Table-Scaping with Your guest Comfort in Mind

There is no denying planning the aesthetics of your event can be daunting, expensive and frustrating. You've poured over Pinterest, contemplated your theme/colour schematics, maybe you've hired a wedding planner in the hope that they will guide you. Lets face it, a wedding is likely the largest and most important event you'll ever host and be the guest of honour at! You want it be be memorable, yet woefully great aesthetics often come with a hefty trade off; your guests comfort.

  Consider that your guest have put in considerable effort to attend your event, they've chosen thoughtful gifts put on their best suit/evening gown to support you in one of the most important days of your life, after the important part (the I Do's) they join you for dinner and afterwards will continue to gravitate to their assigned seating. I snapped the photo above at one of our favourite venues at Codes Mill in Perth, On. The bride had rented our crossback chairs which complemented everything perfectly. This is one of my favourite table-scapes to date, the flowers are simple and elegant, the clutter on the table is minimal. I'm not a huge fan of the tapered candles and those ridiculous smoke chimneys (I'll leave that for another post) but hopefully by the end of the article you'll understand my reasoning. Standard banquet tables are 30 inches in width, hardly enough space for the place settings; now add table runners, extra wine/water glasses, bun plates, coffee cups and so on, it soon becomes a mind field for your guest. They are elbow to elbow navigating the cutlery, passing the wine/butter...then it happens...Auntie Cathy knocks her red wine glass, she is not only embarrassed but she feels terrible for soiling the linens and now has a stain as a reminder of her mishap. Luckily the wine didn't spill onto her dress or the person seated beside her. Uncle Bob is enjoying himself and prone to use his hands during conversation, he bumps one of those flimsy smoke chimneys not realizing they have no bottom, it falls over, there is brief panic as someone puts out the flame before the linens take fire and ruin the wedding. From your vantage point you don't see any of those things, only the painstaking design effort and enormous pressure to make everything perfect and all your guests seemingly enjoying themselves. Now don't get me wrong, you want your guest to feel welcomed and pampered not to mention the aesthetics of your event reflects your image and how you want to be perceived, however: my advice is to choose classic timeless practical old money aesthetics over trendy and often cheap looking decor items. Less is more on the tables, choose fresh florals in a height your guest can see over or opt for a tall floral stands topped with exquisite florals arrangements for a regal show stopping look. I personally loved my clients choice of brushed linens, the deep green napkins and florals in rust hues and rustic charm.

Photo by Kate Griffith

My client totally nailed it with understated elegant florals her guest could socialize over, the tables were kept as minimal as possible.

By: Kate Griffith / Exquisite Decor/Posh Peony Event Florals

March 24th 2024