{"id":378,"date":"2014-09-23T09:31:56","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T16:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/?p=378"},"modified":"2020-03-12T14:23:13","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T21:23:13","slug":"wedding-tip-renting-vs-collecting-vintage-dishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wedding-tip-renting-vs-collecting-vintage-dishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Wedding Tip: Renting vs. Collecting Vintage Dishes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>So you are that creative\u00a0bride or groom. \u00a0You love vintage. \u00a0You love finding treasures and repurposing relics. \u00a0And why should you rent vintage dishes when you are perfectly able to hit the thrift stores and garage sales on your own? \u00a0Why pay for something that you can do yourself? Here are a few things to consider&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-389 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock-1024x528.jpg\" alt=\"clock\" width=\"584\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock-1024x528.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock-300x154.jpg 300w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock-500x258.jpg 500w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/clock.jpg 1661w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Your Time<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Hunting treasure is fun! \u00a0You&#8217;ll get no argument from me. \u00a0And my favorite afternoons are spent losing myself for hours in thrift stores. \u00a0And just because you are renting your plates and flatware, it doesn&#8217;t mean that you can&#8217;t be on the hunt for a piece that\u00a0you can use and then treasure. \u00a0(I had a bride that found her own cake plate and cake serving set before hiring me.) \u00a0So, I am in no way suggesting that you leave it all up to vintage companies if it&#8217;s something you enjoy. \u00a0But consider that when that engagement ring slid onto your finger, your time became much more in demand. \u00a0Even if you are working with an amazing wedding planner, he or she will still want meetings with you. \u00a0If you are a DIY couple\u00a0or even a creative spirit working with professionals, there are so many details to obsess about. \u00a0And it&#8217;s a handful to shuffle relatives and friends and dress fittings, while still maintaining the most important part of all of this- your relationship with the person to which you are joining your life. \u00a0And let&#8217;s not forget that you need to rest! So even though your Saturday mornings seem to be free for yard sales, you might want to keep sleeping in as an option.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Selection<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The thrill is in the find and that is because you cannot predict what will be sitting at a yard sale or on a thrift store shelf next week. \u00a0But that means that the ideal collection often takes many years to amass. \u00a0And there is a learning curve to picking up the right pieces. \u00a0I confess that the first items I picked up have either been dismissed or I look at them and still wonder, &#8220;What was I thinking?!&#8221;. \u00a0I confess that it took me a few bad purchases to distinguish cheap mass produce restaurant china with florals from true vintage treasures. \u00a0And if you are on a time schedule, it will be easy to settle for the former not-so-great pieces. \u00a0Not to mention that you cannot predict which items will even show up for you during your shopping season. \u00a0The last thing you want is to be stressed about trying to find the last 20 salad plates one week before the wedding.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> BORROWING<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>So Aunt Ida says you can use her 30 place-setting Lenox. \u00a0I love this. \u00a0How great to put her treasures to use! \u00a0The one thing to consider is how you will feel if a piece gets broken. \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-391\" src=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/BP-0009-broken_edited-1.jpg\" alt=\"BP-0009 broken_edited-1\" width=\"201\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/BP-0009-broken_edited-1.jpg 2233w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/BP-0009-broken_edited-1-295x300.jpg 295w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/BP-0009-broken_edited-1-1009x1024.jpg 1009w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/>Will you feel her watchful eye when your tipsy friend decides to mingle around the room with her cake plate balanced on her palm? It&#8217;s true, some\u00a0couples that rent from me\u00a0do unnecessarily fret a bit about\u00a0breakage. \u00a0But for me it is a part of business. \u00a0My family heirlooms stay safe at home and the pieces I rent are getting a second life. So if something is broken, it is invoiced and forgotten. \u00a0No one has feelings to hurt.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Storage Space\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>My husband calls it &#8220;dish creep&#8221;, the phenomena of dishes taking over every horizontal space in our home. \u00a0When I began my business, I had dishes in every room in the house. \u00a0&#8220;Move your chair out a little, Mom. \u00a0I think I can put a shelving unit on the floor behind it.&#8221; \u00a0Thankfully I invested in some construction and used my mad organizational skills to corral my inventory in designated places. \u00a0But this was (and is) no small undertaking. \u00a0Know that if you intend to stack boxes or fill tables as you collect fifty place settings, even though they want to support your idea, your housemates will at some point either scream or sit in resentment because dishes are overtaking the landscape.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">PREPARATION AND DAY OF COORDINATION<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If the dishes you collect are truly vintage, chances are they are not dishwasher safe. \u00a0Metal embellishments such as gold rims have to be hand washed. \u00a0And the first cleaning is often laborious. \u00a0For example, the unglazed rims at the bottoms of plates often need a scrubbing with a toothbrush and Bon Ami. \u00a0The first cleaning is also the time that a chip or crack might be discovered that you did not see in the thrift store. So now that they are clean, they need to be packed and stored to remain sanitary. \u00a0And they need to be transported safely. \u00a0Dirty newspaper is no longer an option at this point. \u00a0Do you have someone that is willing to take responsibility to transport and unpack these for the caterer. \u00a0And is your caterer willing to take on the responsibility of setting the table with tableware other than what they are used to? \u00a0Will they then repack the dirty dishes? \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-392 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Setting-the-Table-300x241.jpg\" alt=\"Setting the Table\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Setting-the-Table-300x241.jpg 300w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Setting-the-Table-1024x823.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Setting-the-Table-372x300.jpg 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>And who will transport and wash the dishes while you are on your honeymoon? \u00a0You may have a great group of friends and family, but again, this will take time and energy to coordinate. Knowing the amount of work that goes into a single event, these considerations alone make it worth renting. \u00a0And I didn&#8217;t even mention washing and ironing vintage linens!<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Aftermath<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What are you going to do with 150 dinner plates after the wedding is over? Dirty Dishes was born when I was on a national wedding blog looking at a posting by a bride trying to sell the vintage glass plates she collected for her wedding in South Carolina. \u00a0 \u00a0And many other vintage rental company&#8217;s were born when bride&#8217;s took a look around after the wedding and didn&#8217;t want to get rid of all the items they spent months (and maybe years) collecting for their big day. \u00a0Not everyone is in a position to start a vintage rental company. \u00a0And if you plan to sell them in one lot, you may be limited to someone in your area as bulk china is very expensive to pack and ship. \u00a0If you package and ship individual place settings, your time will be invested in photographing, describing, washing, packing and shipping each set &#8211; a process I have learned can be very time consuming\u00a0from selling\u00a0in my Etsy shop. The choice is up to you. \u00a0But I hope that you can now make that choice with a clear view of what is involved. \u00a0And if renting seems to be the best answer, I am happy to do what I do! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dirtydishesonline.com\/about-altasue.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-212 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/signature.bmp\" alt=\"Alta Sue Radke - Dirty Dishes\" width=\"121\" height=\"64\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So you are that creative\u00a0bride or groom. \u00a0You love vintage. \u00a0You love finding treasures and repurposing relics. \u00a0And why should you rent vintage dishes when you are perfectly able to hit the thrift stores and garage sales on your own? \u00a0Why pay for something that you can do yourself? Here are a few things to&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,62],"tags":[9,50,14,82,72,16,81,80,10],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-dirty-dishes","category-weddings","tag-dirty-dishes","tag-dishes-delivery","tag-diy-wedding","tag-flagstaff-vintage-rentals","tag-las-vegas-vintage-rentals","tag-mismatched-china","tag-sedona-vintage-rentals","tag-st-george-vintage-rentals","tag-vintage-dishes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":423,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions\/423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dirtydishesonline.com\/dishin-dirt-the-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}