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At some point in our wedding planning, I completely fell for the look of mismatched vintage plates:
Photo by Wendy Lew Photography
Photo by Kyle Hale / Via Pretty Chic Blog
Photo by Kat Hayes / Via Once Wed
This look reminds me of home. Big family dinners, everyone coming together to share love, laughter, and wine. Celebrating life’s biggest and littlest moments together around the table using dishes that are familiar and well loved. I had to do this. Yes, wedding planning has turned me into a hoarder. And slightly crazy.
With wedding colors of red and green however, colorful plates like the ones shown above would scream holiday dinner, rather than intimate family dinner for 120. Instead, we decided to stick to collecting white plates that remind me of my parents’ collection of ironstone:
A sampling (and slightly blurry photo) of Papa Pony’s ironstone collection
After months of stressful searching, going to garage sales every weekend with Papa Pony, and scouring Goodwill stores. we have (almost*) all of the plates for the Pony wedding.
This isn’t quite all of them, but you get the idea. And you can see my awesome storage skills.
*We still need some dessert plates, but I am getting less and less picky about the looks of the plates as we get closer to the wedding.
Now we just need to wash all of them (anyone want to come to a dish washing party?), find a way to get them to the venue, decide whether and how to display them on our tables at the reception, and fill them with delicious food. Finding our tableware has been one of the most stressful parts of wedding planning, but I hope it gives our guests a nice intimate feeling during dinner.
Did you do any extensive collecting for your wedding? Anyone else having/loving mismatched vintage plates?
I know exactly how you feel! I started out with that idea too. I was about to give up when after months I only had 25 that I like but then I went to an estate sale where the women had collected mismatched gorgeous china and I got 75 plates for $30! I still can’t believe it. I don’t have a dishwasher so my mom agreed to wash half and my sister in law agreed to wash the other half. I plan on throwing them in a big plastic tub after the wedding I guess. I have 100 mason jars I had to wash too. I agree this was my most stressful part as well! But it’s well worth it. I can’t wait to see the pics of the place settings over the burlap runners. I hope you enjoy your efforts as much as I will!
I’m so beyond impressed with your vintage hunting prowess. I wish I had the patience to do something like this. Your wedding is going to look amazing with all these unique finds. Can’t wait to see them all set up!
@NippyBeetle: What an incredible find! It sounds absolutely beautiful!
@Miss Ticket: It’s good father-daughter bonding time too since I go shopping with my dad 
Great idea! I love the look and feel of mismatched dinnerware.
What do you all plan to do with all of it after the wedding? Does that mean you don’t have to register for dishes?
We are collecting milk glass vases from flea markets and yard sales to use in centerpieces. We’re planning on just having people take home the vases with the flower arrangements after the reception, but if there are any left over, it will be fun to have parts of our wedding decor that we can use again at home!
I so wanted to do this! But alas. I had a hard enough time collecting bottles and jars for the centerpieces. Your collecting skills are incredible!
I am beyond impressed. You are so dedicated to your collections and your wedding is going to be ammmazing because of it!!
We originally wanted vintage mis-matchy but they are so hard to find! And the few that we have come across are priced for collectors, not brides that will repurpose afterward…ended up scrapping that idea and are now only looking for vintage serving dishes and such
I’ve been reading all these posts, but it’s just now settling in truly how much work you’re putting into these tables. I bet your family is going to be blown away by the final product and I cannot wait to see your wedding pics from the reception!
I’d love to do mismatched plates, but we’ll only be able to afford them if we can find them for cheap–average prices in thrift stores around here are about 2 dollars a plate, and since I could buy regular plates for 1 dollar and rent them for 50 cents, I don’t feel justified in the price hike. (For 100 dinner plates and 100 dessert plates, it’s a hefty difference.)
I love this, I am beginning to start collecting for my daughters wedding also. Glad someone has the same idea, beautiful!
I love this idea! I’m getting married in June next year and want to do the same thing. Are you going to be keeping the plates after your wedding? Because I may be able to take them off your hands..
I, as well, is doing mis-matched at my wedding. I am almost done collecting 120+ plates(dinner, salad, and dessert) lots of plates sitting in my living room. My question now is what should I do for silverware? I am a bride on a budget, so I don’t think I can afford to get real silverware. I was wondering if silver plastic silverware would look tacky or cheap?
I am trying to collect approimately 175-200 vintage dinner plates, cups and saucers. My question is this: I see alot of plates, cups and saucers and they say on the back Made in Occupied Japan or Made in Japan. Is this good or bad? The really nice English Bone China is so expensive but when renting them out does it really matter as long as they are vintage and look pretty?
Oh, this is wonderful. I had the same idea a few weeks ago (we are just starting the wedding planning process) but got completely overwhelmed with the thought of collecting so many plates etc. (we have a lack of storage in our tiny house). But reading your post I am once again motivated to do this! It’s going to look amazing. Are you getting caterers to supply the food? Are they ok with using your plates instead of their own? I am a bit worried about that. Good luck! And you have inspired me to get back onto the vintage look. x
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Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, IL Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Attorney Engagement Date: March 22, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts About Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
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