That would be:
Dinner Plates
Dessert Plates
Saucers
Tea Cups
Knives
Spoons
Forks (Dinner and Dessert)
Many caterers will rent you these crucial items (who wants to go to a wedding with no plates?!) at a cost, but you are responsible for paying for anything that is broken (that has to be a downer for the weddings where plate breaking are a sign of good luck and well-wishes.)
I challenged my mother and future mother-in-law, Denise, to help me find these pieces.
And off to Goodwill we went!
Now, I used to not be a fan of Goodwill. Seriously, my mother and sister, Suzanne, would go on these seven hour shopping bends, and the last stop would ALWAYS be Goodwill. After seven hours of shopping ("Does this basket look big enough to hold my socks? Wait, wait- I just found these for a nickle cheaper! Do you like it better than this one? It's a bit smaller. Do you think this one is worth the extra nickle, or should I go for the smaller, cheaper one? I'm not sure how many socks I have. Maybe I need two baskets...") I am normally at my wits end by the time we make it to Goodwill. It's at this point that all I want to do is sit on the floor and cry like I did when I was four(teen).
But now that I went to Goodwill with a purpose I was renewed!! Now it was a treasure hunt! I relished in sorting through cups for hidden jems (a gold border? AMAZING! Hand-painted flowers? It's like it's Christmas!!) Mom loves anything for a good deal, so she was timing her shopping to the first Saturday of each month where EVERYTHING was half-off.
Apparently this is only valid at Nashville locations, because the lady at the Goodwill in Knoxville looked at me like I had two heads. I wanted to tell her they needed to have everything half-off because her prices were OUTRAGEOUS. Target had better prices on tea cups for crying out loud.
Denise also got in on the place setting hunt, dropping into vintage boutiques, both overpriced and super cheap. Denise loved the haggle- she got an entire bag of silverware for, life, five dollars. I would listen to her ask how much something was, ("10 dollars.") and then succinctly state what she would have paid ("1 dollar").
I do not have pictures of my mother's finds (those will come later) but I did photograph Denise's "staging" area in her dining room.
Denise's Finds
12 Dinner Plates
26 Dessert Plates
23 Teacups and Saucers
73 Forks (seriously- these are like gold. Everyone has spoons and knives, but forks were always MIA)
19 Spoons
12 Knives
6 Various serving spoons
10 Milk bud vases
Sterling silver salad tongs
Sterling silver butter dish
Sterling silver sugar and creamer set
5 Pie plates
15 Wine glasses
3 Mimosa glasses
Denise thought it would be nice to do a mock table setting in her kitchen. When I try describing my tables to family members and friends, I mostly get cocked heads and raised eyebrows. I am totally confident that the tables are going to be beautiful, but for the doubters, go a head a take a look.
Now just imagine how pretty it will be with peach table clothes, burlap table runners, and cloth napkins with button napkin rings?
Can yous see it? I certainly can.
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