What to buy for a silver wedding anniversary

A silver wedding anniversary needs more than a cake and a bottle of champagne. Plan the shopping around the number of guests, the meal format and the length of the celebration. You will need separate tableware for dinner, dessert, coffee and drinks, plus serving pieces for the buffet and cake. Check what the venue already provides before buying or hiring 79 planned items, especially tables, chairs, glasses and kitchen equipment.

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What to bring

Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.

Furniture

Foldable tablesqty 8
Folding chairsqty 60
Buffet tablesqty 3
High tablesqty 4
Tableclothsqty 8
Chair coversqty 50
Coat rack
Clothes hangersqty 60

Tableware

Dinner platesqty 70
Dessert platesqty 70
Soup bowlsqty 60
Water glassesqty 80
Wine glassesqty 70
Champagne glassesqty 60
Coffee cupsqty 60
Coffee spoonsqty 70
Dinner cutlery setsqty 70
Serving spoonsqty 12
Serving tongsqty 8
Serving plattersqty 12
Serving trays for sauceqty 6
Cake serversqty 2
Cake knivesqty 2

Kitchen

Cutting boardsqty 4
Chef’s knives and bread knivesqty 6
Mixing bowlsqty 5
Measuring cupsqty 2
Baking traysqty 4
Serving tongsqty 6
Aluminum foilqty 2
Cling filmqty 2
Storage binsqty 12
Coolersqty 4
Ice containersqty 4
Coffee machinesqty 2
Kettlesqty 2
Thermos flasksqty 4
Refrigeratorsqty 2

Equipment

Laptops
Projector
Projection screen
Bluetooth speakerqty 2
Microphone
Microphone stand
Power stripsqty 5
Extension cordsqty 5

Decorations

Silver balloonsqty 50
White balloonsqty 50
Balloon ribbonqty 3
Balloon pumpqty 2
Buntingqty 8
Table decorationsqty 8
Photo framesqty 12
Number balloons 25
Guest book
Pen set
Gift boxesqty 2
Direction signsqty 4
Table numbersqty 8
Flower vasesqty 8
Floral foamqty 8
Photo backdrop

Lighting

String lightsqty 6
LED candlesqty 24
Lanternsqty 6
Batteriesqty 24

Cleaning

Waste binsqty 6
Washing-up tubsqty 3
Spongesqty 8
Dish brushesqty 3
Cleaning clothsqty 12
Mopsqty 3
Bucketsqty 3
Hand soap dispensersqty 3

