Within days of getting engaged I already had a pretty solid theme in mind. I wanted rustic, vintage, and outdoorsy. This would allow my fiance and I to blend my vintage side, with his families farming heritage, with our mutual love of the outdoors. Perfect! I also knew I wanted to use handled mason jars for the drinks. I was so enthusiastic about this I wrote a whole blog post about it. I found a great deal on them at The WEBstaurant Supply Store, but since I knew they would take up a lot of space I was delaying on ordering them. I was certainly glad I did!
Did you know if you have your wedding within the confines of a park you cannot use GLASS drinking vessels? I certainly did not know this. You cannot use glass for regular drinks, beer, or even coffee. If it is meant to be carried around - then it can be dropped and broken. You CAN use glass like Mason jars or vases for centerpieces and for toasting flutes, but even if you have wine glasses on the tables they must be plastic. You can however use real china for the plates.
We will be having our wedding at a historic home that is owned by a park. The caretaker of the home and grounds said that no matter how careful people are, they will drop glasses out on the patio or in the grass and they break. She also said that if this happens, guests will not tell anyone out of embarrassment and eventually someone will step on the glass. I understand this all too well. My fiance and I spend almost every weekend in the summer hiking at parks and we practice "pack outs". Basically this means we bring a trash bag with us and pick up garbage people have thrown away in the woods. Most of it are beer cans, and broken beer bottles. It is very dangerous for children when people discard glass and other sharp garbage in parks.
Hallelujah! New this year (2014) I discovered that some online merchants are carrying PLASTIC mason jars. And yes, I have found examples with handles and plain ones. They typically have "Daisy Cut Lids".
If you type this into the Etsy search, you will find many sellers hawking these jars with different colored lids.
Since these are new to the market, I would imagine by summer everyone and their mother will be selling them and you can find them really cheap. Another plus is these plastic jars are MADE IN THE USA. They are also BPA free.
I also found HUGE plastic ball jars that hold a whopping 32 ounces. While I think these would be great for filling with ice and using for small backyard parties, I think that is way to much liquid to use for a wedding (there would probably be a lot of waste). They do sell 16 ounce Mason jars with handles under the Aladdin brand at Wal-Mart for around $7 a piece. I believe they sell these at Target too, but they are larger and $9.99 each.
I do think if I hold out until summer there will be multiple manufacturers selling the handled jars as cheaply as the plastic jars without handles. As of today there are nearly 700 sellers on Etsy selling plastic mason jars. Some of them even sell in bulk. The prices now are about $1 more a piece than what I had anticipated on paying for the real glass jars at The WEBstaurant Supply Store - which adds $150 to my drink glass budget. They do at least have lids. I think if I hold out and can find a seller who has free shipping that would shave nearly $50 off the total cost.
Currently, The Party Fairy on Etsy has listings where you can buy 100 jars with lids in bulk. With shipping added on you get 100 jars for $186.75. $36.75 of that is shipping, so, they are basically $1.87 each. The nice thing about this vendor is they also sell paper straws, treat cups, and adorable labels for the jars if you want to purchase those as well. All their stuff is color coordinated too, so likely this can be a one stop shop for you. I am going to e-mail them and see if they offer deals on custom orders since I would need 150 jars with lids and straws that all match. The only drawback is I wish they had handles...
This is FAKE silverware...yes is it plastic! I think this is the coolest thing to happen to outdoor dining in recent years - especially for weddings. My fiance and I decided early on we wanted a buffet style meal. We are leaning towards BBQ because everyone generally likes it and it is not as "stuffy" as a plated meal. Not to mention it is WAY cheaper to go with buffet anything than have a plated dual entree meal. And when I say way cheaper it can be $15-$30 less per plate to opt for buffet.
However, we did not want it to look super cheap and just use the generic clear or black plastic utensils. Not only do I feel that your run of the mill plastic utensils should be reserved for birthday parties or back yard picnics, but most of your guests will probably think this too. I think the metallic silver looking utensils are a perfect bridge to the gap between cheap and practical! The WEBstaurant Supply Store sells boxes of "silverware like plastic" knives, forks, and spoons much less expensively than GFS or the party supply stores around town.
