A lot of brides- and grooms-to-be are spared having to think about tabletop decor because their chosen reception sites handle that detail from start to finish. Other future newlyweds — and I include myself in this — don’t choose an all inclusive site and thus have to create their own tablescapes. It’s not as easy as it looks, and it turns out it’s a big deal to a lot of people. To wit: All of the inspirational pics in this post came from Kappa Kappa Gamma’s tablescape competitions.
I tend to think that fuller tables look nicer. At my own wedding, I made the mistake of disregarding scale when thinking about centerpieces and such. If it hadn’t been a backyard, outdoor affair without proper china and silverware, everything would have looked a lot more ridiculous than it did. As it was, the wind blew everything over anyway, sparing me any embarrassment.
The tablescape above was created by BBJ Linen, a rental company. There are a lot of super sweet ‘scapes on their site, so if you’re currently in the market for inspiration I’d recommend checking it out.
I like this springtimey table from My Obsession because each, um, seatee receives their own floral arrangement. It also looks like it would lend itself well to DIY, provided the bride (or groom) putting it together has rudimentary sewing skills. Real flowers typically look best, but using faux blooms would allow you to put everything together ahead of time.
Something about this ‘scape from Madison strikes me as both “Eastern” and rather masculine. I’m reminded of the old Russian Orthodox church where my family and I used to celebrate Easter. The best part is that it’s rather season neutral so you could take inspiration from it year round.
You can’t beat this table by Earth Blooms for ease of DIY — all you need to source are fresh flowers in a variety of colors, some glasses and Fiestaware-type plates, and metallic napkin holders. Voila!
Les Antiques created this table, which is just a touch more busy than I might want. I really like the muted colors, because the metallics are allowed to take on a leading role. If you were looking to recreate it, I’d recommend hitting up ebay for cheap antiques or stuff that just looks old. The religious aspect might be a tad off-putting for a wedding unless you yourself are down with the G-man.
Hydrangeas, pomegranates, artichokes, roses, and bread come together to form a tablescape that is evocative of the abundance of summer’s end. Central Market — a destination market in Dallas — created it, and I would hope that guests would be invited to disassemble it…at least the loaves. At a less formal reception, replace the braided bread with monkey bread so guests could take the edge off while waiting for dinner to be served!
I adore the My Obsession one. Not only is it simple and colorful, the scale of the centerpieces doesn’t interfere with conversation across the table. It could also be attractively done in nearly any colorway.
Hee! I didn’t even notice the Madonna in the Les Antiques table until I read that bit about religious art and started hunting for it on the table. It’s a bad sign when your eye can’t even take all the major aspects of the table in on the first glance. Seriously overbusy, despite the restrained color scheme. Worst of all, it’s a very cool Madonna hidden behind all those flowers, says this atheist. Cut the clutter in half, and it would probably be not only attractive but doable, as well. Oh, and I would deifinitely lower the larger flower arrangements and candlesticks. They’re impossible to look around, which would make conversation nearly impossible.
I definitely think that the competition tablescapes are to real tables what high fashion runway clothing is to wearable outfits, Twistie. At least I think (hope?) that these were meant to be inspiration rather than actual usable ‘scapes…
If not, then most of them would be disqualified from the running based on the fact that cross-table conversation would be virtually impossible!
Of course, some families might prefer the taller centerpieces just to keep Great Aunt Minnie from realizing she’s sitting at the same table as Cousin Elmer what done her wrong thirty years ago….
Much to my fiance’s dismay, that first table would be my DREAM wedding palette.
You too, Kate? I don’t feel so alone now!
I’m loving the tablescape by Madison. It’s simple and not fussy. But the My Obsession tablescape is very colorful and fun.
If I know my friends at all, serving monkey bread would earn me Wedding of the Decade.
Another great idea: Cake Centerpieces! You have a small cake or pie (big enough that everyone at each table can have a piece and have a few to spare, maybe 9″ round or square?) per table, which creates another fun and common bond for guests to talk about. It saves money, since your dessert in now also automatically your centerpiece and adds an element of fun for the guests as they can: try the cake at their table, mix/mingle/steal a piece from someone else’s table, hunt down their favorite cake/pie flavor and beg the table for a piece… It gives them all something to talk about as well as something fun to do, while saving you money on the centerpieces!
I love it, Meggann — I’ve seen cupcake centerpieces, but I think the cake idea is cool. Plus, individual 9″ cakes are going to be way less expensive than one big wedding cake (depending on where you source them).