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I suppose it depends on the formality of your wedding. If it is an outdoor BBQ....
No, nevermind. Scratch that. I can't justify paper plates even then. Go with the china. I think $1.00 is a very reasonable price.
I think it depends on the "feel" you are going for in your wedding. I have been to weddings where they used plastic and it was perfect for that wedding. These were low-key weddings with a huge guest list. It was particularly appropriate at one wedding that had the feel of a picnic. On the other hand, if I were sitting in a fancy ballroom on a chair cover, I would feel a bit weird eating off of plastic. Similarly, I think plastic lends itself more to a buffet or stations than to a seated dinner.
I will be using disposable plates and silver ware for my wedding. They look almost real. They were cheaper than renting and nicer than regular paper plates. And you still get the convinence of no clean up!!!!!
I would agree that whether or not it is appropriate depends on the kind of wedding you are having. $.50 to $1.00 additional sounds like a pretty good deal, but I suppose that also depends on how many people are coming to your wedding.
My fiance's cousin had the clear plastic plates and forks for her reception and it was fine. She opted for plastic for budget reasons and no one seemed to notice b/c the food was so great. She had a full meal (think carved beef, 2 veggies, pasta salad, chicken, etc.) and it worked out great. If budget is a concern, then clear plastic would be the way to go.
With rentals, you also have to factor in the time/cost to have the caterer clean, repack items for pickup and/or delivery. If you can swing it, then by all means, just make sure that it fits with the location, style of wedding, and budget.
I think it depends on the vibe of your reception. I say, trust your best judgment. If it feels 100% aok to you, then it probably is. I've been to several receptions where disposable plates and utensils didn't stand out at all. Good luck!!!
Well...I think it would be weird to use disposable plates for an indoor reception (or a seated dinner). But maybe you could justify it if it were an outdoor buffet or a really casual venue? That's just me though. In the end you should definitely do what feels right to you! Here's the other thing though...if you do go with the throw-away stuff (so convenient!), keep in mind that sometimes you get what you pay for (Read: the caterer is doing this for free, so make sure you don't end up with those cheap plastic knives that don't work and tacky-looking plates...there's a big difference between the nice clear plastic ones and those bright red or blue ugly things). Good luck making a decision!
i have a similar situation. FH sees no problem in using plastic ware, but i am still not sure about it. i am trying to have the nicest wedding possible, with the smallest budget ever! we would love to have a small wedding to reflect the budget, but we have 2 very large families, that after doing much cutting, we are at 250, and that is with upsetting many people. our venue is a very gorgeous community center, and if it comes down to it, the nice clear plates and the silver looking utensils may have to be a part of the wedding.
I have been to many weddings that have utilized clear plastic plates, cups and utensils; the weddings were of all different levels of formality, and no one commented on the use of plastics. With that being said, I don't think anyone would argue that plastic looks as nice as real china, but there are things to consider. For instance, in today's economy, the extra $.50 or $1.00 may end up taxing your budget more than it would have otherwise. Another thing to think about is clean-up and convenience. I'm using my family and friends to pull off our wedding with as small a budget as possible, and I want to make it as easy on them as possible. If that means they can throw plates away rather than cleaning them in the name of saving me a few dollars to spend on something I find more important, so be it. In the end, I say do what you want. Anyone who is criticizing your dinnerware isn't there for the right reasons anyway! Good luck!
Have you considered the environmental impact at all? If that is something that is important to you and your FI, you probably should go with china rental as that will be washed and reused instead of ending up in a landfill. If you want to avoid washing, there are lots of biodegradable options such as bamboo and corn plates and utensils available.
We are using biodegradable options and putting the information on cards next to the plates and cups that we are going green!
I would check to see what type of plastic dinnerware they are providing. If it suits you and is what you are looking for, then I would go for it. If not i'd probably splurge for the china. I ended up using the plastic square yoshi plates for my wedding and it didn't make a difference. What everyone enjoyed was the full plate of food and the open bar. Renting china versus getting the those plastic plates was the difference in budget between not having an open bar and having one.
My cousin had plastic plates but real forks/knifes. The only thing about this option is you have to be careful to not throw away the real stuff
were doing plastic plates/ plastic wear- were having a bbq wedding outside though. honestly, i would spend the money on something else other then renting china. your guests wont care whatt they are eating off of, they care about the food that there eating. ya it might look a little weird if its in a elegant ballroom- but if it comes down to your budget- plastic wear can work quite well- they make some plastic wear that looks AMAZING.
we are doing plastic wear too. is cheaper and nobody will care if the food is good!
it depends on the style of wedding you want. My caterer also provides plastic plates and forks, but I opted a more formal (semi-formal) look, so we are renting. Plus we are erving beef and I'd be a bit embarassed if someones fork broke while cuttingisnto their meat..lol...
I second rosepinkslipper. It gives me chest pains to think of disposable dishes and cutlery for an entire wedding when other more environmentally-friendly options are easily obtained. Not trying to be mean or judgmental or eco-snobby, it's just my reaction. rosepinkslipper and futuremrsdq have great suggestions.
I had this problem except it was over wine glasses. We could pay $1.00/person to have real glass wine glasses at the tables. Or we could have guests pick up their wine at the bar and it would be in nice plastic glasses. I chose the latter, I just didn't want to add any extra charges. The wine glass charge was literally sprung on us the last 2 weeks before the wedding. The caterer hadn't mentioned it before. I didn't want to drop another $110 at the last minute so I went with the plastic glasses even though my mom wasn't too keen on the idea. I don't think anyone noticed in the end. Most of the other drinks (beer and soda) were served in plasticware too, so what did it matter that the wine was as well?
