Tips for dressing your wedding tables

Debbie Fletcher explains how to create an impact with your wedding table décor

Dressing a wedding table requires impact as well as subtlety. Impact in terms of a centrepiece that really stands out without being too large, and subtlety towards the edge of the table where diners do not want to feel cluttered.

There is a huge choice of decorations for your venue and to dress your wedding tables. Online shopping sites such as ebay.co.ukare a great place to start looking for inspiration for candles, hanging decorations, centrepieces and wedding balloons.

Colour schemes, materials, chair covers and flowers all need to blend well together. Even if the wedding reception is small, if anything does not look quite right the problem will be magnified when all the tables are set.

So what might be included on a wedding table, and how should it look once dressed?

Table centrepiece

Unsurprisingly, the centrepiece needs to be the centre of attention. By definition it should be eye-catching, without completely overpowering the rest of the table. A centrepiece that is too tall will block the diners’ view of each other, and possibly the rest of the room. On the other hand one that is not large enough might go unnoticed. A good way to get the centrepiece just right is to look at it on a ‘mock-up’ table so that its size can be judged effectively, and to ensure that it is in scale with everything else.

Flowers

Flower centrepieces make a table look fresh and attractive, and allow the flower theme from the wedding ceremony to continue on to the reception. Even if silk flowers are chosen for the table centrepiece, the same colour can be used for continuity. White and cream flowers can be extremely effective when put together on a wedding table, the result being a classy and stylish reception.

Candles

Candles are a popular choice as a centrepiece, mainly due to their romantic glow. The allure of twinkling candles should never be underestimated, and the choice of pretty candle holders and candelabras is almost infinite. A room full of pretty candle centrepieces is a memorable sight, and provides an atmospheric backdrop for the speeches and cutting the cake.

Table confetti

Table confetti is usually seen as the finishing touch for a wedding table. A little goes a long way though, and a small sprinkle of confetti is all it takes to make a table truly sparkle. Various colours of confetti are available, but a neutral or pastel colour is often the most effective. Acrylic confetti is cut so that it reflects the light in a similar way to a Swarovski crystal, whereas foil confetti sparkles and glistens as it catches the light.

The place to start when dressing a wedding table is choosing a colour scheme. From there, linens can be decided on, followed by the centrepiece and other accessories.