As long as we are talking about DIY weddings and food (see previous posts on catering, dessert, and cake), let’s also talk about DIY dishes.
Just how many plates does one couple need?? Photo courtesy of Artisan Events.
When you see the total cost of rental dishes, you might be tempted to go to Ikea and buy dishes instead of renting them. Depending on your circumstances, that might be a good choice–or it really might not be.
I know someone who bought enough dishes to serve about 50 people at her wedding. They got married in their own home, had a good caterer, and had places to store all those dishes after the wedding. It can work.
On the other hand, if you are having 150 guests at a rented venue, you might run into some unexpected difficulties. For example, keep in mind that everything may need to be washed before it is used. Your catering staff probably won’t do that for you without an additional charge. Next, think about what will happen to all those dishes at the end of the night. The kitchen staff will scrape them and pack them up in whatever boxes you provide for them. Then you or your representative will have to pick them up from the venue the day after the wedding (or take them home that night). And then someone will have to wash all of them. Ever done dishes for 150 people? It’s not fun. After that, you’ll still have to figure out what to do with 150 place settings. That might not be how you planned to spend the first day or two of your honeymoon.
And don’t forget that you’ll probably need serving dishes, as well. A lot of them!
This is not to say you shouldn’t buy dishes, but you should definitely think it through all the way to the end before taking the leap. It’s not the right choice for most weddings.
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