Rental FAQ

Many items from our linen and table top collections come ‘prepackaged’ in established quantities. For example, napkins, china and flatware are available in 10-count packages. Even though you may receive a few more items than you “need”, please do not ask us to vary from established package quantities. Remember, a few extra can be very handy – you never know when a guest will drop a fork or napkin on the floor.

Glassware is stored and rented in heavy plastic ‘crates’ that protect against breakage during transport and delivery. Each glass has its own ‘full crate’ count, ranging from 16 on the low end (large wine) to 36 on the high end (champagne flutes). The majority of our bar and beverage items are packed in crates of 25.

Many catering and event professionals  recommend glassware counts of 110% to 125% of your expected number of place settings.  For bar glassware, 1.5 times the guest count is a good rule of thumb.

Please do not ask us to ‘break a crate’ for you. Based on years of rental experience, we’ll have to decline that request. Please do not ask us to adjust pricing for items you may not use either – based on our inventory system, we’ll have to decline that request too.

Our mantra here at Creative Solutions Special Events is: “You can never reserve too early, but you can always reserve too late.” The items you would like to rent may be available now, but that could change at any moment. It is best to place your order early in the event planning process. This provides you a firm, fixed cost on individual items, helps you stay within your budget and guarantees that you will have the items you want for your special day.

We are open for walk in customers Monday through Friday, but are happy to take appointment requests as well! The only day that appointments are required are Saturdays between 10am-5pm.

We do recommend coming at least an hour prior to closing to ensure that you have enough time to look around and get answers to any questions you have. We are walk-in based, so please be patient if all of our consultants are assisting other customers when you arrive, and we ask for your understanding if your consultant is unable to dedicate 100% of their attention to you during your scheduled appointment. We do our best to ensure our availability but emergencies and last minute requests do arise occasionally and need to be dealt with immediately. You may always browse on your own if you wish!

Please note that not all products are on display at our Showrooms. If there is a specific product you’d like to see, please contact us to let us know when you’d like to come in, so we can ensure that it is available and brought to the showroom.

Should you require a rental quote, a skilled Event Consultant will be happy to help you. Rental Quotes may be provided in person, over the phone, or via email. The Wish List feature on our website allows you to browse through our rentals add items as you go. Once you are ready for a quote, simply submit your wish list along with your event details and a Rental Consultant will email you a quote within 2-3 business days. If you’re planning a tented event, a Creative Solutions Consultant will gladly share our tenting options and explain Creative Solutions tenting policies.

In order to reserve the items that are on your quote, we require a signed copy of that quote and our Rental Reservation Agreement, as well as a 50% deposit on the Grand Total. You may send us this signed paperwork by fax, mail, email or by visiting a Creative Solutions Special Events Showroom.

Forms may be found here!

From the time the tent is delivered to renter, until the time it is retrieved by Creative Solutions Special Events, the renter is responsible for it. If the rented item is lost, stolen or damaged while in renter’s care, regardless of fault, renter is responsible, and shall remit to Creative Solutions, upon demand, the full retail replacement value of the rental item, including labor and shipping costs.

If the renter accepts damage waiver protection (12% of the total rentals),  Creative Solutions Special Events agrees to relieve renter of liability for accidental damage to the rented item(s), and for loss due to fire, windstorm, upset and riot. Creative Solutions excludes from the waiver any loss or damage due to theft, burglary, collusion, misuse or abuse, theft by conversion, intentional damage, mysterious disappearance or any loss due to failure to care for the rented item (s) as a prudent person would his / her/ their own property. If any such loss tends to indicate a crime may have been committed, a further condition of this waiver is that renter must file a report to the proper law enforcement authorities and furnish Creative Solutions a copy of same. In addition, if renter has insurance for the loss or damage, renter must exercise, and shall empower Creative Solutions to exercise all renters rights to obtain recovery under insurance, shall cooperate with Creative Solutions to obtain recovery and all insurance proceeds shall be given or assigned to Creative Solutions Special Events.

