June Newsletter: The Table Décor Edition

Beach Wedding Table Décor

Evention:

A bride’s first thought of beach wedding table décor is generally one of shades of blue and white, seashells and old world lanterns with candles. This can easily be the extent of it however, with a only little more effort you can take this table décor from pretty & satisfactory to detailed & extravagant… and it’s oh so easy!



Starting with your colour pallet, you really can have any colour you choose and by no means have to stick with the nautical colours that are usually assumed with a beach wedding. My advice is that it’s best to keep them on a pastel pallet as it adds elegance to a soft setting. However, if you want to add a splash of colour, go wild.

Whatever colours you choose, I suggest that you start with a plain white table cloth for your tables. You don’t want major colours to compete with the sand, so go white and add your colors on top of the table through glass, flowers, lanterns and various other details.

The great thing about this is that although our overall picture of a beach wedding is most probably the same as our mothers’ in their day, the detail of table décor and flowers can be as seasonal and up to date as you want. Two seasons ago beach wedding décor was white table cloths with a grey and white pallet and splashes of bright purple. This season its white table cloths with champagne, light olive green and dusty pink pallet; stick with white as your base and when you look back at your pictures it won’t look dated.



Once we have the base down – it’s time to decorate! Here we can go with two options – uniform or eclectic. Either is up to personal choice but if you’re grilling me to pick a side I would go with an eclectic style of décor. This simply means that you can have different types of vases and lanterns and arrange the order in which they are laid on the label – it keeps your table décor fresh and exciting and when your guests move around during the wedding they will see something different at others’ tables. And the other beauty of it is that we then get a chance to use all those “things” we have collected, and let’s face it we have all done this, a few bottles for flowers, the odd chalk board heart, one of two vases, lanterns and other things we really love for our wedding day but don’t have enough of… well stick to eclectic and you can use all of those.

Looking more specifically at the actual table décor, candles should be kept in glass coverings when on the beach. There is the whole ramble about open flames but more importantly for the look, they will simply get blown out by the breeze. Old world oil or hurricane lanterns look great and are easy to pick up anywhere; for a bit of difference, sink some flowers into a tall vase of water and float candles at the top.



Flowers can be kept to a minimum for beach table décor. Sunken flowers always look great with some shells or pebbles at the bottom. Loosely gathered roses, lilies and lizianthus look great and fit the eclectic jars perfectly. You can even mix in some local flowers, like smaller proteas or silver brunia. Whatever you choose don’t forget to try to tie a ribbon around the flowers to reinforce them, or keep the stems short and make sure they are sprayed with water regularly before the reception. Sea side sun is not fun for flowers and if you don’t look after them they will wilt.

Try and keep the table flowers and all the décor details clean and not over the top; you don’t want to take away too much from your beach setting. So if its details you want, add them through items like colored glass ware, ribbons around napkins, details in flowers and so forth, so that what you have stands out.



When using shells - of course it is the beach so we do want to bring this in - use them in a way that doesn’t make them tacky. Accentuate your table décor with the shells instead of making them the table décor. It’s beautiful to have potted white orchids on the tables so pop these in short glass vases and line the vase with shells instead of those paving stones they come in. Pop shells at the bottom of your sunken flowers or use them as table place cards and write your guests names on them with a permanent marker - mussel shells are perfect for this as their inside color is incredible and once again adds detail.

A Morning or Evening Wedding

Weddings by Marius

The ideal wedding reception setting can mean different things to different people - a casual brunch in a garden setting, or a sophisticated evening meal with dancing.

Evening décor is all about candles, perfect lighting and uncluttered tables.
Table cloths should either be full and heavy or white, light and crisp. And a mixture of two different colour tones can work well – it all depends on the final look and feel of the reception.



If the tables are round, a centre display of one large arrangement or a cluster of smaller ones looks good; if your guests are to be seated at a long trestle table a series of arrangements going down the length of the table displays really well.

Remember that, irrespective of which compositions you select, make sure that they don't obstruct your guests’ view from the person opposite; make sure that they are low or tall enough so that your guests can converse.



The use of an under plate of glass or silver and perhaps a different colour glass will definitely make your tables stand out; round off the look with a stylish menu, place card and table number or name cut-outs – currently very fashionable!



Lighting can play a major part of the overall theme at any evening wedding. Incorporate appropriate lighting arrangements in the correct areas and see how this can transform the venue into one that displays stunningly.

For a brunch reception sun-ripened yellows, oranges, greens and pinks offer a vibrant and delightfully refreshing focal point for spring and summer wedding reception tables – particularly suitable for a brunch or luncheon wedding but equally perfect for any table that needs a burst of something energising. Keep it light and crisp by selecting table cloths in light shades, making use of minimal glassware keeps the look uncluttered.



Tables should be light and colourful which works best with an outdoor venue. There’s no need for too many glasses on the table and even the actual table settings can be a bit simpler. Don’t skimp on the look, though – be bold and creative and play around with ribbons in various colours to round off the palette.



Flowers are an obvious choice for table décor but fruit and other décor elements, for example ornaments, collectors’ items, sculptures and such can also spice up the look of any table. A touch of accent colour on the menu, place cards and table numbers will subtly complement your table decor.

Whether an evening or brunch affair, do what you want to do on your special day, no matter what!

Décor for a Vintage Tea table

Madre Kohn Creative and Polkadot Wedding Planning

Creating a Vintage Tea Table is not as difficult as most may think. It is one of the easiest décor options and can be used for weddings, a kitchen-tea or for that tea date with your fiancé, husband or girlfriends.



Here’s how:

1. Go through your mother and grandmother’s cupboards – you will be surprised at the little treasures you might find! To start off, find an old vintage tea set.
2. Choose your ribbon according to the colours on your tea set – these will complement each other beautifully – in our case it was a dirty pink and grey-ish green. Stitched detail on the ribbons is beautiful. We (Madre Kohn Creative) designed matching stationery: Tags for the tea pots, the teabags and name tags to be used on a brown paper bags with biscuits. These packets will be used to indicate the seating of each person. The (hand made) tea tags were placed over the normal tea tag to give it a more customised look. The stationery design was kept simple – you don’t want an over detailed and cluttered table.
3. Arrange some roses and perhaps a Protea in old silverware as centre piece. Add old stacked books, tied together with ribbon. Place tea-light candles on the table to create a tranquil atmosphere.
4. Choose 2 different types of napkins, one floral and one plain, to create some variation. Place your vintage plates on the napkins hanging from the table. You can stack your serving plates on top of your left-over cups, turned upside down to create some height.

There are no rules when it comes to your vintage table and you can try different things but be sure to set up your table before the event to see what works well and use colours already presented in your crockery.



If you love beautiful things as much as we do, I’m certain you loved this newsletter edition. Deciding on the décor for your big day can become overwhelming but once you decided on your theme – the rest will fall in to place.

For more info regarding décor please visit our Décor Category; happy Planning!

ADD YOUR COMMENT:

Info

• Advertise with us
• Contact us
• Terms and Conditions

Content

• Bridal Alerts
• Wedding Articles
• Bride of the Year Competition

Services

• Wedding Venues
• Flowers
• Wedding Photographers
• Bridal Wear
• Hair & Make-up
• Honeymoon Destinations