Hi Cathy, Well, my first thought when reading your question was bread bowls! But hollowing out small breads and ladling soup into them is not very practical when you’re talking about 30 people!  Have you considered renting some tableware for the dinner? Most party rental stores have plates, bowls, wineglasses, etc. for rent. Or you could scout around the warehouse stores (like Costco and Sam’s Club) or IKEA for inexpensive (but good-looking!) soup or cereal bowls. You might be able to find some for one to two dollars each. You might also look into disposable dinnerware. Available in some of the big-box stores, these are more than paper plates, but less than fancy china. They are good looking (and sturdy) pieces that are much nicer than the  paper and plastic plates familiar from many a picnic.