Wedding Blog
Our first option is to rent dinnerware and flatware from a local rental company. At 40 cents a plate, and 30 cents per flatware piece, it is a good deal. The con? We would have to clean nearly 75 plates and 225 pieces of flatware. Additionally, if any items are damaged or lost, we would have to pay full price for the item (we are allowing children at our wedding, so there is potential for damage).
Our next option is high quality plasticware. I have been eyeing high quality Yoshi plastic plates in ivory. At around one dollar per plate, the price is a bit steep, but we would not have to worry about cleaning or damaged items. The con? Guests may find plasticware tacky, and it is not environmentally friendly.
Our last option are bagasse plates; the plates are made from sugarcane fiber and are biodegradable, as well as disposable. The cost is low, at around seven dollars for 50 plates. In addition to the bagasse plates, we would use flatware made from cornstarch, costing around two dollars for a pack of 50. The con? The bottom of the plates perspire when hot food is placed on them.
Which option do you think would suit our guests the best? Keep in mind, we are serving a buffet style Italian dinner.
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How long do you have until you have to return the plates? Washing might not be too bad, but it could be. My second vote is for option 3! 
I think #3 is a bad option since it sweats. And italian food is hot. It would be a pain to wash #1, but it would look the nicest. My thought is to go with #2 and get the nicest you can. You don’t want to be thinking about washing rental dishes the day after your wedding!
Option 4 - buy the dinnerware. Shop around at IKEA, Sam’s Club, etc. For example IKEA has dinner plates as cheap as 75 cents each (super cute clear glass ones) and glass cups as low as 33 cents. If you shop around and hit sales you can probably find deals way better than this. You don’t need to worry about breakage fees and you can keep some and donate the others to friends or shelters after the wedding. Plus you might be able to create a more interesting and customized look.
We struck a deal with our caterer. They are going to do the wash for us for an additional small fee. It was so worth it to not have to worry about doing it ourselves.
Kids will be well-supervised at a wedding, and it is unlikely that more than a few pieces will be broken. There is really no substitute for real china… though the plastic plates look great in the picture.
I think #1 is the best option!
As for the washing - do you have any family friends with children? Maybe you can offer to pay them to wash the plates and flatware for you… outsourcing, if you will
@cbgg: oooo I like this idea! Then you could sell them after the wedding to get some of your cash back. (I hear great things about weddingbee classifieds hehe) IKEA does have some really super cheap and fun dinnerware.
I found that buying the dinnerware is WAY more expensive than renting, so I went with renting real silverware from a cheap rental company to set the tables with the cloth napkins. That way the tables look pretty and people don’t have to cut chicken with plastic knives (one of my biggest pet peeves). For the plates, we are doing nice disposable ones set up at the buffet tables. This way we don’t have to pay extra to have them cleaned and they don’t make the table setup look cheapy. I really wanted real plates, but I thought this was a good compromise and with the money we save we can plant some trees to counteract the environmental impact (haha).
I definitely second the “just buy them” idea! That’s what I did for my linens–I just couldn’t pass up buying them and now I’m selling them back and they were cheaper to buy than rent to begin with! Definitely check ikea out–especially with after holiday sales. I’m sure you can find what you need and donate or sell on craigslist. Good luck!
Or, as Amy says, compromise.
I think that the idea of paying your caterer an extra fee to handle the dishwashing is reasonable. Does your venue have a kitchen? If so, either you or your caterer can probably use the industrial dishwashers there. Or you can at least rinse plates and pack them up to take home, and run them through the dishwasher there. If you split them between you someone else, that’s probably no more than 3 loads in a good-sized dishwasher, so easily done in an afternoon.
On the issue of breakage (and all other potential accidents) get a rider (or other insured) on your homeowner’s policy for the day. That will cover not only your plates, but any other damage to the venue, or injury to guests. You want this even if you use the disposable plates, trust me. It cost us about $30 - and for the peace of mind, it’s absolutely worth it. After all, breakage of a few dishes or loss of a few pieces of flatware is about the least expensive thing that could potentially happen.
