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smartyhadaparty.com.
A little less expensive than renting glass, but a step up from paper :)
My mother was appalled when I told her we were going to use paper plates. She went to every dollar store in our area and bought 150 matching plates. She plans to pretty much give them away after the wedding... You could always try to go mis-matched too and hit up garage sales and thrift stores between now and then.
Okay, here's a couple thoughts: ditch the chair covers (if you can get away with it) and maybe rent the silverware and other things but as Bridget mentioned, see if you can find the plates and maybe the glassware somewhere less expensively and sell them after.
I know that restaurant supply stores have really cheap glassware. I bought a bunch of Pilsner glasses for about a $1 a piece. Check it out and see if you can buy simple white plates too.
But I do think plastic is tacky. Period. I know that sounds blunt but there really is no other way to put it. Especially at a wedding where people expect a degree of elegance. To save your budget, cut out favors or something else that's not important. But use real dishware! Be creative and make it work:)
I would go with something that's compostable over something that's plastic. But I'm from Oregon and that's what we do here! lol. damn hippies. JUST KIDDING.
I second the smarty had a party link!
Love the titel! I have been the fool that needs pity, and for some other soical events hosted, we rented plates and such----biggest crappy thing is that if it breaks or someone throws something out, you gotta pay for it!
I'm doing the pimped up plastic version of plates- it looks real but its fake. Don't fret over the place setttings, its the food quality that matters. I'd eat good food of the ground , plates never bothered me.
I guess it depends on your social circle, if aunt martha will blow a lid over it, then maybe you can look into other options.
If plastic or paper is what you can afford, go for it! I am getting paper plates - the nicer Dixie ones. But my reception is cocktail, and I can just imagine dropped china... Oh my!
At end of the day, no one will remember what they ate off of, or what they ate. They will remember the joy that was present at your wedding. They will remember the laughter and gaity, the happiness and the love. Not the plates.
This is one of the reasons I decided to go with my original and more expensive venue- it included everything. When I was looking at other venues and realized everything I had to rent I discovered I wouldn't be saving much, if any, at all to have the same feel as the first venue.
Could you look for when things go on clearance? I'd rather buy at 50 cents to a dollar than rent...sometimes you can get lucky. OF course this takes lots of time and not everything will match and you are taking a risk that you might not find everything in time. I would be the crazy person that does this.
And if it doesn't work out- paper it is!
We did rentals. Ultimately, it was the easiest as our caterer organized the renting. As an idea, we paid $5 per person for all dishes (salad main, cake), silverware, 1 wine glass, 1 tea/coffee cup/saucer and 1 stemmed water glass per person. That makes me think your .50 cents each is not so bad, especially because we thought our price was good. We also paid $5 each per table cloth throguh our caterers which was basically a cleaning fee.
One thing to think about with buying your own is cleaning. we didn't want disposables (both for the look and the environment) and we certainly did not want to deal with the cleanup of dishes so, for us, it was $500 well spent.
@mittens111211: Totally agree!
We held a Welcome BBQ two nights before our wedding. It was informal so we did use nice compostable plates, but instead of plastic cutlery, we used wood. It's biodegradable/compostable and pretty! Especially for a BBQ such as you are hosting for your wedding celebration. It's also totally affordable! I ordered 300 forks, 200 knives, and 200 spoons for $62 including shipping.
mittens111211: Your post made me giggle! I just went to my first OR wedding a few weekends ago and EVERYTHING was compostable--the forks, spoons, plates, glasses!! It wasn't tacky, but it was also outdoors on the beach, and Hawaiian themed (YUMMY HAWAIIAN FOOD OF AWESOME!!)
@PutABirdOnIt: Nice in theory, but I'd still end up having to get 3-4 plates and 2-3 cups per person, so if I could find every piece for $1, that's still ~$700, not including flatwear. :( Ditching the chair covers is an option, good point!
@mittens111211: LOL I <3 OR! I went to PSU for a year before transferring back down to SoCal. I didn't learn to composte anything, but I did learn to love all kinds of beer :) I'll be back in pdx in two weeks for work, can't wait!
@slicey19: It only SOUNDS good! You're getting 6 items plus all silverware for $5, everywhere I've looked locally has each piece at about .50 per piece, so each piece of flatwear is .50. Just adds up quick.