But, of course I had to find something cheaper...I was able to get packs of these utensils for $1 at Dollar Tree (It might be "Deals" in your state but they are the same company). So, a 3 piece place setting for 4 people is only $0.25 per setting. I went ahead and bought enough packs of these for 150 place settings because when I had to call Dollar Tree Corporate about the plates I will be using, they said once they are out of certain items they will likely never get them again. Although the ones from the WEBstaurant Supply Store had fancier stems at the base, I will be making silverware sleeves out of burlap and you will never see the bottom of the utensil until they are being used.
In another blog post I did I outlined the pros and cons of using various kinds of plates. Well there are some cons to using plastic utensils - no matter if they are white, clear, or "fake silver". The biggest pro for me is that you just throw them away when you are done. They are not heavy, there is no washing, and they are cheap. And, for most foods that appear on a buffet, you will have no problem whatsoever using plastic utensils.
But, there are some foods that will not hold up well to plastic. Most crudites you eat with your fingers, so it is unlikely you would try to use a plastic fork to eat raw broccoli or carrots. We personally will not be serving salad at our wedding, but I feel like it is somewhat difficult to eat salad with a plastic fork.
Fruits on the other hand can all be easily "stabbed" with a plastic utensil. Cheeses and meatballs also hold up well to the mighty plastic. You could also use toothpicks for this kind of thing as well.
We will likely be serving shredded BBQ for our entrees, and I have eaten this fare with plastic forks without issue many times. Fish is also very easy to eat using plastic - such as shrimp or salmon. You DO get into trouble when you are trying to eat chicken, ribs, or steak with plastic.
BBQ at weddings has become increasingly popular with cowboy, rustic, vintage, and country themes. They just seem to go hand in hand! However, you have to consider most people who will be attending your wedding will dress up and look nice. When people are dressed up, they really do not want to make a mess with food - which is hard when you are serving a traditionally messy meal like barbeque.
Some brides make this dilemma a "funny" thing and offer bibs and wet towels at the table. Others, like me, will simply provide utensils to be used to eat food traditionally eaten with the hands.
Now, we will not be doing racks of ribs, but I have tried to eat ribs with plastic forks and knives before. It does not work...trust me...You look awkward for one because the men will just grab a rib and shove it into their mouth not caring they are getting sauce all over their face. But women will typically not do this at a wedding. So, they will pick and poke to get morsels of meat off the bone and it is just very difficult to do with plastic. You get into the same thing with roasted or fried chicken on the bone. What you end up with is a lot of broken utensils, wasted food, and hungry guests who will load up on sides instead of using their hands to eat a messy meal.
While grilled chicken breast is not difficult to eat with a fork - using a plastic knife to cut it is not easy. You spend so much time sawing away at your entree it will get cold before you can eat it. You can get around this by providing buns so you can eat a whole chicken breast like a sandwich.
BUT, if you have steak you absolutely have to provide guests with a real knife. You can get by with plastic forks and spoons for sides but it is just too difficult to cut steak or pork chops with a plastic knife.
You can get boxes of super cheap knives at the Dollar Store as well. They are less than $1 per guest, but well worth it if you want your guests to be able to cut their meal. We are going with already shredded chicken and pork BBQ to avoid this mess all together, but it is something that is often overlooked. In fact, as I was thinking this over and writing this blog I was watching Four Weddings on TLC and this issue came up. The ladies could not cut strip steak with their plastic knives so they just left it at the table. That is a lot of money down the drain due to poor planning in the utensil department.
If you are eating an entree that requires a knife, you also cannot skimp on the plates. You cannot use paper or foam plates for steak or pork chops. Paper and foam are really not suitable for anything that is not meant to be eaten on a bun.
Plates made of paper or foam will sag or break for one - but you will then STAB right through it with a real knife. This will likely soil your linens and make an unnecessary mess that will embarrass your guests. You have to be careful because while some of the caterers who do a buffet will offer china plates as an option, remarkably this does not include real silverware. So even with the china plate up-charge, you are still stuck with plastic utensils unless you ask.
