Dinnerware for reception?

I wasn’t finished lol I meant expensive or if you used plastic items did it still look “classy”?

I would call your local event rental place and see what their prices are or see if your caterer can provide any of that. And as far as using plastic it just depends on the formality of your wedding. If it’s a semi formal or formal wedding in a ballroom it would be strange to use plastic. If it’s a bbq buffet in a barn it would be okay.

I found a rental place that charges 30 cents per item. I got plates, silverware, water goblets for 80 and the bar rental for like $350! So dinnerware was probably around $200. I was pretty excited about that. Shop around. Ask your caterer if they work with anyone. I used a supplier they work with often 😊

Thank you I will definitely shop around for pricing! My fiancé’ Grandmother is a retired chef so we don’t have a business catering just her and her friends.

There certainly are nicer "plastic ware" options available, I think it works well for most weddings as long as its not super formal.

You can find a lot of nice plastic ware options! It really depends on how formal the wedding it but majority of weddings I’ve been to used plastic ware and it was still beautiful!

We are using plastic plates, forks, and knives! No one is going to remember what your forks looked like or if your napkins had your names printed on them. I dont think spending tons of money on that stuff is necessary.

Thank you for the responses!

View Quoted Comment

That's a great idea!! She also might still have contacts that she worked with before.

We're using good plasticware that looks real. I've eaten at plenty of semi-formal occasions without real china, and I haven't noticed. As long as the plastic can cut meat well enough, then it's good enough for me!

View Quoted Comment Does grandma really want to be working the day of her grandson's wedding? She ought to be an honored guest, not stuck prepping dinner.

View Quoted Comment Oh okay cool! Where did you get the plasticware from?

View Quoted Comment She’s preparing everything before hand then her friends will set up and prep everything else. The original plan was to get a caterer but she offered and said she wanted to do it.

Consider what you’re serving. Guests may not remember your utensils...if they’re functional. But they will if they were trying to cut a roast with a plastic knife!

i rented real dishes through my caterer at a reasonable rate, partly for function, partly so then I wouldn’t have to worry about them at all (they handled ordering quantity, clean up, etc), but mostly because I think that the fancy plastic disposables are incredibly wasteful. They do make some biodegradables now (palm plates, etc), though they’re not totally practical for every meal.

View Quoted Comment

Oh boy. You're going to hear from a lot of people not to do this. It's a liability and like PP said does she want to work the day of her grandsons wedding. What about getting something catered/ buffet and they will provide all the setup, tear down, and utensils? I would imagine it would save stress and can't be much more? My FSIL and FBIL did this and it was wonderful!

View Quoted Comment

Originally we were going to order from webstaurantstore.com, but we decided that Amazon is cheaper (mostly due to shipping costs). We also liked that a lot of the people purchasing on Amazon mentioned how sharp the utensils are in their reviews, so knowing that it worked for other weddings made us confident enough to take the plunge

View Quoted Comment Your guests won’t remember the utensils if they work. If the knife breaks as they’re trying to cut something, they’ll absolutely remember that.

Im considering these from hobby lobby, but haven't totally decided yet

My venue does not supply either so I found and event rental company that will deliver all the dishes, silverware etc. I might be purchasing cute paper plates and forks for the cake though.