Are you planning an outdoor wedding reception this summer? Many couples are, after eloping in a small ceremony last year and throwing a big bash this year with friends in attendance! And then couples are also planning a backyard reception because that’s more their style than a traditional ballroom wedding, and we think that’s awesome. For your wedding, it should be all up to your own style and preferences. Every wedding is different and we’re here to help you plan it to suit your needs perfectly.

Case in point: you need to know where to buy outdoor wedding supplies in bulk. The plastic wedding utensils. The plastic wedding cups in bulk. The wedding serving trays, plastic champagne flutes, and serving bowls. You might even need to know where to get plastic charging plates for cheap, or dinnerware plates that are real but don’t cost a fortune.

We get it!

If you’re faced with pulling the weight of some serious outdoor wedding DIY planning, we just discovered the best place to buy outdoor wedding supplies in bulk — all the same kind of things that caterers buy directly like glassware, plastic utensils, plastic servingware, and more, and, spoiler alert, it’s from here which may surprise you. :)

We have good news: it’s easier than ever to get outdoor wedding supplies and catering supplies, glass vases, party supplies, and more at a great price. It’s easy to find, easy to order, and you can even order online and pick it up at your local store or have it delivered to your front door.

From wedding plastic plates bulk sized to wine glasses and plastic champagne flutes for guests, we’ve found the best collection at the most affordable prices for couples planning a backyard wedding they want to still look “wedding” — and not “picnic”.

Yes, these are all surprisingly stylish, wedding-worthy outdoor wedding catering supplies for $1 and they’re all from Dollar Tree.

Amazing, amiright?!

They really came through this summer for couples who are looking for outdoor reception supplies by offering things like acrylic trays, platters, serving bowls, plastic drinkware like champagne flutes (some venues don’t allow glass), serving utensils, and so much more. We’ll walk you through a few of the most important wedding supplies in bulk you can buy right now and then give you the details on where to find everything else you need.

Forget what you thought you knew about dollar store finds because these bulk wedding reception supplies are not dollar-store looking at all. They’re nicely made for the day itself, with see-through/acrylic options to provide a modern, minimalist look and feel. They won’t overpower your decor like hand-me-down platters or serving ware, and they’ll look like they were catered by the coolest crew in the world. Well, they were: you! Ha!

And if I’m saying they’re stylish, let’s be honest, they’re stylish. I’m the first to say hmmmmm when it comes to cheap finds, but these prove to be just as great as any bulk wedding supplies for outdoor weddings you’d find elsewhere. And the savings? Oh my gosh, the savings. Money leftover is always a good thing and you can always add the savings to go towards your honeymoon trip. :)

And here’s the thing: there’s a fine line between elegant outdoor wedding supplies vs. picnic-style supplies. You really want it to look like a wedding, which is why they are a great resource because they service caterers, too. This is one place the caterers go, so if you’re looking to look as elegant as possible with your own bulk wedding supplies, their website is THE PLACE to go first!

Let’s get started! You have an ultra-fun outdoor wedding reception to plan and we’re here for ya, babe!

If you’re looking at food supplies for catering at your reception, here are some of the best-sellers or must-haves that you’ll want to add to cart.

Wedding Serving Trays and Platters

When serving food outdoors at a reception in a buffet style, you’ll need serving trays and platters. You can browse styles and sizes here.

For things like appetizers, even, they should be plated and placed on these clear acrylic serving trays, like so:

Add texture and vary the style by incorporating multiple designs of trays. This style is also available:

Additions to your serving table like this scalloped rim tray is great for serving cupcakes, appetizers, cookies, etc.

Add an elegant edge with these metal trays in the array of serving tray. These are available in a few different sizes here.

If nickel shown above won’t complement your wedding decor, opt for this gold rectangular serving tray. It’s amazing that you can buy bulk wedding supplies like these for such an affordable price! But here we are. :) Enjoy it!

Prefer silver? Stick with one metallic shade — either gold or silver — throughout your wedding. Here’s an example in silver, available here.

This tray also goes with their line of affordable bulk wedding charger plates, which you’ll find to be a great addition to your wedding outdoor wedding place settings. Let’s talk about those now.

