happy to be as involved in the design process as you want. They've certainly had brides who just tell them what style they like and what their color is and they leave it up to Maggie and Jason to put a unique display together for them, and that's exactly what they'll do.
"You kind of know the client that is right for that and can just let go and say 'do whatever'," Maggie says. "It's my favorite thing to do."
Maggie thought immediately of one of our couples, Dara and Sal, who let Maggie work her magic at their wedding last June at Front and Palmer. If you want to see our blog post about their wedding, you can go here.
What's to Come
Let's face it, there's a reason Maggpie is called Maggpie Vintage Rentals, they have one of the best collections of vintage rental items around, but don't let their name fool you, Maggie and Jason have bigger plans up their sleeves. Down the line, they don't want to just be vintage and rustic rentals.
"Everybody now just wants something different at their wedding," Maggie says. "We are going to get more involved in unique rentals, not just vintage."
Recently they have started gathering items in their new collection, The Wandering Maggpie, a line of boho inspired rentals that could work for both weddings and non-wedding events.
Stay tuned for the unveiling of their new industrial tables coming this fall. Think wooden farm tables with metal legs! And they're adding lots of newly upholstered chairs and couches.
"Whether you're having a modern wedding, rustic, or vintage, I think we can hit all those points with our upholstery," Maggie said.
Rent From Maggpie
The Maggpie website is really straightforward and allows brides to see all that Maggpie has to offer, which is why 90% of brides order Maggpie rentals by looking online or emailing the Maggpie team. But if you're the type that likes to see things in person, Maggie welcomes any brides to come visit their warehouse to see the rentals for themselves.
"If they have already picked things out online, we will set it up for them when they come here," Maggie says.
Their biggest warning to brides, is to use other brides photos only for inspiration. For Maggie, she doesn't want every bride coming in and ordering the same exact things.
For wedding and general design inspiration, check out Maggie's new Mag, an online magazine, she began releasing monthly.
-Caitlin
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