Today on the podcast, we have two amazing experts sharing the stage to help you elevate the design of your wedding! Stefanie Skelley of Reverie Social is here with Nicholas Vitale of PEAK Event Services to share their cutting-edge inspiration for your reception! From velvet to bespoke patterns to overlays, Stefanie and Nicholas teach us how the foundation of your tablescape speaks to the overall aesthetic of your wedding! If you are looking for a way to elevate your wedding with custom linens and bring your vision to life, don’t miss this engaging conversation with Stefanie and Nicholas!
Meet Nicholas.
I’m Nicholas Vitale and I am an account manager for Peak Event Services. We are an event and rental company that services New England! More and more these days, we are venturing out of New England and expanding. We offer event rentals from anywhere and any price point in any style or theme. Additionally, we rent chairs, tables, china, glassware, flatware, luxury table items, and furniture. We also have a tent department where we do tents and larger structures. Actually, we just started offering a new tent that I’m super excited about. And, over the past couple of months. I’ve done some customized bars where we actually take the wedding logo and put that on the bar. Lots of good stuff! we put on our bars, so lots and lots of good stuff.
Meet Stefanie.
I’m so happy to be here. Thanks for having us. I am Stefanie Skelley and I am the Director of Business Development for Reverie Social. We’re a luxury linen company, tabletop linen company that ships nationwide. We launched in April 2023 and our goal is really to offer clients access to unique table linens to transform their events. We want there to be beautiful textures, beautiful linens, beautiful, just scenery throughout the space. Tables are one of the larger surface areas that you’re able to do in terms of an event. Being able to have beautiful textures and colors really can transform that event space very easily.
We have an amazing operations team. In fact, we were able to get some gentlemen out of retirement from UPS, so we’re very, very fortunate to have them involved. We do a two day ship to anywhere nationwide, for day rental for our linens, and then we will provide a UPS pickup already scheduled for you at your venue or event space wherever you need it to send it back to us.
How did this happen for you guys?
Well, we’d been in the space for awhile but began to see holes in the event marketplace. We wanted to bring in the luxury aspect for our brand at PEAK Event Services, and that’s where Reverie Social really came about. We wanted to be able to show those linens of accessibility on a broader geographic level, and really make those textures and feel and colors really transform those event spaces.
Let’s talk a little bit about linens and how this can really elevate a wedding design!
Linens can definitely change a space. We’re seeing a lot of neutrals this year. But, sometimes adding in a bold linen, napkin, or even table runner can really change how a table looks. We know that bold isn’t for everyone, so we always have options that are quieter and lighter. But, who doesn’t love something bold or different – like a velvet linen or napkin?
I came from the fashion industry. So textures, textiles, colors, prints… those are things I love and really have fun with. When we began sourcing our linens, we wanted to make sure that we were being mindful of where we’d be serving couples. We’re not all coastal locations – so those colors and prints may not work for everyone. So, instead, we have a lot of different options and varieties so that clients can do colors that are coordinating or complimentary.
So for the listeners, can they still get linen rentals through PEAK or just Reverie Social?
You can get them from both. If you’re going through PEAK, we cannot ship them like we do with Reverie Social – so that would just be local in Rhode Island. If you’re local, you can also come to our showroom and see what we offer!
What about people who are not local? How are they able to work with to see what kind of look they want to elevate their event?
There’s so many options. We would love to book an appointment or a conversation with you. This is a chance to get to know you and the event that you’re having. What does it look like? What’s inspiring you? We can then help you coordinate colors, textures, and patterns so everything feels great together. For event planners, we also offer swatch boxes for $95, which can be nice for creating mood boards or working with your couples. We can also send out swatches for anyone who needs them too – like the florist or for gowns.
That’s perfect. Because like you said, it’s hands on so they can touch and feel the texture.
That’s the biggest part about selecting linens: seeing the patterns and being able to experiment them for your event and space. How does that look in the venue space? Or, how does that bold palette and that vibrant color work? How do your neutrals work in that wedding light? How does that really feel in that space? Those are all important things to ask.
What do you think about purchasing vs. renting linens? Do some planners own their linens?
Yes, they do. It really comes down to what’s easiest for you on your wedding day. Reverie Social makes it simple. You know that your linens are going to be coming for you for your event a couple of days before and you’ll be able to pull them out. Then after the event, you shake out those linens, and you put them back in the bags that we provide for you. UPS comes and picks them up for you. You really don’t have any mess of worrying about getting them laundered, or what they look like afterwards. Those linens are going to really transform your space and your event. So being able to buy linen that has an amazing texture like that really won’t make sense from a cost perspective.
The reality is that the budget for events goes quickly. You often spend more than you think that you will. Stuff ends up happening and people will call saying that they can just buy it. I always say that you can, but then you’ll own those 100 linens and have to get them laundered, dry cleaned… it adds up. That’s why renting can be nice. They show up at the venue and they’re in perfect condition. You don’t have to launder it. You don’t have to even wash them any plate or glass or flower that you rent from us. We don’t want you to wash it. We just have to put it right back where it came from. Then it gets picked up.
