Wedding Blog
I have yet another secret to share with you. If you, like me, are trying to have a great home or backyard wedding on an extreme budget, you will love me.
It’s a fabulous place where you can get basic stuff that you need for very little money; so little, in fact, that you might be tempted to buy your glassware and tableware rather than mess with renting them. Because, dear friend, while renting dishes sounds like it’s the best thing ever, it’s not. Before you return said dishes, you have to wash them. Um, what? Yes. Wash. Well, okay, technically not “wash”, since you don’t have to use soap, but you must remove all food particles and ensure that they are “eye clean” before returning them. Swear.
WTF?
Given that, spending a fraction more to avoid dealing with it all seems worth it, at least to me. And we all know what a cheapo I am.
Anyway, back to my point: this place is awesome for gals trying to plan simple, meaningful, straightforward weddings with a minimum of madness (and thus, vendors).
And when it’s all said and done, you can keep them. You never know when you’ll need to throw another party for 80 people, or when you will just want to throw a dish.
Here, I’ll show you.
Terrible picture. Bummer. However, how cute are those plates? And who doesn’t love glasses all lined up and ready for imbibing? The mister digs the pilsner glasses on the far right; I’m debating etching them with our monogram. The big wine glasses on the far left are my favorite. We’ll buy some of the goblets in the dead center for non-alcoholic drinks and margaritas, totaling somewhere near 120 glasses for 80 people. I heart glassware, and these will be perfect for parties in our future — there’s that “lasting” thing I was going for.
Here’s a (terrible photo) close up of the plate, 80 of which are now sitting in precarious piles in my dining room:
‘Scuse the background… that’s the stainless steel countertop in the room with the most light. The green is slightly brighter, more of an apple green.
Where’d I get ‘em? The Dollar Tree. For. One. Dollar. Each. (Just in case you weren’t sure how that worked.)
Honestly, I just buy a few dozen every time I drive by and have an extra 10 minutes. Grand total: $200 for 80 plates, 40 pilsners, 40 wine glasses, and 40 goblets, all of which we can reuse.
Wanna see more goodies that I’m debating buying?
Wouldn’t these be perfect for our sundae bar? The only reason I didn’t buy them is that they seem a little too small.
These will hold more ice cream!
Vases. They’re not exactly the shape I wanted, but heck, they’re cheap!
These bud vases are sweet.
Do you have any secret sources for inexpensive supplies? And does anyone have any tips for somehow mimicking (or importing or copying) the design from the dishes onto our invites?
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Share this post: My Secret Source
Could you try embossing? Find a similar design on a stamp or order a custom one?
I think my rentals for those things are less than a dollar - is that unusual? This is certainly a great idea in any case!
For the past few months, I keep an eye out for vases lying around at work from girls whose fiances/boytoys have sent them flowers… so far I have 10 vases! Holla for the Dollar Store! I love that place.
I love the dollar tree!
Mine recently had double sided adhesive rollers for… $1 dollar each! Perfect for putting invites together!
@Kirst: Nope! But I was balancing the PITA’ness of having to wash them with price. For about $0.20 extra, I don’t have to worry about washing them in a big rush in order to turn them in the next day.
Go you with your good deal gettin’ self! I know you said you bought your items a few dozen at a time, but were you able to pick up 80 of the cute green leaf plates at just one store or did you have to go to several locations? If so, I didn’t know the Dollar Store sold in bulk like that. I might just have to check that out!
i hit the dollar tree for my packaging for my christmas gifts every year! they’re a great source for tons of stuff.
you’re right, i do love you! i will definitely consider this option… but, wouldn’t you have to wash the dishes even more if you own them and want to use them again than if you’re renting?
I. Heart. Dollar Tree. We’re planning on getting some of their serving trays to use in our dessert buffet! They’re also a great place to get gift wrap year round. Gotta love anything someone sells for a buck!
@Golden139: I bought 62 or some weird number like that when I first spotted them because I assumed it was like Marshall’s — once the deal’s gone, it’s gone. But then I dropped back by a few months later and there were more! I bought another 20-something then, and I haven’t seen any since. However, my mom lives on the other side of the country and HER store just got some…? {The deal-finding thing is evidently hereditary.}
@melodicsighs1: Tru dat. But, then I can run them through the dishwasher in batches over the next few days and not need to bust my patootie to get them ready for pickup the morning after our wedding. Plus, for an extra twenty cents (over and above renting), I get to own them. And honestly? We used the first 40 dishes I bought for a block party over Christmas, and it was great. Everyone’s dishes matched and we didn’t have to buy and toss disposable stuff! Okay, to be really honest, we use these every day because they seem to be everywhere in our house!
