Rent a tent and maybe a few fans, tables, tablecloths, chairs, plates and utensils. You can buy paper napkins or price cloth napkins to rent them. Using plastic utensils cheapens the best of foods, however, there are some really good quality plastic utensils and plates if you search for them. If you have to go with the plastic plates and utensils, do go with cloth tablecloths. They are so much classier than plastic tablecloths. I do not like drinking out of plastic as the feel of the plastic rim on my lips drives me nuts and plastic changes the flavor of the drink. Rent the glasses instead. When renting glasses, you get the glasses in the actual dish washing trays they use in their dishwasher. They are all there neatly and when you return them, they go back in these plastic trays. We just left them outside and hosed them down to keep the bugs at bay. It was so convenient!!

The best thing to do is google ""sturdy plastic tableware"" and do some price checking with the biodegradable tableware companies. Some places will send sample plastic ware for free or for a small fee--well worth it.

You will have to rent tables, linens, and chairs. Costco or places like that have beautiful plastic/looks-like-silver sets for cheap, and also they have silver rimmed plastic plates.

We did purchase personalized wine glasses with our name and the date on them, and told guests they could take them. Most didn't and we now have a ton of wine glasses! LOL! But they are glass. A trip through the dishwasher preserved them for all parties future!

A caterer was our big expense, and our happy relief. They made sure things flowed, and the compliments were all good. I hope you have somebody running the BBQ and running the CD player. It's your day, and you should not be bothered with that!

Suzi