Today we are highlighting our dear friends, Unlimited Party Rentals! Family owned and operated, the Unlimited Party Rentals team has been a loyal vendor friend for over 10 years. The Sweet Meadow team has worked with UPR in-house and out– so it is with confidence that we recommend their team for properly and pleasantly meeting all event rental needs.Unlimited Party Rentals is based in Hiram, Georgia and work with events all around the southeast. They also have an expansive inventory that ranges from rustic to modern. In fact, here’s a glimpse of a few new pieces they’ve just acquired. We happen to think the clean lines of this modern lounge area look great contrasted against our barn setting! (But of course, there are plenty of styles to choose from).
What’s the craziest item that someone has requested to rent from UPR?Hum, this is a fun one! The craziest would definitely be – a tank for a mermaid (or two!) to swim in. This request was for a themed event last July, that was based around the Lost City of Atlantis. We provided the standard rentals like tables, chairs, linens, dance floor etc. We also built a few custom items – a 7′ waterfall and a pond for the mermaids to ‘bask’ in during the event. However, the event planner really wanted a large acrylic tank for the performers to swim in as well! At first I thought it was a joke, but there really is a lady, ‘Melissa the Mermaid’ that is amazing!How many events do you typically cover within a weekend.During our busy seasons we average 80 to 100+ events per week. We deliver and install large events thru the week as well as offer customer pick up options for smaller events that need items like a few tables and chairs or a moonwalk for their child’s birthday party.What would a typical Saturday in the busy season look like for you?Oh my, do you really want to know 🙂 During our busy season I average a 70 to 90 hour work week, waking up before the crack of dawn each day and getting home around 1 or 2 in the morning. Installing anything from tents, drapery, specialty lighting, of course setting up tons of tables and chairs, linens, anything that needs to be done, I will do – just ask Melanie, we even wet/dry vac’d the grass under a ceremony tent for her bride during a particularly rainy setup!Do you have some Decour rental items that you think are under used in weddings?I would love for more people to incorporate lounge areas into their design. I love sitting around having drinks, relaxing and talking with my friends at parties and I don’t think a wedding should be any different.What is your favorite venue? Haha-jk!!Of course Sweet Meadows! No really, you are my favorite! I love Melanie’s style and she has such an awesome eye for detail, always looking for new things to add to the venue, and knows how to mix and match looks to give it a fresh feel. No cookie cutter weddings here!Tell us a little about the history of Unlimited Party RentalsWe are a family owned business that has been in the special event and equipment rental industry for 3 generations. Unlimited is co-owned by Mike Frost (my dad) Jordan Murphy (my sister) and myself, Lauren Badgley. We began UPR in 2002 – my dad retired 2 years earlier but was getting Bored – and what’s more fun than Party-ing all the time 🙂My start in the rental business came much earlier though – when I was 5 years old, my dad would bring me to work with him on Saturdays and school holidays. Then, when I was in middle school and high school I worked for him every summer. He always had a project for me to work on, weather it was cleaning BBQ grills, washing endless amounts of china, glassware, flatware, ironing tablecloths, cleaning moonwalks, chairs, filing paperwork… oh my the lists go on! But, I have to say that starting at the ‘bottom’ and working my way thru every department in his company definitely provided me with a wealth of knowledge and very, very good problem solving skills! After graduating high school, I went to the Art Institute of Atlanta for Interior Design. I’ve always loved art – I love imagining & creating, sewing, building, painting. My degree gave me the foundation needed for planning an event and how to logistically think thru the factors, risks, budgets etc. that are involved with transforming a space, weather it be just for a day or for something that will last for years.Is it stressful to be a family owned business?Oh most definitely! But I wouldn’t change it 🙂 I am around my sister and dad almost every day and Yes, we get on each others nerves and annoy each other sometimes just for fun, but we are all best friends too! Even our employees that aren’t technically ‘family’ have become family over the years.Any unusual items that people don’t often think of?Hum, not so much as unusual – but the common things that are overlooked. For instance, if planning your wedding reception in a field, what are you going to do for power or for restrooms? How will you light up the area once the sun sets? Do you have trash cans?Do you have any advice to offer brides concerning rentals and/or general wedding day planning?My number one tip – please oh please don’t wait until 2 weeks before your wedding to order all of the tables, chairs, place settings etc. needed for your event. We love advance notice and believe me, we are SO use to changes. You don’t have to wait until every guest has RSVP’d to take care of these details, and you’re more likely to get exactly what you want if you plan in advance. Also, if you are planning an outdoor ceremony or reception, always have a rain plan! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “it won’t rain on my wedding day.” However, all it takes is a 20 min pop up shower and alllll of the planning, hard work and details that you have spent months and months planning (and paying) for are ruined.Thank you, Lauren, for your words of advice and more information on Unlimited Party Rentals. If you’re a bride in planning mode– we recommend you give them a call early in the process!-SM