Creative Solutions accepts payment all forms of payment including cash, check, and major credit cards including: Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express. Payment may be made in person, over the phone, or by fax.  A fully executed Credit Card Payment Authorization Form must accompany any and all credit card payments. Personal, Company and/or corporate checks are accepted for payment of the rental agreement balance, so long as the check is received by Creative Solutions, at 11810 Manchaca Rd, Austin, Texas 78748 no less than 30 days prior to the event (or 10 working days if renting only a tent).

For security reasons, we only collect the last four digits of your credit card on our Credit Card Authorization Forms, so you will need to call one of our locations to provide the remaining digits directly to your Event Rental Consultant.

Forms may be found here!

Aside from Tent Rentals, Special Order Items, and Rentals booked during a special promotion, your 50% rental reservation deposit is fully refundable up until 60 days prior to your customer pick up date or delivery date.

30-59 Days prior 25% of your 50% deposit becomes non-refundable

15-29 Days prior 50% of your 50% deposit becomes non-refundable

14 Days or Fewer prior no portion of the rental reservation deposit is refundable AND 50% RENTAL AGREEMENT BALACE IS DUE AND PAYABLE.

Unless you have established a credit account with Creative Solutions, we operate on a PAYMENT IN FULL IN ADVANCE basis. Please do not ask our Event Consultants to violate this critical company policy.

With the exception of tents, Creative Solutions Special Events will accept changes to the renter’s order, including cancellation, up to 30 DAYS prior to renter’s scheduled pick up/ delivery date. The 50% Reservation Deposit becomes partially non-refundable at 90 days, 60 days, and 30 days prior to the customer pick up or delivery date in accordance with the Rental Reservation Agreement. NO PORTION OF THE 50% Reservation Deposit WILL BE RETURNED OR REFUNDED after the order balance has become due. Creative Solutions will continue to accept changes that increase the renter’s order (subject to availability) until 48 hours prior to the event date. However, if the renter has special order items or promotional rental items listed on their order, these items cannot be reduced or cancelled after the order is placed.

When a tent order is placed, the renter shall make a 50% reservation deposit on the tent order grand total (inclusive of rentals, labor, delivery, damage waiver, and sales tax, if applicable). This deposit is refundable and the Renter may make reductions and revisions up to 14 DAYS prior to the scheduled tent installation date noted on the rental order.  At that 14 day mark the 50% deposit becomes NON-REFUNDABLE, unless the tent order is cancelled. If the Renter chooses to proceed with the tent, they have an additional 12 days to make their final decision on whether or not to keep the tent and pay the remaining balance on the tent order, or cancel the tent and forfeit the initial deposit. The remaining balance on the tent order or cancellation is due no later than 12:00pm (noon) 2 WORKING DAYS prior to the scheduled tent installation date. If the tent is cancelled after the 2 day mark, there will be no refund. Tent additions may be made (subject to availability) up to 48 hours prior to the tent installation date scheduled on the contract.

Yes. Creative Solutions Special Events provides delivery services within a 150 mile radius of Austin. Please review our current Delivery Fee Schedule on our Forms and Services page. One day prior to the scheduled delivery, renter will receive an emailed copy of their rental order. Renter will be asked to verify all details of the rental order, and to confirm that the date, time, rental items and all other delivery-related information, if any, is correct. Renter will be advised to contact their Creative Solutions Special Events Consultant for questions or issues regarding their rental order. The Delivery Notification will also include the Delivery Team Leader’s name and contact information.

Renter may, on the delivery day, contact their driver directly regarding delivery questions or issues. Time specific deliveries (within a one hour window) are available at an additional charge. Delivery is TO THE DOOR.

Additional charges will apply for stairs, steep embankments, or other hazardous/ difficult delivery conditions, as well as if our crew has to wait on site before they can being loading or unloading, are asked to relocate items once installed, or asked to return to relocate items once they have left the site. Failure on the renter’s part to disclose such conditions shall result in post-rental charges. Lastly, many public facilities (event venues, hotels, etc.) require that rental items be removed from the property at the conclusion of the event. Creative Solutions provides late-night rental pickup at after-hour rates.

The delivery cost covers delivery TO THE DOOR. Set-up services are available, but are not included in the delivery charge. If you would like to use Creative Solutions set up services there is an additional cost, which includes Creative Solutions breaking down the items as well.

