How to Plan Your Wedding Tablescapes

You need to think practically about the meal, whether it will be a plated meal or sharing foods because this will all determine the décor and florals you will have room for.

If you are sharing foods, your caterers will thank you for grouping décor and candles on the table so they can place food in between the décor.

Choosing the style of the table, either banquet or round, can make a big difference in how an event feels. Long banquet rows can feel very social if you think of Mediterranean meals that go on long into the evening, with guests all turning to talk to one another. In contrast, round tables with linen instantly have a more luxurious feel.

Pick your furniture to fit your venue or space and the tones there. Remember your key décor words for how you want the day to feel – if you’d like a modern-day, the furniture you choose is the starting point for setting this tone.

Choose your colours. Pick 2-3 main colours for the table, then add a brighter or metallic highlight colour. This may be inspired by the colours your wedding party are wearing initially, the venue and décor within it, the menu and food style, or you may even want to be inspired by the colours of the flowers that will be on the tables and elsewhere at the wedding, so pull from that palette.

The tableware you choose is part of the décor. Choosing interesting crockery, cutlery, and glassware becomes part of the tablescape, so look at cuts of glass, plates with texture or pattern, and cutlery that might match the tones in the table centre, too.
Then, look at how you style your place setting, which can elevate the table. How are the napkins folded and laid, and how is the stationery positioned? Can you add more colour and interest here with ribbons? Your guests will be seated at the table for the longest time during your wedding day, so it’s here you can make it very special and have personalised details for them, too.

Candlelight is such an essential part of dressing your tables. Whether you choose tapered candles, pillar candles, tealights or a mix, it can be lovely for a table to have a mix of candlelight heights. Choosing complementary candles in striking shades or shapes will also add interest, or perhaps you fancy the viral trend for 2024 – candles en masse! Tapered candles are stunning, but after the meal, I always love some tealights still on for the evening, too (if you opt for an 8-hour burn time). Most good tapered candles should have a 4-hour burntime, so keep this in mind when shopping and opt for dripless and smokeless where possible.

Adding the unexpected, playing with a striking colour mix or pattern, or playing with repetition of décor and mixing heights through the tablescape can create a real ‘wow’ moment for your guests when they walk into the space. Layering the tables with all these elements will make for something extraordinary.

I also think it’s essential to frame your tables – perhaps florals and candles at the end of table rows and décor behind the couple through the meal. There will be so many photos taken of you here.

Adding flowers can be the final piece of creating your tablescape– an abundance of colour, texture, simplicity, elegance, whatever you’d like them to be. Repetition through the tables or a mix of different centrepieces- there are few rules in floristry for tables these days. Choosing flowers in bottles or vessels for the tables and pairing them at various heights is striking, or repeating the same flower but considering odd numbers of 3, 5, or 7 pieces per table to lead the eye along.

Stationery on the tables to consider will be place cards, table names or numbers and printed menus ( if applicable). This is where you can consider the rest of your set-up with the stationery and bring that same font through for consistency.

Ultimately, styling a table should be fun. It’s a place on the wedding day where you can express your personality and passions.