Wedding
Receptions: How To Set Up The Tables
By
Peta D'Silva
Getting the
wedding tables right can make a big difference to your wedding
reception. Get things right, and the reception will be a great
event enjoyed by all, with everyone having fun and no-one
getting stressed. Get it wrong though, and people will be bored,
worried and confused.
There's one
common mistake that people make that often kills conversations
at a reception before they can even start. It's easily avoided,
but I've seen way too many receptions ruined because of this one
simple mistake. But I'll discuss that later - first I need to
cover the seating arrangements...
When setting
the seating positions, you should start with the bride and
groom. Place the bride and groom together, with the groom on the
left hand-side of the bride.
From here
there are 2 standard ways to set up the guests:
With the
first way set the Chief Bridesmaid and Best Man to the right-handside
of the bride. Then place a groomsman and a bridesmaid to the
left of the groom, and then another groomsman and a bridesmaid
to the right of the bride, and so-on until the bridal partly are
all accounted for.
The other
standard way is to just have guests arranged boy & girl around
the table.
Really
though, it doesn't matter how the guests are arranged. Just
arrange them however you think would work. It's more important
to ensure that:
·
The bridal
table is situated so it is in plain site of everyone at the
reception.
·
Everyone at
the bridal table is facing the rest of the reception. It is
important that no-one has their backs to the reception!
·
There is
ample room around the bridal table, so that guests can easily
get to the table and congratulate the newly married couple.
The other
thing to consider is the table decorations. Keep any table
decorations small and to the center of the tables. Your guests
want to be able to talk to each other and not around the
centerpiece! This can't be stressed enough! Sure, you want nice
looking decorations, but making sure that everyone can talk too
each other easily is much more important!
If you want
to have candles then keep them low. Try candle-float bowls and
maybe a few roses (or any other flower heads) floating in the
bowl. Candle wreaths also look good, especially when placed on a
small candle holder.
The bridal
table centerpiece should be something just a little more
elaborate than the decorations of the other guests tables but
along the same theme. Again, make sure it isn't too big! The
guests need to be able to see the bride and groom!
In regards to
the colors you use, try neutral colors like pink, cream or
white, as these will match most color themes. The bridal table
should have a white cloth, offset against a colored table. Why
not mix and match colors on the guests tables? This adds fun and
makes things look happy and alive. Don't be afraid to use color!
A final
tip: Try not to make the reception too formal. Relax, and have
some fun!
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