Photo by Stephanie Yonce
This summer, Morgan Montgomery delighted in rummaging through vintage jewelry, bygone-era collectibles and acres of tattered furniture in a soggy Massachusetts field at the Brimfield Antique Show.
The co-owner of Paisley & Jade (381-4625 or paisleyandjade.com ), an eclectic furniture rental company that launched in late July, has been combing through local estate sales, auctions and antique stores for the past year in pursuit of vintage couches, church pews and tandem bicycles to add to her collection.
Montgomery and co-owner Perkins Morgan are forerunners in the new wedding trend of renting retro furniture and décor.
"Most of the brides we work with just don't have the time" to search for quirky décor pieces, says Retrospect Rentals (803-1861 or retrospectrentals.com ) co-owner Jamie Gonthier. She and her husband, Dennis Gonthier, started renting out furniture in March after having their own backyard wedding in 2011.
After the wedding, Jamie found herself with an abundance of crushed-velvet sofas, vintage birdcages and old dressers. "I had all this stuff, and my mom was like, ‘You need to get this out of my garage,' " she says.
The couple has provided wedding décor ranging from $1 to $150 for more than four weddings, including a rustic outdoor reception in Powhatan with a tree-hanging chandelier.