The Verdict:
If you are wanting to stick with a super casual BBQ/grill fare, keep it simple and plan on guests using utensils for sides and not primarily for the entree. Anything on a sandwich will go over great. Beef brisket, pulled BBQ chicken and pork, fish filets like salmon, hamburgers, and hotdogs. Also think of having buns or rolls so people do not have to messy their hands or use a knife to cut tough foods. If you are going to have racks of ribs, steak, or pork chops, bite the bullet and just do china plates and real silverware. These foods will cost more than hamburgers and hotdogs anyway so it would be appropriate to splurge a bit. If your caterer wants to nickel and dime you for every metal fork and plate, keep the Dollar Stores in mind - you can get matching china plates for $1 each and flats of 50 pieces of stainless steel silverware for $10.
My focus of this post is to show the pros and cons of using certain types of plates for a place setting at a wedding and what I am personally choosing for my wedding.
My fiance and I decided early on to have an inviting, casual, outdoor wedding. Basically, my idea is to have "rustic elegance" as the theme but not have it so "frou-frou" that guests feel out of place. Most of the men at the wedding will be construction workers or farmers so the laid back atmosphere should go over well. The above image I found on Pinterest and I just love the moss/pine cone/bird decor with white plates! We are renting a massive tent for our big day and the reception will be held under it. I am hoping it will be sunny and 74 on our wedding day (hey, don't we all!?) so we can have an indoor/outdoor thing going on but October in Indiana can basically come with any weather condition you can imagine. Because of this, I did not want a caterer, guests, or any servers/attendants to be encumbered with dealing with china/glass dishware. My reasons for NOT going with china will be detailed below.
Now, all this would be different if we had wanted a sit down plated meal. If you opt to have a plated meal, generally a caterer will provide their own dishes and flatware and will deal with cleaning/storing them - some however offer this at an extra cost per person or per plate. When we looked into having a plated meal catered, it came out to about $25-$35 PER PERSON for the basic two entree/two side option. I am wanting to have this wedding as inexpensively as possible, so having a meal cost that much is out of the question. Instead, we are having a barbeque picnic style meal - which would better suit us anyway. The caterer we are going with does provide basic foam or paper plates. While this would be just fine if we were having a Super Bowl party or general get-together with friends, I feel that this sort of table setting would be too casual for a wedding.
This got me thinking of plate options. I knew right away I did not want paper plates. Despite the fact that you can get both round and square paper plates at Party City in any color you desire, I feel that most basic paper plates just scream birthday party and not wedding. Furthermore, when you are at a buffet piling on delicious eats the last thing you want to happen is for your plate to "sag" or bend. The inexpensive plates you get at the party store tend to be very thin and flimsy which leads to double or triple layering to make them sturdy enough. Not only is this wasteful, but impractical since the plates will be thrown away anyway. So, instead of each guest throwing away maybe 2 plates each, they are throwing away 6. Doesn't make much sense right? The "premium" plates pictured above I found being sold through an Ebay seller in "Embossed Citrus Green". While I LOVED these, they are $0.99 EACH when you add in shipping. Again, I do not want to spend $200+ on plates to be thrown away. PLUS, I would have to also buy dessert plates on top of the entree plates.
The next option is plastic. Again, like paper plates, with plastic you can run into the same problems with sagging and bending. Some of the cheapest plastic plates will also crack in the centers easily under the weight of food. Another problem with plastic plates is that they can get really hot if there is hot food on them - even more so than with paper. I remember being at a party last summer and I almost flipped a plate with baked beans on it because the plastic plate got so stinkin' hot in the center. Again, this will lead to people doubling or tripling the layers of plates creating unneeded waste. The plates pictured above I thought were SO cool - not really fitting with our theme - but SO cool nonetheless. They too were being sold by an Ebay seller and they are called "Luncheon Wedding Plastic Plates". I had a sticker shock moment however when I added in shipping, they were $1.60 EACH. The silvery lace on the outer edge commands a premium and they are beautiful - but really, if you are going to spend $1.60 on ONE plate, you might as well get china.
