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Buying Dinnerware

KeepMovingOnKeepMovingOn member
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in Budget Weddings Forum
We're in the middle of trying to figure out how many plates, cups, etc. we will be needing for budget reasons. The hardest part for me about using a non-wedding venue is trying to figure all of this stuff out on my own. Right now, we're thinking we'll be using Chinet. We'll be having a buffet, cake, and hosted soft drinks, beer, and wine. There won't be a cocktail hour because we'll be going directly from the ceremony to the reception. We're inviting around 120 guests. 

How many dinner plates, dessert plates, silverware sets, and cups should we budget for?
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Re: Buying Dinnerware

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    penguin44penguin44 member
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    I would think you would want at least 180 dinner plates. Maybe even double the 120 for that, so 240. That's just in case people want seconds. I'm not sure about the cups and silverware. I would assume only a few more for dessert plates.

    Also, I ordered disposables from smartyhadaparty.com and webstaurant.com. They ended up being cheaper than buying disposables at the store. Since cups were so cheap through them, we ended up just getting a case of 1,000.

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    KeepMovingOnKeepMovingOn member
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    Thanks for your input!

    What size cups should we get? 9oz?
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    atlastmrsgatlastmrsg member
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    Have you priced out renting real plates?  I had a large birthday party at my farm, and could rent real china, for example, for $.42 per plate.  In your area, it may be less expensive.
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    atlastmrsgatlastmrsg member
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    edited October 2014
    KeepMovingOn said:
    Thanks for your input!

    What size cups should we get? 9oz?

    If these are for punch, cocktails or wine, they're fine.

    A 9oz cup with water or iced tea in it will be tiny.  By the time you add ice and take a few drinks, it will be empty.  Bigger.
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    penguin44penguin44 member
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    KeepMovingOn said:
    Thanks for your input!

    What size cups should we get? 9oz?
    I think we got 9 oz for wine and 12 oz for beer and soda.
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    lyndausvilyndausvi mod
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    plates do at least 1.5 per person.   Cake plates do at least 2 per person.  People  use that size for cake, apps or just to grab a small amount of food.

    Cups 2 per person. I would just do 12 oz.  If you want you can buy 6 oz cups for wine and kids. You would only need .5 to .75 per person of those. 






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    Better to over buy, especially if using throw away items. If you don't use everything, generally you can returned any unopened items.
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    KeepMovingOnKeepMovingOn member
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    atlastmrsg said:
    Have you priced out renting real plates?  I had a large birthday party at my farm, and could rent real china, for example, for $.42 per plate.  In your area, it may be less expensive.
    I have. Plates here rent for $.40 per plate. But you can't have a real plate and then have plastic utensils. Those are also $.40 EACH. It's definitely out of our price range.


    lyndausvi said:
    plates do at least 1.5 per person.   Cake plates do at least 2 per person.  People  use that size for cake, apps or just to grab a small amount of food.

    Cups 2 per person. I would just do 12 oz.  If you want you can buy 6 oz cups for wine and kids. You would only need .5 to .75 per person of those. 
    We aren't having appetizers, @lyndausvi. Would you still recommend 2 cake plates per person? Or would 1.5 then be all right?

    Thank you everyone for your suggestions! We'll probably just get a case of 1000 12 oz. cups, 200 dinner plates, and somewhere between 180-240 cake plates.

    What about silverware? 1.5 of each per person?

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    lyndausvilyndausvi mod
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    edited October 2014
    cake plate 1.25 per person then.

    Silverware I would do 2.25 per person for forks.    Knives 1 per person.  Unless you have a specific dish like soup or ice cream I would only do .75 per person for spoons.

    Forks are more because most people will use a different fork for dinner and cake.  .  They fall more often then any other utensil.  People will grab more than one thinking their family member might need one.    In generally more forks are used then anything.


    That all being said, if you go to a restaurant supply store you can find a case of setups.  They are a fork,knife, spoon, napkin combo all wrapped up.  You can grab those and then other case of just forks.    Little more casusal, but it's easier for people to grab. 


    ETA -  Here is a setup I was talking about.   It's heavy weight and with a nice napkin all readly rolled up.   ETA - we use this exact thing at the club for to-go foods.   The napkin is nice and strudy.







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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    Karens62Karens62 member
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    Check out Sams club as well. I got the nice disposable plates and tonsils, delivered, for less than smartyhadaparty and webstaurant.
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    AnnoymouseBride124AnnoymouseBride124 member
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    We just bought 900 pieces of China off of Craigslist for a church for $225 so .25 to buy instead of .50 to rent. Keep an eye out for things like that!
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