Those plates are soooo cute! You really can’t beat the dollar store. I can’t wait to see everything all put together. Who says you can’t have a wine wedding on a beer budget?! Lord knows, I am!
I love the Dollar Tree! Sometimes, I get lucky and find awesome craft supplies there.
I am amazed at your bargain hunting skills!
If I could pack a suitcase full of stuff like this for our wedding, I would (namely - vases). Sigh…I am jealous of your super fabulous finds!
@FMH: Stay tuned… but here’s a hint: my ex-husband (how f’d up is that?) was a chef/ caterer, so I know it’s not nearly as expensive to find silverware as it seems, and again, because you can avoid having to count them and clean them, it’s worth a few extra cents apiece… at least to me. I’ll post about it soon, I promise!
Oh, as for your question about how to get the design onto your invites, it’s easy! Just photocopy or scan the dish. Then Gocco the design onto your invites.
1. definitely get your monogram etched in the glasses! and 2. LOVE the little ice cream bowls, even if they are a bit small!! go for them! they match ur theme soooo well!
Those plates are adorable! You might want to pick up a few extras if you can…just in case any break or people use more than one glass.
@Miss Hot Cocoa: Hey, thanks! Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I don’t have a Gocco, but I can at least scan it and mess with it that way. *Gocco envy*
I can see how this makes good sense when you’re doing self-catering (Which I can’t wait to hear more about) but in our case, our caterer supplied all glassware/silverware and linens as part of his per person rate for the meal. I feel super blessed that everything my tent rental company couldn’t provide, he could. We also have a variety of coordinated centrepieces instead of all matching ones, and I’m usuing a variety of vases for my carnation bundles (love em!). I’m borrowing vases from all the different women in my family for that!
Some things that they sell at the dollar store can be bought in bulk at http://www.dollartreedirect.com and they will ship everything to your local dollar tree for FREE. Unfortunantly for me, those plates are not on there because I love them!
Seriously I go there and I think why don’t more brides know about the dollar tree!!! Great job being budget friendly Miss Cheese!
This is a great idea. I might not keep them after the wedding, but maybe I could sell them to another bride who doesn’t want plain plates! Then I could recoup some of the money and it would end up being cheaper than renting them! Great find, Cheese!
You can buy some of there stuff in bulk at http://www.dollartreedirect.com/ but not everything from the store is available. I think the shipping free or very cheap too if you have them shipped to a store and then pick them up.
I love Dollar Tree too. Lots of good random finds. Ikea is also a pretty good option sometimes. I bought champagne glasses there once for favors.
cheese, you are AWE-SOME. My venue already has an assortment of plates (I think they were donated by a previous wedding who bought them from the salv-army), but no bowls, no water glasses, no wine glasses… you get the idea. I thought I’d have to scour salvation armies and ebay! You rock.
I used IKEA for a lot of our glass ware and decor. They have plates for .79 a piece, just plain white plates, but could totally be dressed up somehow. We purchased 60 each red/white/champagne glasses for 50 bucks. If you have one in your area, it’s worth a look.
They also have silverware, some of it’s really inexpensive, and their winter sale is on right now.
The only problem I’ve found with IKEA wine glasses is that they break really easily. While these aren’t as delicate, they bounce (well, sort of… more like a thud). But WOW, @branseen, that’s a deal!!
Do they have chargers, by any chance? (Fingers crossed!)
I friekin love the dollar tree (is it wrong that I can drop $100 at a time for no particular reason in there??)
@Sarah: The Dolla ONLINE?!?! That’s awesome!! (I can’t believe I didn’t know that) Thanks!!
that’s where i got my photo frame for the table numbers. i had to dig like mad to find some in decent quality, but i found them. granted i did drive around to liek 20 different stores to find the quantity i needed, but it still saved me tons!
OMG I’m Googling RIGHT NOW to find my closest Dollar Tree! I love those glass plates!
I am totally using both the Dollar Tree and Ikea for some glassware our venue doesn’t have available…..I love the Dollar Tree online feature that ships it to the store for free. Plus that way all the glassware is boxed which makes it easier to transport (or ship to my location).
Could you just open your photo of the dishes up in a photo editor and get the outlines to use on your invitations?
