How much to rent per guest: plates, glasses, napkins
Rental quantities come from the menu and the format, not from a standard set. Count one guest's place, multiply, then add a small margin.
Plates
A seated dinner with a first course needs a dinner plate and a salad plate per guest, and a charger underneath if you want one. Many of our plate designs come as a matching pair, like the Ribbon Dinner Plate and Ribbon Salad Plate, with a Ribbon Charger to sit beneath them.
For 40 guests with a charger, that is 120 pieces of dinnerware.
| Piece | Per guest | 20 guests | 50 guests | 100 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charger (optional) | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Dinner plate | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Salad plate | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Flatware (dinner fork, knife, dessert fork, tea spoon) | 4 | 80 | 200 | 400 |
| Water goblet | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Wine glass | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Napkin | 1 | 20 | 50 | 100 |
Flatware
Flatware is rented by the piece. A main course and dessert needs a dinner fork, a dinner knife and a dessert fork per guest, plus a tea spoon if coffee is served: four pieces each. For 40 guests that is 160 pieces.
Collections such as Champagne Gold Flatware offer each of those four pieces, so leave off what your menu doesn't use.
Glasses
Count by the drink, not the guest. A water goblet and a wine glass per guest is the usual seated setting; add a champagne flute if there is a toast. Revolution Glassware comes as a water goblet, wine glass and champagne flute, so all three match.
At a standing party, plan more glasses than guests, because guests set a glass down and take a fresh one.
Napkins and linens
One napkin per guest, such as the Olive Green Velvet Napkin. Tablecloths are counted per table, not per guest, and sized to the table; a round 60-inch table seating eight takes one 120-inch round cloth to reach the floor.
Add a margin
Add a few spares of each piece for a dropped fork or a late guest. Most items are stocked for 300 or more guests, so the margin is rarely the limit. Add your pieces to your event list and send it; we confirm quantities and availability before anything is booked.
