Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica De Santiago.
Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I actually started this as a mom just trying to make my kids’ parties special. I love doing stuff like that, so I would have my dad—he’s a carpenter—help me build custom props for their parties.
But after every party, I’d end up throwing everything away, and I remember thinking like… this doesn’t make sense. I’m putting time and money into this, and it’s only being used once.
So I started keeping the pieces instead, fixing them up, and reusing them. Then I had people asking me if they could rent them, and it kind of grew from there.
Over time, I just kept adding more—backdrops, stages, marquee letters—and really focused on making everything look clean and put together.
Now it’s turned into Elegant Rentals, and I get to help other moms and families create those same special moments without all the stress.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been completely smooth. In the beginning I had to figure out a lot on my own—things like pricing, organization, and how to actually run it like a business instead of just a side project.
The biggest challenge honestly was balancing everything as a mom while trying to grow the business at the same time. There were moments where it felt overwhelming.
But each struggle helped me get more organized and confident, and it pushed me to turn Elegant Rentals into something more structured and sustainable.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I run Elegant Rentals, and I specialize in event rentals and custom party setups—things like backdrops, stages, marquee letters, and full styled setups that help bring a party vision to life.
What I’m really known for is creating clean, elegant, and put-together setups that feel custom, but without the stress for my clients. I focus a lot on detail and presentation, so everything looks intentional and photo-ready.
What I’m most proud of is how this started from just making things for my own kids’ parties and has grown into something other families can actually use and enjoy. It still feels very personal to me.
What sets me apart is that I understand both sides—I’m not just renting pieces, I’m building something I would personally want for my own kids. So I think that mom perspective really shows in the quality and the care behind everything I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I wouldn’t say luck has played a big role. I think it’s been more about consistency and learning as I go.
If anything, the ‘good luck’ has been early support from word of mouth and other moms who trusted me and helped spread the word. But overall, it’s been a lot of hard work and trial and error.
Even the challenges ended up helping me grow the business into something more solid.
Pricing:
- Marquee letters: starting at $40 per letter
- Backdrops: starting at $400+ depending on size and design
- Stages: starting at $400+ depending on size
- Delivery & setup: starting at $100+ depending on location and event size
- Full packages (backdrop + stage + delivery): typically $800+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elegantrents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_elegant_rentals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elegant.rentals.564266/