@cubicalmouse: & @Eva Peron: Right?? This is what I'm hoping- joy and good food will make up for having plates that arent' china. Yes, I'm also talking about pimped up plastic versions- the ones tht look like cut glass.
@accorn: This is what I am now discovering...a little late on the uptake I guess! lol
@vaness13181: Oooh, didn't think of wood cutlery. That would be cute with bbq style menu. Thanks for the link!
@bridget.sutter: Yeah, Momma SugerPlum wants to throw more money at this, but just on principle alone, I don't really think we should need to. I just need to get the creative juices flowing!
Just to clarify, my wedding is an indoor/outdoor thing. I want a casual, homey atmosphere. I want people to be comfortable, mingle, and just have a good time celebrating with us.
You ladies are giving me some good feedback to consider!
Given that your wedding will have a homey/casual atmosphere, to use your words, I think it will be fine to use plastic or compostable plates.
There are great things available now made from bamboo and aspen.
If you went with clear plastic plates you could do a more casual version of this idea, where the place setting also acts as a placecard.
I've been to weddings with clear plastic plates/faux china and thought nothing of it. If someone is going to judge you for that, they probably already judged everything else about your wedding as well, so who cares? If you want disposable, go for it.
Or you could possibly buy and then resell. I think some people do this. (Also, google restaurant auctions--sometimes you can find stuff really cheap.)
@SugerPlum: I think the clear plastic plates will be fine! You can dress them up with a cute table cloth under. I dn't think it will be tacky at all. You might also see if you hae a Goodwill distibution center near you, we go there and buy items by the pound. We got crystal glasses there 10 for 2.00. Defiantey cheaper than renting, and you can sell or donate them after.
@julies1949: Thats really cute!
i love the plastic utensils that look real.
ikea usually has plates for dirt cheap. i dont know if you have one in your area. or maybe you can make a deal with the caterer to buy the real dishes yourself and sell them to the caterer when you're done. ive never heard of a caterer that doesnt have china.
I think it really depends on the type of event you are hosting. How formal were your invites? I have been to some really cool casual-type weddings with paper and plastic and we had the best time. I think it would be a bit weird at a sit-down, serviced meal however.
Ugh, sometimes server maintenance is no fun! Ok for my 4th attempt at posting...
@julies1949: This is a really cute idea! I'll have to check to see how it looks with the plastic plates, thanks!
@Mrs.ChubbyBunny: I just want a casual type wedding. This was supposed to be fun, now I'm officially stressed. I haven't actually settled on invites yet since this is still 6 1/2 months away, but the ones I'm leaning towards are not what I would consider formal.
I think what i'll do next is price out Ikea and get at least a couple more quotes. There is no Goodwill Distribution Center near me, and my local Goodwill and Salvation Army are expensive for some reason. I stopped by after the gym today and they had a used mason jar (16 oz) for .95!! Thanks for all the feedback ladies! If anyone has any other creative ideas, please do post or IM me :)
@SugerPlum: For table clothes, there is a site called "linentableclothes.com" that is amazing. The local rental place wanted $12 for a round table cloth and $10 for the overlay. I got BOTH for $11, and I am planning on selling after the wedding. If you can store them, butythem don't rent them! Even if I don't end up finding someone to buy them, I saved a whole lot of money just flat out buying. Also, if you use the clear plastic plates and someone turns their nose up, they just need to get over themself :P
@SugerPlum: for a casual fun wedding seriously go for it. i thought for a few seconds about buying or renting plates and or tablecloths and then i realized that the outcome wouldnt be worth the debt going toward it. i totally understand the desire to thorw an amazing get together however i think it can be done for a lot less and without breaking a sweat. dont worry hun go with what your budget allows and everyone will enjoy your wedding for what it should be about.... you and your fi.
sent from my android so excuse utter lack of grammar and or punctuation
@bridget.sutter: & @vaness13181: Ladies, these links are fantastic! I've been looking at them all morning, getting ideas.
I think the compostable would be great with your BBQ. Personally, I'd find china plates with bbq a little out of place. Couldn't you do checked table clothes? The other option is to buy boxed sets from somewhere like Ikea. I saw some great sets of dishes at Kroger (the grocery store) of all places that were $19 for a place setting of 4. You can also buy flatware in bulk at Sam's. Then try to sell it all after. Garden Ridge Pottery is another good source. I think I bought inexpensive "buffet plates" for something like 69 cents each. At that price, if you can sell after the wedding, it'll be cheaper than renting.