So there’s an ease of enjoying yourself too. I always say to brides and grooms and mothers and fathers of brides and grooms: please let me worry about this stuff! Instead, enjoy yourself because your job is to have fun, see your friends and family. So, sometimes renting stuff is just a much easier way to solidify having a good time.
I think that couples don’t always think about the fact that while they could buy linens or plates or whatever, you then own all of those. That’s such a headache and you’re likely never going to need 100+ of those items again.
Let’s talk about trends in the linens and rentals industry. What are you all seeing right now?
I think we’ve already seen a lot of this trend this year, and we’re seeing it for next year: muted coastal tones. Now, we’re in Rhode Island, but people getting married off the coast really like those soft blues, neturals, ivories. Luxurious velvets are definitely getting back to us, too. We saw them a lot at the end of last year and that quiet luxury is coming back around. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life – so it’s the day to splurge. You can include luxurious items wherever you want – like the sweetheart table or on your cake table. Or get the velvet napkins because everyone’s going to pick it up and use it and will feel it’s fancy.
I’d also say from the luxury yet timeless view, we’re seeing plush embroideries and velvets with fun prints. People are also starting to push the limits in terms of colors and florals. There’s some truly beautiful stuff out there! We’re seeing a lot of blues that pop, and other rich colors. But, then we also see the opposite – lots of neutrals and timeless embroidery.
At Reverie Social, we also have the option to customize linens. So if they’re not seeing what they want in what we have available, we’re able to source and manufacture linens for their special event. I think those custom napkins especially are great. Like if you’ve got a 30 person head table, that’s where you splurge and do those custom napkins because you can have them forever and you can entertain with them. That’s actually another trend we’re seeing – 20 to 30 people head tables.
If you do anything custom, you can think about entertainment purposes afterwards. Who doesn’t love their own monogrammed napkins?! Those kind of things can be used for entertaining or the holidays later.
That’s amazing. I’m actually looking at your site and everything looks amazing. As someone who’s been in the industry for awhile, it’s so cool to see these new options.
Our marketing team does a great job showcasing our linens and products. If you’re planning your wedding and struggling to visualize everything, definitely follow along with us online. We try to show off the different collections that we’re putting together as a place to start. And again, if you’re local to New England, we’re happy to help in person and put together designs for you in our showroom.
I love it. I’m going to put you on the spot – what is something that you wished you got to see more of in the industry?
N: I think for weddings, I want to see more patterns. We see a lot of neutrals, but we could do more patterns – even muted patterns. Honestly, I try to push some of my clients to be a little more crazy during their wedding day. It’s meant to be fun!
S: I think it’s time to mix and match! I always hear from planners that we need 40 of the same layout for tables. But, let’s make it more fun. We can bring in different textures and colors that are very complementary, and you can make it push the limit a little bit more.
What are some tips that you have for couples who want to elevate their wedding but have a smaller budget?
Choose something that can stand alone. We have a client now who is using black linens. Their venue is stunning and the New York City skyline will be featured from the venue. So they’re focusing on simple candles that will let the focus be on the linens themselves. Pick and choose what’s important to you.
Sometimes it’s just mixing it up. Half the tables in prints and half in a color. That can help the budget’s bottom line. If you want to get that bold print, which is going to be a little bit more money, then you can mellow it out a little bit with a softer, solid color. Just look at your venue and see what makes the most sense – maybe it’s candles so you can see the view. Fewer flowers or more make sense in different spaces.
You can also layer your tablescape to get a wow effect. Sometimes you don’t need that centerpiece. Your wow effect can really truly come from your linens – not just the centerpieces of candles or flowers. There’s some amazing artists out there who can create something really unique for your table.
I think that also ties back into how we were saying to focus on timeless luxury, right? You’re working with these luxurious elements – so not everything has to be a showstopper or over the top. That’s where you can sort of mix those highs and lows in terms of being able to pick and choose what matters to you. You can still have it feel luxurious as a whole space.
Wrap-Up Question
What are some key points that couples should be asking their rental company or linen company when they are inquiring to make sure that they’re working with a professional company to ensure that their event is absolutely perfect?
Your vendors genuinely want to know about your event. Talk with them and let them know what you’re planning. They’re knowledgeable and they should help you.
Communication. I know that couples don’t always want to work with bigger companies, but we’re a small company. We try hard to get back to everyone who communicates with us. It’s important that you can communicate with your vendor team.
Find a trustworthy company. Look for how they treat their customers and their team members. We work closely with our dispatchers – for swatches, to make sure things are running smoothly. Whatever it is, you want your company to have good relationships all around.
What We Discussed
Meet Nicole and Stefanie (2:37)
Purchasing v. Renting Linens (13:02)
Trends in Linens (19:22)
Decorating tips on a budget (30:24)
Wrap-Up Question (39:22)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
PEAK Events at Website | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook
Reverie Social at Website | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook
You can subscribe to this podcast from wherever you’re listening so you never miss an episode. And, we would so appreciate it if you left a fabulous review for our show on Apple podcast! Even better, share it with a friend. It’s a great way to show your support and let us know what you think. Thank you so much for listening!