If you opt against setup, you will be responsible for breaking down all tables and chairs, bagging all linens (and their hangers) and placing all of the items in one location for our drivers to load back onto the truck.  Set up and breakdown for all “heavy” or installed equipment (tenting, staging, dance floors, etc.) is included in their cost.

Please review our Labor & Delivery Fee Schedule for current rates linked here on our Forms and Services Page.

Most orders, and most (but not all) rental items can be picked up at a Creative Solutions Special Events location: 132 N. Main St, Belmont, NC 28012 or 250 Wilson Rd, Gastonia, NC 28056

Please note that all inventory is kept at the warehouse attached to the South Location. All North Store pickup orders are brought to the North Store every Tuesday and Thursday by 1pm. If you are picking up on a Tuesday or Thursday, please ensure that you arrive after that time. Any North pickups on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Monday must be revised by Noon that Wednesday to ensure that they will be loaded on the truck. Otherwise, additional items will need to be picked up from the South Location. All North Store pickups on a Tuesday or Wednesday will need to submit all revision requests by Noon that Monday.

Renters picking up their rental item(s) may do so between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM Saturday on the date specified on the Rental Contract.  Creative Solutions is closed Sunday and on major holidays. Weekend rentals must be returned to Creative Solutions on Monday (following the renter’s event), or as specified in the Rental Contract.

Renters must ensure that their vehicle is appropriate for transporting the rented item (s). Renters must bring necessary pads, blankets, tie downs and other items needed to protect their vehicle (from damage) and to ensure against damage to rented item (s).

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS CUSTOMERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOADING, SECURING, and TRANSPORTING THEIR RENTAL ITEMS. CREATIVE SOLUTIONS STAFF ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE LOADING OR UNLOADING ASSISTANCE.

You must ensure that all items on the order are accounted for. Your signature on the rental agreement is your acceptance of Creative Solutions terms and conditions, including responsibility for returning the rented items on time and in their “as rented” condition.

RENTAL PERIOD

Creative Solutions defines the standard rental period as three (3) Business Days (allowing one day for delivery, one day for the event, and one day for pickup). No refund is made, nor price reduction provided, for shorter rental periods. Additional charges, as set forth below, do apply for any rental period that exceeds the three business day period. If you need to keep your items longer or cannot arrange to return them on time, please contact us to discuss, so that we can ensure that inventory is available for other clients who may have rented the same items.

• 1-3 Day Rental – All items are charged at their normal rate.
• 4-Day Rental – All items are charged at 1.5x their normal rate.
• 5-Day Rental – All items are charged at 2x their normal rate
• 6-10 Day Rental – All items are charged at 3x their normal rate.
• 11-21 Day Rental – All items are charged at 4x their normal rate.
• Rental periods in excess of 21 days require approval from a member of Creative Solutions Executive Team. A “special extended rental rate will be quoted on a case-by-case basis.

Tent rentals are subject to different extended rental rates.

Event & Tent Permits: The City of Austin has event and tent permitting requirements within the city limits. There are fees for permits that may be needed, and they typically request a 3 week lead time for all applications. Here is a link to the Tent permit application (if you need to complete an ACE application it will direct you to that form.) Please direct any questions you may have to SpecialEvents@austintexas.gov.

CAD Layouts (computer assisted design layouts) are wonderful tools that can help you visualize your event space and plan your layout. A CAD helps ensure that everything needed will fit comfortably in the space provided. We’d be happy to make them for your event, however, due to the often significant time requirement and care that goes into creating and revising CADs, we do charge for this optional service.

Our fee is $75 non-refundable for the first CAD layout prepared, and a $55 fee for each substantive CAD revision (plus sales tax). At any point in this process, we can grant you edit access to the prepared CAD if you’d prefer to make revisions on your own, but once edited, we do not guarantee the logistical accuracy.

Additionally, if we have not prepared a CAD at your venue before, it is your responsibility to ensure that the site diagram provided is accurate and to scale before we begin.

All CAD invoices must be paid in full before work begins.

Please review this document for your linen rental and return instructions and ask your Event Rental Consultant if you have any further questions.