@SugerPlum: You could use a more casual doily like these:
or a colored doily like these
you can also check all the craigslist sites at one time if you would be interested in purchasing used linens or dishes
go to www.google.com enter site:craigslist.org then add what you are looking for
@SugerPlum: Glad to help! The webstaurant store is pretty cool and I found they have the best prices online for the biodegradable flatware.
smartyhadaparty.com Is great. I usually order items for parties from there and I plan to buy miscellaneous stuff for serving hor d'oeuvres at my wedding.
Are you set on your caterer, or can you look for one that includes table settings? Now that you know it will cost you $500+ for rentals, you may be able to look at some caterers that were previously "out of your budget" but who actually make more sense if they include linens, settings, etc.
@SugerPlum: Hi!!! I completely understand what you are going through. Our venue didn't offer anything either. My mom and I have been going to vintage stores and thrift stores and found a 100 vintage plates,,, not sure what your decor is but I'd be willing to sell them to you if you'd like. WE are using family's flatware sets because we only need about 12 sets. We also have white linens and napkins for sale. At least if you buy them then you can sell after your wedding.
New thought,...Costco sells faux silverware - its silver but its plastic, and they also have plastic plates that look like china. I couldn't find the listing online but I always see it in the store. I would call your local costco and see if they carry it. It may be in your budget and be what you are looking for... I have some of the plates here in the house if you would like a photo just PM me.
Costco also has biodegradable products that you can see online too.
I like the colored doilys. I could color coordinate or make seating arrangements by colored doily!
Ok, so far I'm taking all your ideas into consideration. I'm getting a couple more quotes to see if I can find a caterer that supplies plates, etc. Also checking out clear plates and either the faux silver flatware or the bamboo flatware. I'll keep reading everyone's suggestions!
@SugerPlum: I love the title of this thread. :) I agree, it does get pretty pricy. I'm glad you're finding such helpful alternatives from the Bees!
We are using plastic for our wedding. I really was opposed to it at first, but our venue has one sink in its kitchen and no dishwasher. With a buffet style dinner and open bar, it just made more sense to go disposable with no way to efficiently clean all the dishes. I found some really nice pieces online for a decent price. Screw anyone who judges your wedding. It's YOUR day :)
I see no problem using plastic. We are considering it as well. For a casual laid backwedding. However, we are also thinking of having a "fast-casual" (Moes's Southwest Grill) cater our reception.
I see nothing tacky with this, but then I have been accused of being tacky before. so...
we are in the same boat. my mom paid about $530 for 120 plates, forks, knives, salad forks, spoon and cups. 13 vases and 13 tablecloths.
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Unfortunately, that's probably me! I CAN'T BELIEVE how much it cost to rent plates/cups/flatware! And I haven't even looked at linens yet...Our facility does not provide linens or china of any kind. They do provide tables and chairs, so that's a small plus. Our (not booked yet) caterer also does not provide linens or china, so I'm on my own to source them. I've looked at 3 different vendors online and I guess I didn't realize that it was pretty standard to charge 'about' .50 per item rented. For 120 people that's about $500 - just for plates and utensils! Linens (tablecloths and chaircovers) will put it at over $1000 for just rentals. I'm sad, I can't believe how much all this stuff adds up to. What's happeing to my budget wedding!? :( At this point I"m happy to entertain alternate venue options that can provide these things!
Ok, Bees, I know this question has been asked before but would plastic plates and cutlery be tacky? I'm talking about clear acrylic plates, not dixie plates or solo red plates. Also, what about cups/wine glasses? Although I can see using platic plates, I'm not so sure about plastic wine glasses - they usually come in two pieces and never seem to look good. I know I can get better looking plastic flatware at Costco, so that's an option. Just now sure how this will all look together, and I'm worried it will look so random! Does anyone have pictures of plastic place settings from their wedding? Please post if you do.
Other details: My location is McCoy Equestrian in Chino Hills and I'm doing a Southern style bbq/comfort food menu with beer, wine and champagne/cider toast.