Chargers or no chargers??

I had chargers for my buffet reception. Without them the tables were just kind of empty. And, I thought the silverware and glasses looked out of place.

I think the reason not to have chargers at a buffet is that people think they're the plates and might bring them up to the buffet to put food on them. If everyone you're inviting will understand the system you could use them and be fine, but it's likely that not everyone will understand and you could end up causing problems for your catering staff. Chargers are really just for decoration, and they're often cleaned like decorations instead of being run through the dishwasher like plates.

For those that has chargers, do you think it’s worth splurging on fancier ones that you love or just basic gold ones?? I’m trying right stay within budget but having a hard tome letting something go since everything else is so uncertain this hear!

We had a buffet (kind of, we had stations,) and used chargers. No one ate off of them that we could tell.

We are just putting chargers at the sweetheart table for pictures, the guest tables won’t have chargers because it’s an expense that just isn’t in our budget.

Hi date twin! We’re doing the same this year I plan on getting chargers, I am sure people will get it if the tables are all set up with the charger and then the plates. I actually found some at the Dollar Tree of all places. I haven’t order them yet, but they have a few options, and seem decent for the price. The ones I found at Michael’s seem full of scratches, and have bad reviews. I say go for it, it gives the table that little extra!

I’m doing a buffet & using chargers! It adds so much to the tables. My family was a bit concerned that others might use them as the plates, so we put out plates(heavy duty plastic) on top of the chargers in our place settings. It really made the chargers pop even more!


I got my chargers at CV linens (online store)for around $3 each. I would have loved to just spend $1, but I felt it was worth it to have something different than just plain gold or silver. Here is a mock up of what the tables will look like- our wedding is 10/10! I plan to put place cards on top of the napkins

You can definitely have them for a buffet if you choose. They are more common at a formal plated meal but that shouldn't stop you if you want to splurge on them.

With a buffet, you aren't going to have plates as part of the settings when people sit down. Food safety laws mandate that you get a clean plate each trip through which is stacked at the head of the buffet table.

Got silver ones from dollar general

View Quoted Comment Hmm so it’s just at my sisters house outside, not at a venue— so I’m guessing I wouldn’t need to worry about that. Definitely can’t afford multiple plates per guest! But we’ll have one person serving bc the thought of everyone touching serving spoons during Covid is certainly my terrifying lol

View Quoted Comment Nice! I’ll have go check them out. The ones I love are $3 vs the standard $1 ones— I was trying to convince myself that and the chairs wouldn’t matter, but I really want gold chiavari chairs and this charger...

View Quoted Comment Hmm so it’s just at my sisters house outside, not at a venue— so I’m guessing I wouldn’t need to worry about that. Definitely can’t afford multiple plates per guest! But we’ll have one person serving bc the thought of everyone touching serving spoons during Covid is certainly my terrifying lol

View Quoted Comment Can you get heavy duty plastic plates from Costco or Efavormart? They're less expensive than rentals.
One person serving the entire buffet or per dish?

Granted I had a plated meal, but I legitimately cannot remember if we had charger's or not at the tables. Depending on how much they are to get, I wouldn't bother. I think there may be 1 or 2 pictures of table settings in my pictures, but those aren't really the ones we look at lol.

View Quoted Comment I got the ones from Dollar Tree for our backyard minimony, and they were great! Not scuffed or scratched, and came with a thin paper between each one to keep them that way. You'll love them!


I used the plain gold ones and then put heavy duty plastic plates that had more detail on top. The plain chargers really set the plates off nicely.

Not using actual chargers for our event, but using faux monstera leaves underneath plates and under centerpieces to give a contrast.
They were really cheap on Amazon.

View Quoted Comment

Thanks, Jeni! Good to hear from someone who used them! Those are the ones I am looking at!

View Quoted Comment I’m planning to use gold chargers but hadn’t found any yet that I love. However these are great😍. Where did you buy them?

View Quoted Comment

I know! I love them, just trying to decide if it's worth it to pay more for them! Were you looking to buy or rent? Where do you live? I've looked around a lot, so I can point you in the right direction if I know those things!