When I went to GFS with my mother and we were pricing out their plastic plates, I found their prices were comparable with online prices. They had "basic" clear plastic plates with a scalloped edge for $11.49 for a pack of 18. They were "OK" but with tax they would be about $0.65 each. The matching cake dishes were $5.99 a pack for 18 or about $0.35 each. I was pretty happy with the price being at about $1 per guest for dinner and dessert plates combined. But...well...the plates were boring, basic, and just not cute. They did not look elegant, or special, or interesting. And again, I was worried that they would be too thin and would need to be doubled and that would eat into costs unnecessarily. I was about to give up at GFS until I found THIS:
GFS sells these awesome packs of plates by Mozaik. The plates inside are quite sturdy plastic. They are white with a silver metallic edge, and you cannot tell they are not real china! At GFS, they have this 40 piece set for $9.99. It is a full service for 8 WITH "stainless steel look" utensils. There are 8 entree plates, 8 dessert plates, and 8 each of plastic knives, spoons, and forks. That comes out to about $1.28 with tax per guest. You can find these exact same plates online with a gold edge too, but they did not sell the gold version at GFS. Considering there are utensils with this makes it a great deal. BUT - I just knew I could get a better deal if I looked.
And I DID find a better deal on the EXACT same plates! I had a hunch that the Dollar Store might carry these...Some of the local Dollar Stores DO carry the entree plates - 4 for $1. They also sell the small dessert plates - 6 for $1 and they sell small packs of the stainless-look silverware. I priced it out compared to the boxed set at GFS and found that by buying the plates and utensils separate, it is about $3 cheaper for a 8 person place setting. The only issue with this is that often times, once discount stores like a Dollar Store or Deals run out of an item, they might not ever get more in. This month I am planning to visit all the local "dollar" type stores to see if I can score enough plates for everyone and get it out of the way.
One of the main reasons I wanted to go with these particular plates is because I really do not want people to throw them away per-se - but I want them to be thrown into a plastic bag where they can be dealt with later.
Allow me to explain.
Initially, I had this grand idea that I would use mismatched vintage china plates for the wedding meal. I found this picture above on WeddingBee and it is pretty representative of my own vintage plate collection. This style of place setting is very on trend for rustic weddings and it would have gone with my theme perfectly. My every day plates are made of mismatched floral bone china that I have picked up over the years from yard sales and flea markets, so I had planned on just going on buying trips and picking up more plates here and there. But then I got to thinking...as a vintage dealer for 13 years I know the problems you can run into with vintage dishes. Here are a few problems you can encounter with using vintage plates:
Fragility:
Vintage plates often have hairline cracks and crazing due to age. While this can be very appealing as a display on a wall or in a hutch, if you use them for food you have to be very careful what kind and how much food you put on them. Very hot foods can cause hairline cracks and fissures to open up and a plate can literally break in half as it sits on a table with hot food. If you have a weighty pile of food it can also cause a sudden break right down the center of the plate. If you have foods with sauces or drawn butter, it can leak through these cracks as well and dirty your table cloths and mats. Vintage plates are also often made of English bone china or Japanese porcelain and the second they "tap" another plate or glass they will chip.
Practicality:
If you have 150+ entree plates and 150+ dessert plates, someone will have to be in charge of taking them into the kitchen and washing them. Unless you have a wonderful family member or friend willing to stand in the kitchen for 2 hours washing dishes, this will likely be more of a pain for YOU as a bride than what it is worth. Vintage plates make this even more difficult to address. Vintage plates cannot be put into the dishwasher. The high temperatures of modern washers will cause plates to bust and chip during a cycle even if they are not touching each other. You also cannot stack heaps of vintage dishes together and carry them together for the same reason. So, you will have attendants making many runs from your tables to a washing area where dishes will pile up until they can be washed and properly stored. I would imagine this would cause breakage of probably three-fourths to half of the plates in all honesty.
Storage:
What are you going to do at the end of the night with 300+ plates? No, even more importantly, where are you going to store these before the big day? Since vintage plates are so fragile they really need to be wrapped separately and stored in something like a big plastic tub with a lid. As you would be making endless trips to Goodwill and flea markets collecting your dishes, you would need to make sure they were being stored so they would not get broken in the meantime.When I was looking for Ball jars for drinking I did find that some vendors in the south rent out vintage plates.
The Verdict:
Because of all these reasons, I decided that the white plastic plates with silver rim would work best for me and my guests. I am also thinking that just in case they may not be sturdy enough that I might see if a simple plastic changer would help dress up the table. My plan is for people to "discard" the plates into bins outside where they can be bagged up and tied off after the meal to avoid smells or bugs. I will have no problem washing them myself the following day and either reselling them or renting them out. As a bride on a tight budget, I am going to maximize the re-usability of everything I buy for my wedding to recoup some of the expenses after the big day.