DELIVERY FEES:

Please note that to qualify for delivery, an order subtotal minimum requirement must be met. If that minimum is met and our schedule allows, delivery fees will be applied to the order. Please review our current Delivery Fee Schedule linked on our Forms & Services Page here, or contact us for a quote.

All orders being delivered have a base delivery fee (based on the delivery zip code, city, or county) that assumes we are delivering and picking up with an open time window of our standard delivery hours (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm or Saturday 8am-3pm). More narrow time windows and deliveries outside of business hours are available for additional fees.

If you have any questions regarding a specific delivery scenario, please reach out to your event consultant for an explanation of the charges.

POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL CHARGES:

• If Creative Solutions must wait in excess of 15 minutes at a delivery or pickup site, an additional charge will apply.
• If Creative Solutions is asked to relocate items that were already installed, or return to relocate items that were already installed.
• If an order must be carried up more than 3 stairs, or a distance longer than 50 feet from where our trucks can safely park.
• If we are asked to delivery to a floor other than the 1st, and/or use a shared, small, or difficult to access elevator.

Creative Solutions will not set up, breakdown, or relocate a renter’s personal furniture or other items. Please be respectful or our team’s time and do not ask them to perform services that are not included on the rental order confirmation.

Please review our Labor & Delivery Fee Schedule linked on our Forms & Services page here for current rates.

Folding Chair Setup = $1.00 per chair

Chiavari/Madeline/Ghost Chair Setup = $1.25 per chair (additional fees apply for chair pads)

Bar Stool Set up = $1.25 per stool (additional fees apply for chair pads)

Folding Table Setup = $2.00 per table

Cocktail Table Setup = $2.50 per table

*Set Up charges are for labor only.

Additional charges will apply if Creative Solutions Staff are asked to relocate items that are installed per on-site representative instructions or CAD diagram.

Your Creative Solutions Rental Consultant is happy to discuss Set Up Charges and Arrangements.

We always do our best to be available for deliveries, but during our peak busy seasons, or when there are many large events going on, we do have to close out certain dates for new deliveries or pickups. We often still have the inventory available, but not the crew available to deliver/pickup. We do not guarantee availability of delivery/pickup until you have a confirmed order with us that is paid with either a deposit or payment in full, and a signed contract.

Additionally once we have a closed out date, we may not be able to add major items (ex: tents, large stages or dance floors, lots of furniture, etc). to existing orders, but each request is considered on a case by case basis dependent on our overall scope of orders for that date.

Unfortunately, this process is fairly unpredictable, and quite complicated.Typically, we cannot provide a heads up that we will be closed out for a certain date in advance, as we do not know until it happens. Once a date is closed out it is very rare that it opens back up, or that we will be able to add any new orders for that date as a special exception.

Sometimes we close out a date a month or two in advance, sometimes the week of, and even the day prior. So you may be in the middle of putting together a quote for your event, and at that time we have availability, but by the time you’re ready to place your order, we could be closed out for new deliveries.

For this reason, we recommend booking sooner rather than later to help ensure that we reserve a delivery slot for you, even if you need to adjust your rental items throughout the process up until your final date allowed for changes per your contract.

For your reference: Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are typically the first dates to get closed out for deliveries and pickups. We are particularly prone to closed out dates in the months of March, April, May, September, October, November, and December, as well as around major holidays, but they can happen at any point.

We apologize for the inconvenience and unpredictable nature of this process. If you find yourself in this situation you typically have two options:

• Arrange for Event Rescue Services or Firefighter Event Delivery (or another event delivery service that’s been approved by Creative Solutions) to handle the transportation for you.
• Arrange to pick up and return your rentals on your own (furniture, stages, tents, large rental pieces, and any non-folding chairs or tables are not available for this option to maintain the integrity of our rental inventory).

We’re happy to make referrals in these cases for other rental companies who may be able to assist you! Please ask your Event Rental Consultant for any further assistance.

To inquire about Creative Solutions’ Giving Policy please read over the details and complete this form to submit your request for review.

