Dinnerware. Disposables or rentals?

I don't have any advice between the disposable vs rentals, though if you decide to supply your own non-disposable dinnerware, Goodwill would be a good place to find dinnerware for cheap! The downside would be having to wash them all afterwards.

I'm planning on disposable plates. Probably sturdy paper ones. Super cheap.

View Quoted Comment Exactly lol that is the last thing I want to worry about on top of everything else 😅

View Quoted Comment Same! Did you decide because you had too or did your caterer offer dinnerware but you took the disposables route instead?

View Quoted Comment Since I have a budget of $5000... And I have a big family and church family that loves to cook... We're diying our food and I chose paper plates very early on much to my mother's chagrin

There was an article not long ago saying that weddings lately have a huge environmental footprint because of purchasing items instead of renting with science to back it up. While items some are resold or given away free, an equal number find their way to landfills, where rentals do not. Plus when people purchase, they don’t factor in their time and sanity at minimum wage per hour, including the time it takes to steam everything and transport it plus setup/tear down, which is a minimal charge for the convenience of the rental business and day of coordinator doing the work for you. So for example that specific trellis you want can be rented most places cheaper than the supplies, labor and time to build your own that you may not have room or desire to keep. Those buying used items often don’t want to pay a lot so you don’t break even.


Most cities have rental companies that have a wide variety of items very inexpensive in comparison to purchasing. If your caterer doesn’t offer rentals, then go with a local party rental business.
Biodegradable plates and silverware are more expensive to purchase. You also have to have a separate trash bin for them that is labeled as such, and someone willing to dispose of them separately. That adds to the cost, which again makes rentals less expensive. Most rental companies who have plates and silverware only require you to rinse everything at most. You don’t have to wash anything before you return it nor do they expect you to.

View Quoted Comment Aww nice! I wish our venue allowed outside food!

View Quoted Comment Thank you! That makes alot of sense! I thought about all of this too I just can't shake what my caterer said about saving a good amount of cost by NOT renting. So I'm stumped.

View Quoted Comment That is strange advice and it seems odd that they would tell you that. Not all professionals know what they are talking about. But brides aren’t “expected” to think on your own or do outside research which is what they are hoping you will not think of doing and take everything they say as gospel. It’s possible that if you talked to a different person there, they would say something different. You may be better off finding a different caterer, such as a local restaurant that offers drop off service which is less expensive than a regular caterer and often better food in many cases.