I definitely think it's fine if that's how you want to portray your wedding (which there is nothing wrong with that). But if you want to add a bit of formality (and be a bit more eco-conscious), it may be worth it to rent the china.
When you go with real china/silverware/glasses - it will run you about $5 pp to rent them. Plus the rental company charges apx $100 for delivery and pickup. Recently did a reception of 130 people and picked it all up from the rental company to try avoiding the delivery and pickup fee -- took two trips in a pickup to get it all and it was extremely heavy to tote those boxes in the venue. Then cleanup took 7 people several hours to bus them all from the tables and to the kitchen, rinse and repack them. Opted to pay $50 to have them picked up. Caterers have to charge extra for that. Disposables are so much easier and believe me they don't have to look tacky!
When you go with real china/silverware/glasses - it will run you about $5 pp to rent them. Plus the rental company charges apx $100 for delivery and pickup. Recently did a reception of 130 people and picked it all up from the rental company to try avoiding the delivery and pickup fee -- took two trips in a pickup to get it all and it was extremely heavy to tote those boxes in the venue. Then cleanup took 7 people several hours to bus them all from the tables and to the kitchen, rinse and repack them. Opted to pay $50 to have them picked up. Caterers have to charge extra for that. Disposables are so much easier and believe me they don't have to look tacky!
Real china for eating, cheap flatware for smashing for our wedding.
What kind of wedding are you having? If it is a backyard BBQ I'd say plastic is appropriate, for a more formal event go for china.
Use wordrobe as a guideline, sun dresses and dress pants/nice shirt go for plastic, suits and evening gowns go for china
@Niki: I'm with you on this one. I come from the school of never eating off of plastic plates. Real china for me.
This is your WEDDING. You get one. (Hopefully) Don't you want it to be the nicest party you ever throw? Rent the China.
Ragtop1- in the pictures you posted did you use chargers and masterpiece disposable china?
Eating off plastic plates in ballroom isn't the end of the world, There are all types of cool options now and they still look nice. If its not important to you don't worry about it, I would check and see what the options were being provided first.
I once went to a wedding where they had plastic silverware and plastic plates and honeslty, it was the most tacky thing I had ever seen at any wedding I had ever been to! People are still talking about it to this day! It wasn't a very formal or fancy wedding and people even wore jeans, but the plastic plates were SO strange to almost everyone there.
1 dollar extra per person is nothing in the grand scheme of a wedding. Seriously, in my opinion dont use the plastic plates. That screams tacky and cheap and people WILL talk about it
We are doing plastc because it will be an outdoor BBQ at a state park , so they have rules about glass anyways but seriously... who cares? You can go to Kroger and walk down the aisle of plastics and they look like the real thing! Their purpose is to hold food. period.
If you're looking to free up $$ for other areas in your budget, and you can swing paper with your theme, I think it would be ok.
This site has some cool options:
http://blumspapergoods.com/dining.php
You know what I think is more tacky guest judging and belitting someone else wedding. Last year I went to several weddings, and one of the best was my cousin's wedding at a vfw hall, it proves when people who love a couple and come together to celebrate their love it doesn't matter what kind plates they are eating on and if there is an open bar.
The food was awesome, the tables were decorated nicely with flowers from the grocery store, and the atmosphere and dancing was great, everyone had an awesome time. My point being if someone has an issue with your plastic plates it more of a reflection on them then you.
We are using disposable everything. It's a casual reception with bbq, steamed oysters, etc. We are more about having fun and celebrating than worried about what people are going to think about our plates. Besides, our caterer is bringing plates and cups, so why pay extra if we don't have to!
@TwoCityBride: I completely agree with you.
Check out http://smartyhadaparty.com/ for awesome disposable dinnerware that doesn't look cheap!
I'm stalking their facebook and twitter hoping for a sweet coupon code to order me some forks.
These days you can find some good looking plastic cutlery... but paper... sorry, but i think its a big no no....
Buying my masterpiece plastic plates at costco. They will be washed after and then taken to camp where we will reuse them as long as possible then dispose of them. 100 people coming to our wedding, will cost about $100 for all the plasticware and then another $30 for the silver plastic utensils.
$2000 budget wedding and we are there!!! 6 weeks to go!!!
we are just doing our cake and coffee back at the reception hall. we are having dinner at a restaurant. do you think plastic would be ok in this instance?
I swear when I read this post, I actually checked to make sure I didn't write it a long time ago and forget about it.
My FI and I decided to go with the disposables provided my our caterer. My sister flipped out about how "if you can't afford a nice wedding with real dishes you shouldn't be getting married." In the end we opted to get real glassware for the wine bar, but the rest is disposable, and I feel pretty confident about it. We do have the disposable that looks like china, and we are having a BBQ buffet so that kind of makes it more appropriate, but if anybody says anything I'll just think they are being snobby.
our caterer is providing plates and silverware for the dinner buffet, but everything else is disposable, the plates for cocktail hour, the napkins, the forks for cocktail hour, all the drink cups, even the table covers...cause at the end of the night i want literally the entire table setting including centerpieces to just be tossed! i dont want the headache of cleaning up everything. and seriously if your guests care about you are they really going to care what they ate off of? no they are going to remember what the day was really about and that they had a good time.
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I have chosen a caterer who will provide plastic plates, cups and plasticware at no additional charge. My sister thinks I should spend the extra money and use real china (it's at least an additional $0.50 $1.00 per person). I don't see any problems with using the plastic things. It's cheaper plus it would be easy clean-up. What do you think???