Get creative with tables

Posted on: Monday, July 5th, 2010

I love a great table.   At Christmas each year  I have a different linen and decor color theme and once the lights go down and the candles are lit, I love it.  It creates a mood and seems to make people linger longer at the table, chat, and enjoy, even long after the food is eaten or put away.

With weddings we are able to create table moods also, obviously the floral/linens and candles, but depending on how many guests you have and the size of your room you can also play with the tables.  Instead of all rounds, add some squares or rectangles in there, rounds can seat up to 12 normally if using 72″ rounds and chivari style chairs (some banquet chairs are too big and you need to max at 11 or 10), you want energy so at a 72″ round try not to do 9s and 8s and if doing 60″ rounds, once you do 6s and 7s they look empty.  Squares do 8, and some rectangles (if the hotel does not have squares and you don’t wish to rent them) can be kept at 8 or go to 10.

 I love a Royal Dining table and do these a lot, either for couples with their parents and immediate families, or bridal party with the couple or we add the bridal parties partners, sometimes we end up with 24 or so, great energy but you have to make it look fabulous on top too.  A couple of tall pieces, as it should be the table across from where the guests enter so their eyes are drawn to it, something low in the center and then tons of elevated and low candles, floating flowers with petals or orchids scattered.  Anyone who looks at it wants to sit there.  Generally we do this on the floor and don’t elevate it, makes it seem accessible to other guests to come over and visit and again seems to allow people to want to linger and sit there, they aren’t on show.  Sometimes the guests at this table go the whole way around just like at home, sometimes we leave 6′  across from the b&groom open and sometimes we just put guests to the ends of the curves and leave the straight front completely open, not so great for conversation between everyone to everyone, but it all works.   I have done this style for as small as 6, you use the curved ends the hotel have and it softens the look and makes it feel like a dining room table at home, very intimate and loving.  I have also done it where the wedding was only for a total of 20-40 guests and we have everyone attending sitting at this table which gives us room around the room to do other things and makes everyone feel important and special, I love it when we get to do this version.  I have also done a 72″ round for bride/groom and their 4 guests where we just use 3/4 of the round of the table and leave the front open, great for florals and good view to them for pics during the toasts etc.

When we are in a large ballroom, we not only play with mixing rounds and squares, but I love to add a couple of large long rectangle tables on each side.  Either along the dancefloor or if three rows of tables, put it in the middle row, a big table for 24 or 30, great for the extended family to all sit together and again between the high and low centerpieces you may have on the other guest tables, you put some of each on this one, and voila a fabulous table combining a bit of everything else you have going on  .  I have one below to show you.

Remember, anything you can do differently to either the tables or decor that makes a guest stop and look, makes your wedding memorable and they will relay what they saw to someone they see at some point.  It doesn’t cost you any more to have different size tables (normally) so why not.

Till next time

Lisa

www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112