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How to decorate a wedding table

There are plenty of aspects of your wedding that you want your guests to be wow-ed  by. You want them to love your dress, devour the food and dance the night away with a memorable band or DJ. But one design aspect that you might not have thought about is your wedding tables.

When your guests sit down to eat, they’ll be sat at their tables for at least two hours. There’s the three-course meal to eat and then the speeches to get through as well. Therefore, you want your wedding tables to be beautiful and a place where your guests will enjoy eating, sitting and chatting.

No matter what your budget, a beautiful wedding table is certainly achievable. Below, I’ve identified how you can decorate your wedding tables to make them beautiful and look stunning in your wedding photos.

 

How to make your wedding tables stand out

If you have a little more budget to play with, don’t be afraid to hold back. Your wedding tables can become stunning features that will Wow all of your guests.

First, you need a good base to your table. Many brides stick to white tablecloths but there are SO many other options out there.

You can add some of your personality to your tables and either use colours that are part of your theme (the same colour as the bridesmaids’ dresses, for example) or you could go with something completely different like rose-gold sequins or even black. Don’t forget that your chair covers should complement the colour tablecloth that you choose.

Once you’ve chosen your base colour, you need to think about your centrepieces. Do you want something incredible like 6ft blossom trees or something simple like a chandelier with some roses wrapped around it? Again, the centrepieces should reflect the personality of both you and your husband/wife-to-be.

For round tables, a centrepiece on each table would work well. For long, banquet-style tables, you may want to choose a simple, but effective, runner.

Wedding banquet tables decorated with a foliage runner

 

I love this beautiful, rustic style decor. It suits the venue perfectly and the green foliage and white napkins break up the wood of the tables and chairs.

The final touches may only seem small, but they can make a big difference. You may want to think about the design of your plates. Some brides go for plain white, whereas others want something patterned of colourful. You should speak to your caterer about the crockery options. Don’t forget your favours too! Whether you choose something foodie or something more personal, it should go with your theme and be pretty to look at.

 

How to decorate wedding tables on a budget

Even if you’re on a budget, you can still make your wedding tables look beautiful.

The best way to decorate your top table is with your bouquets. Ask the venue to place vases of water along the top table, and when you and your ‘maids arrive, the bouquets can be put in the vases and will make your top table look instantly beautiful. Add some candles and tea lights and your top table is complete.

Other cheaper options include sprinkling petals on the table and using lavender sprigs as napkin rings.

If you wanted to, you could buy your centrepieces and sell them on after the wedding. This means you could add some height to your table with candelabras that are filled with scented candles. Renting them can be a waste of money, so it’s better to buy them and make some money back.

Finally, you don’t have to go crazy with your favours. You could fill some jam jars with sweets or chocolates.

 

Deciding on how to dress your tables can be fun. Whether you do it yourself, or have the help of a venue dresser, the result will certainly be beautiful.

How to plan a wedding on a small budget

Weddings can be expensive, but you don’t necessarily need to spend tens of thousands of pounds in order to have the best day ever. If you want to be a little more frugal when it comes to your wedding days, here’s some ideas and inspiration that you can use.

 

Choose your venue carefully

The venue will be a big focus of your day and it will likely feature in many of your wedding photographs. You want to choose a venue that not only reflects your personality, but that will also match the theme of your day.

There are plenty of venues that don’t have to cost the earth. You could choose a small village hall in an idyllic village or a small boutique hotel. if you’re wanting to hold a wedding on a budget, then expect to be hosting a small wedding – the bigger the venue and the more people you want to invite, the more the cost goes up.

Don’t forget – it might be better to hire a venue and spend more money on decor and dressing than it is to spend all of your money on an expensive venue.

 

Consider wedding packages

Now, lots of hotels are geared up to host weddings. In fact, hotel weddings have become so popular, many hotels will have a package that you can choose for your big day. The package normally includes the venue hire, food and drink, a cake, all the linen and crockery, the venue dressing, chair covers, etc. Not only is this minimal organisation for you, but you could save a lot of money by allowing the hotel to do everything. All you’d need to do is hire a wedding photographer and choose the bridal party outfits and wedding planning is complete!

Plus, by hosting your wedding at the hotel, you’ll be saving on the cost of a church wedding, which could add an extra £1,000 to your wedding costs.

 

Re-loved wedding dresses

Some brides don’t like the idea of a second-hand wedding dress, but there are plenty of companies in the UK that offer amazing quality dresses that have previously been worn at a discount price. They’re still in pristine condition and will have been thoroughly cleaned, ready to be worn again. You could save around 50% compared to the price of a new dress, plus you’re doing your bit for the environment by re-using something that was made to be worn once.

