Table Settings
Think fast: where do your guests spend the most time at during your wedding? The dinner table. Now this does depend on the wedding, maybe you want a short dinner so you have more time dancing, or maybe you are just having a coffee and tea reception, but for the majority of weddings, dinner is the longest time guests are in one place. So, as any good host, we want to make this a time of laughter, connection, eating good food, and celebrating. This blog will have our top tips for making the perfect table setting, with our NUMBER ONE TIP at the end. So turn on that planning playlist and let’s dive in.
Budget and Theme: Your Pinterest page is probably FULL of pretty table settings that have caught your eye. Now, take a moment and envision your venue space and figure out what elements of those pictures would actually look good in that space. Now that you have a little bit more specific idea, we have to be realistic. Do you have the money for the gold utensils or the woven chargers? What about cascading bundles of flowers that stretch the whole length of the table and onto the floor? Most of us don’t, but if you do, GO FOR IT! There are always little changes we can make to get the same feel. For example, use a lot of bud vases or arrange your own florals for a full look without the professional price.
Use What the Venue Provides: Some venues come with tablecloths, plates, forks, napkins, and glassware. If yours does, think long and hard about whether it is really worth renting others when these come included. Some venues or coordinators might even have some rentals for a small fee. If you’re interested in some of our rentals, check out this blog.
Depending on The Venue: If you can see your venue in person on the day or early evening, take note of what the room looks like. Does it have lots of windows and pretty views, or only bright overhead lights? How will your decorations look in those different lighting? Second, think about how the venue’s aesthetic will match with your decor. If it is a rustic barn, your modern decor might not match as well as those Pinterest pictures. Also, take note of how big the tables are and how much room you will have between place settings for decor.
What Style of Dinner are You Having? : Buffet, family style, plated. All of these are lovely options, but they do mean having different experiences for your guests. With plated and family-style dinners, the guests don’t have to get up, which is nice. With a buffet style, you need to make sure your guests can easily walk from their tables to the buffet line without tripping or bumping into other guests. If you are doing family style, you need to make sure there is plenty of room for guests to hand plates to each other and set them down after they have served themselves.
LESS IS MORE: Really, truly, this is our biggest piece of advice for table setting. Unless you have a massive budget and professional designers who have experience with maximilistic weddings. Plus you don’t want your guests to feel cramped and not have room to set drinks because your florals are taking over the place. For us, a table cloth, a simple runner, some candles, florals, and the actual place setting are perfect. Depending on the tables you might not even need a table cloth. Below are some examples of table settings we have executed for couples.
Photos by Timberline, Kara Cavalca, PJ Van, Light and Love, Hannah Irene, Ginger Moose, and The Light Seeker