Catering

Groceries
- Coffee - 2 packs
- Tea bags - 100 pieces
- Decaf coffee - 1 pack
- Sugar - 2 kilograms
- Mints - 1 box
- Milk - 6 liters
- Oat milk - 2 liter
- Whipped cream - 1 liter
- Lemon tea - 2 boxes
- Mint tea - 2 boxes
- Still mineral water - 12 bottles
- Sparkling mineral water - 12 bottles
- Cola - 8 bottles
- Cola Zero - 6 bottles
- Sinas - 4 bottles
- Tonic - 4 bottles
- Ginger ale - 3 bottles
- Apple juice - 4 packs
- Orange juice - 4 cartons
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Pilsner - 48 bottles
- White wine - 8 bottles
- Red wine - 6 bottles
- Rosé - 4 bottles
- Prosecco - 8 bottles
- Bitter lemon - 3 bottles
- Limes - 12 pieces
- Lemons - 12 pieces
- Ice cubes - 15 kilograms
- Baguettes - 10 pieces
- Mini bake-off rolls - 60 pieces
- Butter - 1 kilogram
- Herb butter - 6 tubs
- Hummus - 6 tubs
- Cream cheese - 6 tubs
- Young cheese - 2 kilograms
- Brie - 1 kilogram
- Serano ham - 1 kilogram
- Smoked chicken breast - 1 kilogram
- Grapes - 3 kilograms
- Strawberries - 2 kilograms
- Apples - 3 kilograms
- Cucumbers - 8 pieces
- Cherry tomatoes - 2 kilograms
- Bell peppers - 10 pieces
- Arugula - 8 bags
- Mixed salad - 8 bags
- Red onions - 8 pieces
- Potato salad - 5 kilograms
- Pasta salad - 5 kilograms
- Raw vegetable salad - 4 kilogram
- Baby potatoes - 8 kilograms
- Chicken skewers - 60 pieces
- Vegetarian skewers - 20 pieces
- Mini quiches - 60 pieces
- Meatballs - 100 pieces
- Falafel - 60 pieces
- Paprika chips - 4 bags
- Plain chips - 4 bags
- Snack mix - 3 bags
- Olives - 6 jars
- Pickles - 3 jars
- Peanuts - 3 bags
- Mayonnaise - 3 bottles
- Ketchup - 3 bottles
- Garlic sauce - 3 bottles
- Mustard - 2 jars
- Satay sauce - 2 jars
- Vinaigrette - 3 bottles
- Salt - 1 pack
- Pepper - 1 jar
- Paprika powder - 1 jar
- Garlic powder - 1 jar
- Italian herbs - 1 jar
- Olive oil - 2 bottles
- Balsamic vinegar - 1 bottle
- Lemon juice - 1 bottle
- Mayonnaise-free dressing - 2 bottles
- Vegetarian stock - 1 pack
- Silver Onions - 2 jars
- Cake - 1 cake for 60 people
- Petit fours - 60 pieces
- Brownies - 40 pieces
- Vanilla ice cream - 5 liters
- Chocolate sauce - 2 bottles
- Strawberry sauce - 2 bottles
- Napkins - 150 pieces
- Cocktail picks - 200 pieces
- Straws - 100 pieces
- Baking paper - 2 rolls
- Paper towels - 6 rolls
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Hand soap - 3 bottles
- Dish soap - 3 bottles
- Dishwasher tablets - 40 pieces
- All-purpose cleaner - 3 bottles
- Toilet cleaner - 2 bottles
- Glass cleaner - 2 bottles
- Cleaning vinegar - 2 bottles
- Rubber gloves - 6 pairs
- Trash bags - 40 pieces
- Compostable bags - 20 pieces
- Aluminum trays - 20 pieces
- Food storage containers - 20 pieces

Tips

Plan one dinner plate, one dessert plate and one set of cutlery per guest, then add at least 10% extra for breakages, dropped utensils and late additions. If soup is on the menu, count one soup bowl per guest as well.
For a drinks reception lasting several hours, allow two to three drinks per person during the first hour and one drink per person for each additional hour. Buy or collect the drinks no earlier than the day before, so chilled storage does not become a last-minute problem.
Count glasses by type rather than treating them as interchangeable: water glasses, wine glasses and champagne glasses each need their own allowance. For a toast, have every guest covered plus about 10% spare champagne glasses.
Order the anniversary cake early enough for the bakery to confirm the size, decoration and collection time; two to four weeks ahead is a sensible deadline. Buy or prepare cake knives, servers and enough dessert plates before the collection day.
Do not leave flowers, tablecloths, chair covers and coat-hanger supplies until the event morning. Check these items when the final guest list is ready, because the table layout determines how many tables, chairs and linens you actually need.

Frequently asked questions

How much tableware do I need for a silver wedding anniversary?: Plan one dinner plate, one dessert plate and one cutlery set per guest, plus 10% extra. Add one soup bowl per person if soup is served, and count coffee cups and spoons separately.
How many drinks should I buy for a silver wedding anniversary?: Allow two to three drinks per guest for the first hour and one drink per guest for every additional hour. Include water for the full event and extra bottles for the toast.
When should I order the cake and flowers?: Place the cake order two to four weeks before the anniversary, especially if it is decorated or serves a large group. Confirm flower quantities and collection or delivery details at least one week ahead.
How many champagne glasses do I need for the anniversary toast?: Count one champagne glass for every guest who will join the toast, then add around 10% spare glasses. This avoids washing glasses during the speech and photo moment.

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