Wedding Charging Plates Cheap

You can add these delightful plastic chargers underneath wedding plates to add a stylish elegance to your outdoor wedding reception (or indoor).

These are one of my favorite wedding supplies in bulk because you’ll find them for double or triple the price elsewhere and they are the SAME charges — for only a dollar each.

This is just one color: see all of them here to coordinate with your wedding decor. This color would go well with the wedding serving trays shown above.

Silver Utensils

These silver utensils are one of the most popular outdoor wedding supplies in bulk because they look just as close to the real thing as silver — without the weight and the picnic-y look of white plastic utensils. They’re perfect for outdoor weddings and bridal showers and they look surprisingly elegant, especially for the price.

Punch Bowls

If you’re serving punch at your wedding, use a disposable punch bowl like this to make it easy. You can even serve multiple flavors of punch and label them in front with a small sign. See the options here.

Salad Bowls

Serving salad? It looks nicer for weddings when served up in these crystal-inspired salad bowls available here.

Don’t forget the matching salad tongs!

Ice Buckets and Wine Glasses

Can you re-create this awesome look from Dollar Tree? You bet: with plastic wine glasses featuring a silver rim and coordinating champagne or wine chilling tubs, you can create the same bar setup for less than you might expect. Get the silver buckets here; you can find the silver rim plastic wine glasses here.

Plastic Champagne Flutes

If your venue doesn’t allow glass, or you don’t want to shell out money for glass flutes you’ll never use again, these plastic flutes to the rescue! They’re sold in pairs and you can have them pre-filled at the entrance of your reception for guests to help themselves to a nice glass of bubbly before the party begins. (For this, we definitely recommend this champagne wall. 100%.)

Or you can have champagne flutes filled at guest seats at each place setting and have guests wait until the toasts begin to drink them. Either way, you’ll have disposable flutes that work great for the moment. And you won’t have to invest in 75+ glass flutes that will be used for about 10 minutes and then you’ll need to store them, try to sell them on Facebook Marketplace, or try to rent them out to couples getting married locally. :)

Glass Options

If you want glass wine glasses in bulk, you can get them here.

Prefer glass champagne flutes? You can buy them here.

Dinnerware

For plates, I’m a fan of real dinnerware as much as possible. For outdoor wedding supplies in bulk, you can’t argue with the elegance of a real plate vs. a plastic one. You can buy affordable dinnerware plates like these are an amazing value and they’ll look great at your outdoor wedding.

Not your style? Totally. You do you! There are dozens of other options to choose from here and, if not in the budget, there’s always these options for wedding plastic dinnerware sets that will look nice and are super-affordable, too.

Centerpieces / Outdoor Wedding Supplies in Bulk

If you’re looking for decorating, we wrote a pretty comprehensive blog post on it already for very affordable yet beautiful dollar store wedding finds to will answer all of your questions — and inspire you. It includes things like candles, vases, and chargers that add instant elegance to your space, whether outdoors or indoors.

Wedding Arch / Lighting / Etc.

For things like renting a wedding arch outdoors to where to buy outdoor wedding supplies in bulk for lighting and decor, check out this fantastic resource. You can rent everything at a fraction of the cost of buying and it will add a HUGE edge to your outdoor wedding in terms of style and decor.

If I were planning a wedding outdoors, I would not hesitate to rent practically everything from here.

And there you have it! Now you can set up your plastic wedding utensils, serving ware, and outdoor reception supplies with ease. Click here to shop more finds. And remember: you can get aluminum trays here if needed; for serving food and keeping it hot, make sure you use chafing dishes and do your research on keeping food safe by not letting it stay out too long, in direct sunlight, etc.

These plastic wedding utensils, serving trays, and more are even helpful to have if you’re ordering catering that doesn’t traditionally do weddings. It’s always nice to have a more cohesive look than to rely on what you can find inside your home and trying to make it all work together. Plus, thanks to Dollar Tree, these are all bargain-priced!

Want tips for planning your backyard wedding?

Read: 9 Helpful Tips for Planning a Backyard Wedding.

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma