Trashy or Economical

The should be included with your catering. The caterer should also give you pricing if you use plastic instead of real china. Once you get your quote ask them how much of the quote is for the real china or the plastic. In my experience some break it down for you, some won't. Then see how much it will cost you if you bring in your own and have them to subtract it from your invoice if it will cost you less. But honestly real or plastic I would let the caterer bring it in so you won't have to worry about it and you won't have to figure out how much you need and risk not having enough

I think caterers typically provide dinnerware, flatware, china etc (I know mine is). For the caterers you're considering, just ask what all is included in their fee (glasses, dinnerware, linens, chairs, etc) while you're still comparing companies. They might offer to cut costs by doing only the cocktail glasses in plastic and the rest in actual dinnerware. There are so many ways to whittle down the cost, just be frank with them and see what they recommend.
In the off-chance it's not provided by the caterer, you could try renting them from an event rental company.

If no one provides the plates and all, SAMs has some clear plastic plates and utensils (even some utensils that look real but are just plastic) that are really nice. I’m going to be using those. No one is really going to care about the plates. They’ll be more interested in the food and seeing you guys!

Plastic Plates

Our caterer is giving us clear plastic plates. We're doing barbecue food.

I think it also matters what kind of food you’re having. Trying to cut a piece of steak with a plastic knife wouldn’t be my first choice but if I was having a BBQ or something similar like listed above, I think that would be just fine.

I think it depends on what youre serving. If your having a nice plated typical wedding dinner, then I would think it was super weird if you had plastic. If it's more casual - buffet or stations or something, then no i think it's fine. Definitely not trashy, but i think you need to think about the overall vibe of your reception before you decide.

There are some nice options for plastic table settings. I’ve used them the past couple years hosting Easter dinner, and they look nice and work great. As others have pointed out, just make sure your menu is appropriate for plastic plates. And most plastic plates are recyclable, so if you go this route you can still be eco-friendly. Since you haven’t chosen a caterer yet, I would make sure you consider the cost of table settings if not included. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay a little more for the caterer than to have to get these things yourself.

I know you said the biodegradable plates are hideous - but, thought I’d share anyway. I’m using these palm leaf plates - they look like wood. We are having a backyard reception & don’t want to have to worry about cleaning dishes or dishes breaking. Are these different than the biodegradable ones you’ve seen?

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Oh I like the wood plates!

View Quoted Comment Yes, girl! I found a package of 100 on amazon for $40. They sell sets that come with two different sized plates, knifes, forks and spoons - but it was for 50 place settings & since we are having 52 guests, we’d have to buy two sets and would have a bunch left over. So, we found it was cheaper to buy the 100 plates and the cutlery set separately.


I think the wood plates would match your venue & can be played up as rustic or modern.