When you plan the perfect wedding, you have to take everything into account. This means the important stuff like the dress or the venue, right down to the stuff that you might not think was as important, such as the table settings and crockery. However, getting the table accessories and decorations are just as important if you want the “perfect” big day, and there may be even more to think about than you first may have thought. Thankfully, our comprehensive guide will give you all the information you need!
Once you have picked the perfect table cloth – colors, designs, styles, etc., (see Wedding tables – is the tablecloth really that important? for more information) it’s time to look at the main focal points of your reception tables. This means things like the napkins, glassware, centerpieces, place settings, flatware and even chair decorations.
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Starting with the napkins – you will need to decide whether you would like nice fabric ones, or paper ones. The fabric ones are definitely classier than the paper varieties, of course, and you can often maneuver these into beautiful shapes and sizes to complete the table as a whole. One of the most beautiful ways that you can have the napkins on your table is to have them rolled into a circular or almost rectangular shape, and then complete the look with a beautiful napkin ring. Of course, you are going to want the colors to match your wedding party – the napkins should work in contrast with the table settings and the color scheme for your dresses and flowers, with the napkin rings to match. For example, if you are having a lilac themed wedding, lilac napkins could be set off with a beautiful silver ring, (or gold if you prefer this tone)
Moving onto the crockery itself, you will usually find that classier affairs will have something that is known as a charger plate, which is basically for show. This will usually be in a matching color to the rest of your wedding color scheme, and adds a sense of sophistication and elegance to the affair. Usually, this will rest between the salad plate and the dinner plate, and will be left there right until the main meal is cleared, so you will need to pay attention to this seemingly unimportant piece of crockery.
The flatware is the stuff that you will actually eat with, such as the knives, forks and spoons. It is best practice to have this in the same color as your napkin rings – if you have silver napkin rings, you will want silver flatware, as one example. You can make this stuff as fancy as you like – the more the better in most cases.
The china itself is also important – you will want either plain colors to match your wedding color palette, or at the very least a pattern that combines everything together. Of course, for a more unique feel, you can always mix and match. For example, if you are having a tropical themed wedding with lots of bright colors, (there was a very beautiful case of a wedding where the theme was tropical with a beautiful bunch of tropical flowers, and each bridesmaid worse a different tropical colored dress) you can always have a combination of shades and hues to match the overall theme – for example, a blue charger plate with a bright pink salad plate; you get the idea.
The glasses are another important feature on your reception tables. The style and design of the glasses are important. The more classic wedding affairs will obviously call for classic designs. With more modern affairs, however, you can play around a little more with different colors or shades in your glassware, (such as colored flutes) and even mini decorations that go around the base of the glasses – these can often be a lot of fun!
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The last couple of things left to think about are the chairs and the centerpieces. Obviously, the centerpieces will need to be around the same lines as the wedding theme itself – tropical flowers for tropical flowers, pine cones in vases with splashes of color for fall weddings, etc. You will need to match the colors to the schemes of your wedding obviously, and you may want to consider the advantages of flowers versus candles, fake versus real – that kind of thing.