Behind the Scenes: From Sink to Your Event

Aug 19

2 min read

Updated: Aug 21

When I first thought about hiring out vintage china I thought about finding and sourcing the vintage china, cutlery and Champagne saucers, what I didn't think about was the amount of work that goes on prior to and after an event. So although it's an amazing business and sector to work in there's hours of work that goes into every event.

Although there is pre-prep work for the preparation day(s), every event begins at the sink — warm water, soft cloths, and washing-up liquid to protect delicate gilding and hand‑painted details. Each cup, saucer, plate; cake stand; Champagne saucer is washed by hand, never rushed, always handled with care, there's no dishwasher involved - everything would be destroyed if it all went into the dishwasher!! I take a great deal of pride in my collection and make every effort to look after it. Every piece I own and hire out, I love; that's why I buy it.

How long does preparation take? Obviously depending on the event, but a wedding of 80 guests is about 6 hours, from getting the china and cutlery out, washed, dried, wrapped (china) and packed.

Polishing and Final Inspection

Once dry, pieces are polished to restore their soft lustre. This is where patterns come alive again: rose motifs, gold rims catching the light. Every item is checked for chips, hairline cracks, or fading — only perfect pieces make it into the storage boxes

Packing and Protection: Preparing for the Journey

Packing is an art form in itself. I've learnt over time the best way to pack the china, sometimes by the clients who have packed it back up in a much more efficient way. Vintage china doesn’t just get boxed — it gets nested, cushioned. Layered wrapping — bubblewrap!!

Even the delivery boxes have their own ritual. The storage boxed are washed, wiped down and then sanitised, and refreshed before each event. A new base layer of bubblewrap is put in to ensure a secure base for the china to rest on.

Inventory checks

Every box is labelled, cross‑checked, and matched to the event plan so nothing is missed.

The Final Touches: Event‑Day Readiness

Once everything is washed, polished, checked, and packed, the final stage is loading the car — boxes are arranged like a jigsaw to get it all in and then off we go......event inbound.