Disposable Plates?

We're using disposable plates. they're really strong plastics one and look fine! our venue is technically at a park so we don't want anything too fancy and plus it'll be easier clean up for our vendor.

I ordered plastic plates off of amazon. Occasions is the brand, I had free shipping and it ended up being cheaper than smartyhadaparty.

Oh my god, this thread. who gives a fuck about plates??

This whole thing is really confusing. One of the biggest perks of having a wedding at a beautiful outdoor location is that you don't need to spend a ton on flowers because you already have so much natural beauty. Disposable plates make sense at an outdoor wedding where BBQ is served (though less sense when it's a state park considering that they're worse for the environment). The 10K on flowers doesn't seem to fit at all.

We plan to use disposable ones made from palm leaves, they look like real wooden dishes !

@a&w, the ceremony is outside and the reception is in a dining hall in the park. I do agree with you and other PPs that disposable plates are wasteful and inconsiderate of the environment. Idk, I do not really think that flowers have to be formal? We are planning a natural look with a lot of greenery; I do not think they will look out of place.

I would just call the caterer and see if they have the option of real plates/silverware. BBQ is hard as hell to eat with plastic silverware lol.

We are using disposable plates. Our caterer provides them.

My caterer only supplies heavy duty Styrofoam plates *shudder* so I am ordering plates. I will be damned if I use Styrofoam. I hate the sound of them.

I mean, I don't think anyone is side-eying you for a $10k floral budget. I'd be right there with you if I could afford that. I'm not a huge floral person, but if I had the money, I'd want centerpieces to end all centerpieces.

Like others said, it's about having a $10k floral budget, and a BBQ wedding package from Deep Run Roadhouse that's $12pp (if that's the package you chose).

Like, wut?

There are lots of people who care about plates. I wouldn't want to eat off of a disposable plate at a wedding.

@heather L thanks, I'm also doing BBQ foods and the venue is at a park so we're keeping it low-key/on the casual side. I love the palm plates but my colors are black white and wine red so I don't think they'd match. I've had my eye on the compostable plates made from sugar cane so I might try to order a couple and see if they're? sturdy enough then I'll order the full amount. The plastic ones on that site are supposedly recyclable but I'm not sure if they'd need to be taken to a special facility.

@gymrat, bbq is my favorite food so that is why we picked DRR; they are great. I'm not sure how much everything is per person but our total estimate is about $4k for 100 people, not including alcohol. That's with staff and everything included though. A lot of people on here spend several thousand dollars on basic floral needs. The floral chandeliers and garland are going to require tons of flowers and are going to be pretty laborious on our florist. Flowers are expensive and 10k is not going to stretch that far with what we are trying to do. We are only having the ceiling installations in less than half of the venue. I think people are picturing a way more elaborate set up than it is actually going to be.

I think that's what gets me. The flowers are for you, for your vision. The meal is for your guests. The meals is less than half of what your florals cost. That just seems so backwards to me.

But it is what it is, enjoy your wedding OP.

Lord have mercy. OP you're missing the point. Nobody is saying that it's wrong to spend that kind of money on flowers. No matter where you live, $10k on flowers is a lot of money. Either you're having a lot or you're having expensive varieties (or a combo of the two). If that's what you want to spend on flowers and you can afford it, then go for it. But it's not okay to spend that kind of money on flowers when it's at the expense of your guests' experience. If sacrificing some of the vision for real plates is what it takes, then that's what needs to happen.

Doesn't matter if they're ornate and intricate centerpieces. They don't have to be for people to be able to tell that you put a lot of money into the flowers...

...but they're eating BBQ from disposable plates.

And just a disclaimer: I had BBQ so I have no issue with it. I stand by my previous statement that disposables are fine for a casual wedding, but not when $10k worth of flowers is involved.

@LB, we are going to have an abundance of delicious food; are you saying i should pay more on catering just for the sake of it?

I'm using them! Clear plates with reflective plastic silverware

Flowers should be 8-10 percent of your budget. Your reception including food and drinks should be 48-50 percent. If you are spending more on flowers than your food, your vision is more important than your guests. If you are trying to create a certain type of atmosphere with your flowers why ruin it with plastic plates.

You do you darling. IMO BBQ =/= 10k flower installations. But that's just my opinion.

A year from now, nobody is going to remember if your flowers cost $25 or $2500.