A wedding is a ceremony that requires a lot of planning and preparation by the bride and groom, their families, and any hired wedding planners, and this means logistics such as the venue (indoor or outdoor), hiring a florist and photographer, creating the guest list and guest seating arrangements, and of course, the meal itself and the drinking vessels, plates, napkins, and cutlery used for a reception’s lunch or dinner. At first, it may seem cheap to use paper napkins instead of fancy dinner napkins or use ca clear plastic cup in place of crystal wine glasses, but in some cases, a clear plastic cup or paper plate is not just acceptable, but the most practical option for the reception. Different weddings will have different numbers of guests and levels of formality, meaning that there is some flexibility about the dinnerware. A clear plastic cup does not have to look cheap; in fact, disposable serveware can look very attractive and nearly the same as proper china, such as fancy plastic cups and plastic wine glasses. How can the ideal wedding look be made?
Different Weddings
Today across the United States, weddings may vary in their size, location, formality, and price, and there are some general trends that may act as general guidelines for everyone who is planning a wedding today. To start with, some may note that the average amount spent on a wedding may be close to $35,329, and the average number of guests for a wedding is 136. Naturally, these numbers will very based on various factors, and a guest list may be as small as 50 or as large as 300, and the price will vary widely based on the season, the venue, the number of guests being fed, and more. Setting up dinner for 300 guests will look different on paper than feeding 75 of them, for example, and this may impact the choice of venue and the items being used for the meal, decorations, and more. In what circumstances will a guest be satisfied with a clear plastic cup, and when will they prefer crystal or glass wine glasses? Which type is better for different weddings?
The Meal and Venue
The number of guests to a wedding will impact the price of seating and feeding them all, and this may affect what sort of cutlery, plates, and drinking vessels will be used. If the bride and groom want a large guest list, but they cannot afford glass vessels, china, and cloth napkins for everyone involved, this may call for a clear plastic cup such as a plastic wine glass for each guest, which can in fact look very similar to the real thing. Paper napkins and plates, and plastic cutlery (which can still look elegant) can all be used as well so that the guests have all the supplies they need while keeping overall costs down. These plastic and paper utensils can also be thrown away and otherwise disposed of, which simplifies the clean-up. By contrast, a smaller guest list may leave room in the budget for fancier cutlery and glasses for everyone involved, such as at a more intimate wedding, and if the budget is large enough, even a more generous guest list can mean having china for all guests.
The formality of a wedding may vary too, and this may be reflected in the lunch or dinner served. For a more elegant ballroom wedding in Manhattan, for example, china and glass wine vessels will be most fitting, and a clear plastic cup or paper plates might stand out, and not in a good way. Conversely, more semi-formal or semi-casual wedding themes and venues can be a great place for plastic wine glasses and paper plates and napkins, and some venues such as a beach or a farm house will be more suitable for a clear plastic cup, paper napkins and plates, and more. For this reason, brides and grooms with a limited budget may choose such a venue so that their disposable cutlery and plates do not stand out badly in a place like a ballroom, so that a wedding is both affordable and has a coherent theme and level of formality.