Today's
topic from Frugally Fabulous Wedding Receptions
Should
I rent linens, dishes, flatware and glasses, or purchase disposables?
This question arises as a result of
two issues; financial considerations and aesthetics.
Financially it is more prudent to
purchase disposables.
Aesthetically it is nicer to rent
the real thing.Which leads to the next question........
Is it possible to have an
aesthetically pleasing table without spending a fortune?
Absolutely! By combining some rental pieces with disposables you can
achieve an atmosphere of formality suitable to your occasion, while not blowing
the budget.
Cloth tablecloths will add the
most formal tone to your function. I have coordinated
too many receptions to count and definitely feel that table
clothes add color, texture and depth to the room that cannot be achieved in any
other way.
And, now with the availability of gently used wedding items on line, you have more options.
Visit www.bravobride.com,
- select Reception in the drop down for Category and type in table
- then compare the prices of gently used linens to rentals (don't forget to figure in
the cost of having the items shipped to you)...and then factor in the
amount your can recoup by reselling the linens after you use them. There
are also a wide variety of chair covers, table overlays and runners
available.
Also check www.100layercake.com (select Catering
Supplies and make sure to check out the vintage china for rent in the LA
area)
www.wedding-recycle.com is another site with gently used wedding items. And of course
check eBay, Amazon and Craig's List for things you might be able to
use. Just pay close attention to where the seller is located.
One option to achieve a balance between formal and casual
Consider renting linens and flatware but
purchase rigid plastic dinner plates and clear plastic glasses for
drinks. Set the tables with the linens and flatware. The
disposables will be placed at the bar and buffet and will not be noticeably
different. By the time the guests get to the tables with their full
plates, the food and drink will disguise the disposables.
A second option
Rent linens,
champagne flutes and wine glasses. Place them on the tables with a favor
for each guest. Disposable plates and flatware can be placed on the
buffet, again not detracting from the table. By the time the guests sit
down to eat they will not notice the disposables.
Yes, these are disposable
There are a wide variety of on-line
sources with wonderful selections of reasonably priced disposable linens,
napkins, serving pieces, plates, glasses and flatware.
I like the variety
of prices and colors available at cateringsupplies.com; in
addition to the fact that they sell in quantities to fit every need, they
also provide a phone number and names for personal contact is you want to talk
to someone.
www.partycity.com
offers a great selection of colored paper or plastic tablecloths with
coordinating serving pieces. There are PC stores in cities all over
the country, if there is one near you it is definitely worth a trip
just to check out what is available.
Of course the box stores also are
a good source for disposables but sometimes the
quantities are excessive and the design lacking. Another source is
restaurant supply stores that sell sundries. These stores can also be an
excellent source for bulk purchases of food products. Look in your
yellow pages and online to locate one in your area.
How much should I budget for renting dishes, flatware, glasses?
There are different levels of quality for rental dinnerware and flatware but the glasses seem to be fairly standardized. The rental facilities in my area offer three levels of quality and I have used the medium range to price the reception with one hundred guests. The cost for renting tablecloths, napkins, plates, dinner flatware, water glasses, champagne flutes, cake plates, cake forks and coffee cups was over $1,100.00. This did not include chafing dishes or any serving dishes for the buffet.
The cost for purchasing disposables
will run over $100.00; depending on how many serving dishes you order, the
quality of items you order, etc. Of course everything can go into the
garbage, although many of the items are sturdy enough to wash and
re-use. If you decide to use disposables plates spend the extra money to
purchase a sturdy plate; it will pay off in the long run. Also, if you
order online allow time before your event to sort and wrap the disposable
flat ware.....it will probably arrive in a box all mixed together.
Besides
cost, what is the most negative aspect of renting dishes, flatware, etc.?
Two factors affect dealing with
rental goods. They are more time consuming and awkward to deal
with; due to the weight and the fact that everything is usually wrapped
individually in plastic for protection. So, allow more set-up time if you
are using rentals because it takes time to get all that plastic off of
everything. The other issue is the fact that everything must be returned
relatively clean. That means all the food rinsed off. And
again, it takes time to rinse 100 dinner plates, 200 glasses and 300 pieces of
flatware. If you do use rental goods please watch my blog
for future articles regarding hiring helpers for the day of your
event. When we have helped clients who rented dishes this has
been the most arduous task....and everyone is already getting tired by the time
the dished need to be packed up. If the dishes are returned with any
food particles on them the rental companies tend to add a fairly substantial
surcharge to your bill. And if anything is broken, you will purchase
that item at a highly inflated price.
COMING
NEXT:
If
I rent dishes, how many will I need?
What
kind of serving pieces do I need?
Should
we have rental goods delivered?
Tips
from the Frugally Fabulous Kitchen
1) Several of the FF recipes
use brown sugar. If your brown sugar has turned into a block, use
the following trick to soften the sugar.
Put the brown sugar on a
glass pie plate or small bowl, place a small piece of waxed paper on
the sugar, place a piece of bread on the waxed paper and then cover the
container with plastic. Microwave for approximately 30
seconds. The sugar will be soft. If you don't have any
wax paper try with just the slice of bread. I have even
softened the sugar just using a medium heat
setting on the microwave. But it does work better with the
bread, due to the extra moisture pulled from the bread.
2) If you are serving a
small bowl of dip on a platter with chips, or veggies, it can be secured
so that it doesn't slide around. Turn the bowl upside down
and dab creamed honey on the bottom of the bowl. Place the
bowl right side up on the plate, fill with dip and arrange the food
around it.
No comments:
Post a Comment