 

Choose in-season flowers

Did you know that flowers are at their cheapest when they’re in season? Different flowers prefer different climates, temperatures and humidities. This means some thrive in early spring, others in late summer. Flowers that are in season can be locally grown and will be in the best condition for your day. If you choose flowers that are out of season, you may need to pay extra to have them imported from abroad and they may not be as good quality. Below, we’ve listed a few of the most popular flowers and the time of year they’re at their best:

Spring

  • Roses
  • Tulips
  • Hydrangeas
  • Peonies
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Jasmine

Summer

  • Clematis
  • Sunflowers
  • Phlox
  • Iris
  • Chrysanthemum

Autumn

  • Lily
  • Camellia
  • Dahlia
  • Begonia
  • Physalis

Winter

  • Hyacinths
  • Juniper
  • Ivy
  • Pieris
  • Snowdrops

 

Cater for one meal

Food and drink is one of the biggest costs associated with weddings. Therefore the more food and drink you want, and the more people you invite, the more the cost will shoot up.

You might want to consider a late wedding. By having your wedding at 4pm, you can serve just one evening meal. But if you wanted to get married at 12pm, you’d need to provide an afternoon meal as well as an evening buffet. This could cause the price to shoot up.

You may also want to think about serving your wedding cake instead of dessert – this could save you a bit of money and the cake will all get eaten, instead of living in your freezer for the next few months.

 

Get married during off-peak months

Peak wedding season is thought to be from around the start of May to the end of September. It’s during this time frame that the cost of everything will increase, including your wedding venue. If you want to try and save some money, consider having an Autumn or Christmas wedding.

 

How to deal with wedding planning stress

Although wedding planning should be fun and exciting, there are  absolutely times when the whole process can become stressful. Many couples might become worried that they’re “supposed” to be happy and enjoying the planning process, but this just isn’t the case for everyone.

There may be times when the stress becomes too much. I’ve written this post that tells you exactly how to deal with wedding planning stress to keep you calm and content.

 

Don’t Worry About Other People

A lot of couples spend their time worrying about what other people might want on the day. It can be easy to get caught up too much with what others want so you forget what you want. It’s your day, so try not to get too bogged down about pleasing other people.

 

Take a Break

Sometimes, you and your partner may forget that the whole point of your wedding is to demonstrate your love for each other. It might be worthwhile to go on a short getaway to spend some quality time together and get away from table plans, invitations and cake designs.

 

Try to Avoid Drama

You might have a guest who’s stressing because they couldn’t book a room at your recommended hotel, or two of your friends bought the same dress for the day and both are refusing to return it. Your mum doesn’t like the idea of an outdoor ceremony (at all) and your dad is adamant that your dress should have sleeves.

You should try to avoid any drama that surrounds your big day like the examples above. People will need to sort their own problems out themselves without getting you involved, particularly when it’s issues like booking a room. It may feel like you’re responsible for the issue, but you’re not.

 

Ask Others for Help

You won’t be able to cope with all of the planning yourself – this is why you have bridesmaids and groomsmen. You should ask them to get involved to help you out with certain decisions or appointments.

If you’re DIYing a lot of aspects of the wedding, such as your invitations, you could organise a girls’ night. Get your ‘maids over, crack open a bottle of wine (or two) and do it as a fun task together. Not only is it a way for you to de-stress, but you’re also being productive which is a bonus!

If you’re worried about certain tasks that need to be done on the day, such as handing confetti out or taking the flowers from the church to your venue, you can always ask friends and family members for help. Tell them what they need to do on the day and they’ll do it, leaving you completely stress free.

 

Be Organised

For some people, organisation doesn’t come easily. However, the more organised you are, the more likely it is that your stress levels will reduce. You should keep track of any appointments in a diary. Make a to-do list to ensure that you’re staying on track. There are tonnes of wedding to-do list templates, like this one from Bride Magazine, that you can use for free. It’s also a good idea to keep a list of all of your supplies and their contact details in case you need to phone them.

 

Take a Step Back

Occasionally, the wedding planning process can become too much and it’s more than okay to take a step back when you need to. If you find that you’re becoming overwhelmed, take a week off planning and instead, focus on doing some fun activities. If you enjoy walking, you could organise a hike with your partner. You may want to go on a spa weekend with your mum or even just go out for a drink with the lads.