Let’s be honest. When you attend an event shaped by templates, packages, and standardized rental sets, you can tell. CRU Event Rentals in Boerne has built its business on a different premise: the most memorable events don’t reflect industry expectations. They reflect the personality of the host. Over the past decade, the company has held on to that ethos as it’s grown from a small, vintage-focused collection into a full-service event and home staging provider.
Its beginnings were humble, but stylish, says founder Laurie Love. “I really liked English and French china, and French period-style décor,” she recalls of those early days when the company focused almost entirely on vintage pieces, particularly European-influenced dinnerware and furniture. “If I thought something could work at an event, I had to like it myself before I’d buy it,” she says.
The small initial collection of china has grown into a 5,000-square-foot warehouse operation serving weddings, private events, and home staging projects across Central Texas, with deliveries happening as far away as Dallas and South Padre Island. As the business matured, CRU expanded its inventory to meet the practical requirements of larger events. The shift even led to a rebrand as CRU Event Rentals, signaling a broader service offering while maintaining its original identity. Today, the company supplies tables, chairs, linens, and neutral dinnerware alongside its vintage pieces. “We started with all vintage,” she says. “As styles changed, we added more modern pieces and the necessities that every wedding has to have.”
Its inventory now includes all the essentials for large weddings and gatherings. But CRU’s identity still centers on helping clients shape spaces that feel individual rather than interchangeable. That emphasis on personal taste—from oversized architectural elements to small tabletop details—has become a defining feature of the company’s approach and a key reason it continues to attract clients looking for ideas that are more fun and less formulaic.
“We have stained-glass windows that are 12 feet tall, and we get asked to take those all over the United States,” Love relates. “They’re heavy, and they’re not easy to move, but nobody else really has them.” Other large-scale items such as church doors, oversized windows, and upholstered seating require significant transport and installation effort, yet they remain among the company’s most requested items. Vintage couches in particular continue to outperform newer inventory, even when modern alternatives are available.
Operationally, Love says she wants to be a hands-on partner rather than a drop-off supplier. She encourages clients to visit its warehouse, where they can view inventory, experiment with layouts, and build table settings before finalizing proposals. “It’s hard to see everything online,” Love says. “Brides are visual. It helps to see it and envision it. We’ll do mock setups and then adjust things until it works.” For events, the company handles the delivery and placement of large items and offers full table setup as an add-on service. And afterward, clients aren’t responsible for cleaning up before sending things back.
New in the past year: CRU expanded into home staging, applying its design approach to residential listings. Realtors typically specify which rooms need staging, and the company installs the furnishings independently. “They come back to a finished product,” says Love.
Though inventory and services have grown and evolved with the times, Love has held her core philosophy consistent. Rather than steering clients toward standardized event aesthetics, CRU encourages them to choose elements that reflect their personal preferences. “Anything can work if it fits your personality,” she says. “I tell people to pick what they want. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks—it’s your event. If you want a velvet couch, I don’t care if it’s summer, by golly, use a velvet couch!”
That mindset aligns with the broader shifts in the events industry, where couples and hosts increasingly prioritize individuality over commercialization. Rental companies that can provide both practical infrastructure and distinctive design elements have gained traction, particularly in destination regions like the Hill Country.
CRU’s continued expansion suggests that demand for this mix of practical infrastructure and distinctive design is likely to endure. As weddings and events across Central Texas continue to emphasize individual style, Love’s approach positions CRU to serve both traditional and design-driven clients. And Love is so here for it: “Just pick what you love. That’s what makes it work!”
Laurie Love started CRU Event Rentals with vintage china and expanded into a full-service event and staging company serving clients across Central Texas. Over more than a decade, the business has grown into a large warehouse operation supplying both distinctive decor and the practical infrastructure required for events and residential staging. While its inventory now includes modern necessities, the company’s approach remains rooted in encouraging clients to choose items that reflect their own preferences. As weddings and events increasingly prioritize individual character over uniform presentation, Love’s mix of styling flexibility and logistical capacity enables CRU to meet every client’s operational demands and bring their creative vision to life.
crurentals.com | 210-364-2663
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