Creative Solutions is committed to supporting our local community. We are happy to offer a 10% discount to all Non-Profit Organizations, Churches, Schools, Teachers K-12, Active-Duty Military, Veterans, and First Responders, as a way of saying thank you.

If you or your organization qualifies for a discount, please do not hesitate to let us know!

*Please note that this discount cannot be combined with any other specials or discounts.

To inquire about Creative Solutions’ Open House rental support, please complete our Open-House Support Request Form for us to review. Open House support is limited to our loyalty customers and Power Network Members. Learn more about joining the Power Network here!

To inquire about Creative Solutions’ Styled Shoot rental support, please complete our Styled Shoot Support Request Form for us to review. Styled Shoot support is limited to our loyalty customers and Power Network Members. Learn more about joining the Power Network here!

Rule of Thumb = Allow 4 to 5 Square Feet Per guest

We typically find that not all guests are dancing at once, and have developed a general sampling of what works for most of our clients based on their guest count.

We assume that approximately one third of your guests may be hitting the dance floor at the same time. If your crowd loves to dance you may want to go a size up, but if not you may be able to get away with a smaller size. There are many other dimensions available as well! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Creative Solutions Consultant for assistance.

Rule of Thumb = Standing: 5 – 6 Sq. Ft. Per Guest

Partial Seating: 8 Sq. Ft. Per Guest

Seated at Banquet Tables – 8 Sq. Ft. Per Guest

60” Rounds of 10 – 10 Sq. Ft. Per Guest

48” or 72” Rounds – 12 Sq. Ft. Per Guest

Rule of Thumb = Allow 6 Square Feet Per Guest

Generally speaking, buffet service requires less space than plated events.

• 36” Round Seats 2 to 6
• 36” Square Seats 2 to 4
• 48” Round Seats 6 – 8
• 48” Square Seats 6
• 60” Round Seats 8 to 10
• 60” Square Seats 8
• 72” Round Seats 10 to 12
• 6’ Banquet Table (30” Wide) Seats 6 to 8
• 8’ Banquet Table (30” Wide) Seats 8 to 10
• 8’ California Banquet (42” Wide) Seats 8 to 10

Download a copy of our Linen Size Guide!

Table Size                       Lap Length                Floor Length

36” Dining                                                                   96”

36” Cocktail                                                               120”

(Note: to “Strangle” Tie a Cocktail Table use a 132” Round)

48” Round                                                                   108”

60” Round                                                                   120″

90” Round                                                                   120”

6’ Banquet                         60” x 120”                90” x 132”

8’ Banquet                         72” x 120”                90” x 156”

California Banquet                                            102” x 156”

Overlays can be Round or Square (72”). Creative Solutions offers both options in many overlay fabrics.

Table runners are 12” to 15” wide and 90” long.

Chair ties are 4” to 7” wide and 100” to 105” long (and are sometimes used as runners as well).

Luncheon napkins are 17” x 17”.  Dinner napkins are 20” x 20”.

There are 128 Ounces in a Gallon.

One Gallon of Punch will make [25] 5-ounce servings.

One Gallon of Coffee will pour [16] 8-ounce cups.

One Gallon of Iced-Tea will provide [12] 10-ounce glasses (consider the ice will take some space, and use an 11 or 12 ounce glass).

One 750 ML (standard size bottle) of wine equals [4] 6-ounce servings.

One liter of liquor equals [34] ounces.

At 2 ounces per serving, one liter will make 17 mixed drinks.

Allow (2) servings (beer, wine or mixed drink) per person for the 1st hour of your event, and (1) serving per person for every additional event hour. To determine the number of liquor bottles you’ll need for your party or event, calculate the total number of drinks you’ll need (for a 100 guest, 4 hour event, for example, the calculation would be . . . 200 drinks for 1st hour, 100 drinks for hours 2 through 4 = 500 total drinks for the party. Divide 500 drinks by 17 drinks per bottle = 30 bottles of alcohol.

For most Texas events figure 25% of your guests will not consume any alcohol. Of those guest who do drink, 50% will want beer, 25% will request wine and 25% will prefer mixed drinks ( but you’ll know your group better than anyone, and adjust these estimates accordingly!) For Margarita and other Frozen Beverage Recipes, follow this link.