My question is has anyone found a cheap source for table toppers/cloths or a cheap source for fabric wide enough to make them without having seams in the middle?
Wow, looks like I’m making a trip to the dollar store this weekend. PLEASE please etch the glasses…ever since Mrs. Cherry Blossom posted about her project, I’ve been dying to try!!!
I bought my centerpiece vases at the Dollar Tree. I tried to order them online but they told me they were sold out (even though a month later they are still on the site). I was at work when they called and it really made me panic because i thought I was all set. My wonderful fiance drove around in a snowstorm to all the Dollar tree’s in town to get 30 vases for me!
@Miss Cheese: @Miss Cheese: @Miss Cheese: I would be willing to help you out with you goccoing your invites if you are interested. For real, and just for the cost of supplies. My labor would be free. Your posts have helped me so much, it would be a way to pay you back. Give it some thought, send me a PM if your interested
Visit the Dollar tree. #465 on my to do list when i return. This is such a great idea and your plates are adorable!
Looks great! We picked up our centerpiece vases at the dollar store and our larger vases and votive candles at Ikea. I’m also continually amazed by the plastic serving platters at some dollar stores (and most party stores) that look *exactly* like fancy cut-glass until you touch them.
Another option is auction sites that sell off bankrupt companies. There’s a local auctioneer that regularly sells off someone’s extra catering supplies — in the DC area, http://www.rasmus.com — and I picked up hundreds of drinking glasses, brass chargers, and cloth napkins through them before the wedding. The plus side: they were 1-10 cents each. The downside: we wound up having our reception at a restaurant and didn’t need anything, so I’ve just been storing them these many months!
I love those plates, and this is a great idea! I know I’m always breaking dishes, or running out of enough on Thanksgiving.
To keep cleanup easy after dinner, set up a large tupperware bin somewhere out of sight. Then, have your waiters place the dirty dishes in there to soak during the rest of the party. They will be really easy to wipe, rinse (you can set up a second tub of clean water for this) and then dry and put away! You can even use the storage container to keep the extras.
The last thing that you want is to be scrubbing caked on food after your wedding!
genius
Love the dollar tree!
Miss Cheese - to save more money, if you monogrammed or etched your glasses, you can give them away as wedding favors to your guests!!
Great idea, Miss Cheese! I never ever think to go to the Dollar Store, but people always seem to find great things there. I need to check it out. IKEA is also an awesome place for inexpensive glassware and vases, etc., especially when they’re having a sale. We bought champagne glasses for the toast for $2.99 for 6 glasses during a sale.
Also try (and for professional quality) a restaurant supply store. There’s one near my house that is lower-end than many (a good tip is to look for supply stores that are near Chinatown, Little India, or equivalent areas with lots of budget-conscious restaurants). Mine has a big clearance section where you can buy cases of perfectly fine items for much less than a dollar each. Thanks for reminding me; hadn’t occurred to me.
I’m in need of more vases. I’m totally hitting up the Dollar store now!
I. love. the Dollar Tree!
But I never thought about looking for glassware there! Thanks for the tip!
Wonderful tip…..I usually get cleaning supplies and candy from the Dollar Tree. I shall be expanding my shopping list.
The Dollar tree sounds like it’s as awesome as the Dollarama in Canada. Where I find lots of awesome things all the time 
I just bought the same vases at Dollar Tree today! 
Cant beat the price!
The rental company I’m using only charges 40-60 cents per flatware/glass/plate and that INCLUDES their washing fee. All we have to do is make sure the meal isn’t still on the plate, but we can return them dirty. If someone decides to wash the stuff they will refund us 15 cents per item. I think I got a sweet deal.
But I do love the stuff you were able to find. I bought all of my dishes for our first apartment from the dollar tree (since we had no money, or furniture even) and I still have most of the stuff I bought.
I bought my nativity set for $1 this year. Every time I looked at it I felt so clever and proud of myself. You will feel the same way on your wedding day I bet. Isn’t that a wonderful way to feel?
[...] My Secret Source by Miss Cheese, The Ultimate DIY by Miss Crab Cake [...]
[...] table, and provide our own twinkly lights and luminarias. Ballpark rentals estimate: $1800. Add in $200 for tableware, $200 for my dress on eBay, plus an extra $100 for random things I bought and probably won’t use, [...]
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Mrs. Cheese, Knoxville
Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD Designer
Engagement Date: July 31, 2008
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Blogging Since: October 16, 2008
Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits on
About Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
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