I’ve used the cornstarch utensils, they melt if the dish you serve is too hot.
@cbgg:
This is the idea I’d go with. Hit the after Christmas sales and you should be able to get some really good deals.
If you’re planning to have seating arrangements at the reception and will know before-hand where kids will be sitting, why not rent nicer plates for the adults and have plastic plates for the kids?
If you hit local garage/estate sales/flea markets you could get a cute mix of plates and utensils for pennies each - and afterward just donate them or resell them to another thrifty bride!
I like Ms. Meatball’s idea. You can even make your kiddie table cute and do plates/napkins in the wedding colors.
@Miss Meatball: That’s a great idea, Miss Meatball! I have scored lots of cute plates for next to nothing at thrift stores, and there always seems to be a surplus of dinnerware!
I was going to say go green b/c you could even put a little blurb in the menu (if you have one) about how all the plates and plasticware are biodegradable, but then I noticed the sweating thing which is okay for a seated dinner but not a buffet :-/
I like the idea of IKEA, FH and I were actually thinking of getting some everyday plates from there for our place… you could get IKEA plates and then keep some and sell the rest I’m sure you’re not the only bride with this plate dilemma.
I have rented plates, silverware and wine glasses several times for large parties and I have never had to wash them. Normally you’re just required to get the chunks off (a quick rinse, or wipe with paper towel) then stack them back in the handy plastic bins they come in. Then they’re off to be washed and sanitized by the rental company in their industrial washers.
You should double check with the company about what “washing” means. If it’s just a rinse, I would think that whoever is handling your clean-up can handle that too.
Look around for other rental places. Many of them pick the plates up dirty, or simply scraped clean. I would look more into the rental, that’s what we plan to do. If that doesn’t work out. Go with the biodegradable.
my company cafeteria uses potato-ware, similar to your option 3. i would say… don’t do it! its great for a cafeteria since there it is eco friendly and we have a ton of people, but the utensils smell a little potatoey, and they really do start to melt a little when eating hot food.
i would find another rental company who would pick them up dirty. i have never heard of a rental company unwilling to do that.
Jennifer is right… you only have to rinse the plates. My future MIL is a caterer and by law all dishes must be washed in a commercial dishwasher that reaches a certain temp and has a special sanitizer. So… they would have to re-wash them if you washed them anyways. And as far as glasses are concerned… you don’t even have to rinse them… just wipe off lipstick.
My advice — try a brideshare! I put an add on craigslist and found 2 other soon-to-be brides who wanted real dishes for their weddings. We got plates and dessert plates from world market, glasses, wine glasses and silverware from ikea. Total cost to each person = about $180 and we all will have tablesetting for over 25 at the end (for those impromptu dinner parties). The only downside is cleaning them after the fact and coordinating the transfers
I would say go with option #1, unless the rest of your wedding is super casual. There must be other rental companies that you can speak with. Compare all of the options and prices. Talk to the caterer for recommendations, since they don’t provide settings, they must have worked with a number of rental companies. If worst comes to worst, pay a few of your teenage cousins or local high schoolers to wash the dishes.
would you please tell me the name of the web site i can get those plates please
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Mrs. Spring Roll, Tampa
Age and Occupation: 23, Certified Pharmacy Technician
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Concert Photographer
Engagement Date: May 1, 2008
Wedding Date: March 2009
Blogging Since: September 16, 2008
Venue: Beach Social Hall
About Me: I'm the stereotypical girl who enjoys sewing, baking, and decorating. I am blessed to share my life with Mr. Spring Roll and our two shih tzu's, Isabella and Gabriella. Hello Kitty, musicals, Target, and Chick-fil-a are a few of my favorite things. I have a fear of fish and Freddy Krueger. Planning our wedding has become a huge part of my life, and I love every minute of it!
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