So you’re recently engaged, you’re jumping from one cloud 9 to the other and can’t help yourself from gazing adoringly at the sparkling bling on your finger. In parallel to your euphoria however you feel like you have a million and one questions being fired at you with the constant pressure to make one decision after the next. “So what’s the date?”, “What venue have you booked?”, and even things like “Where have you placed me on the seating plan?”.
These decisions take time to make, not only because there are so many, but for the mere fact that as a couple it’s time to decide on your own unique approach and what works best for you as a couple. One of these questions which may have you deliberating for hours (or not depending on your what’s important to you) is your overall venue layout, what shape tables you’re going to use and how you arrange them in the venue for maximum impact.
ROUND VS RECTANGULAR
One decision that may have you baffled is what shape table to use. In the past, many venues have supplied a standard round banquet table as part of the venue hire. Today however, one may find that a lot of them provide a rectangular table and if you’re lucky, a beautiful wooden one! Either way, you may find yourself having to decide whether to spend the extra budget getting the table that you really want. It may be worth it to start off by assessing the different options available and what the pro’s and con’s of them are.
Round Tables
Pros
– Round tables work well in a more irregularly shaped room
– Someone cancels last minute? No problem, removing 1 seat from a round table isn’t going to throw your seating plan out
– Are you loathe to do a detailed seating plan where you have to assign every seat? With a round table, you have the option of just assigning a set amount of people to a table and allowing them to select their own seat when they get there, with no risk of someone being left out.
– There often tends to be a little bit less decor required for a round table than there would be if you were sitting on a rectangular table
Cons
– Despite popular opinion, it is in fact really difficult to chat to someone on the other side of a round table. In the past, people haven’t thought this to be a problem, but at a wedding, with lots of people and noise around, you aren’t likely to get a word in to that interesting conversation happening a whole 1.8m away. So, you end up just chatting to the Smiths on your left and your distant cousin on the right, all night.
– They can take up quite a bit of space. Not ideal if you are limited in the venue you have chosen
– Round tables don’t work with all types of looks. A more modern and minimalist look for example could work better on a clean simple wooden table. A romantic, elegant and full floral look would work beautifully on a gracefully shaped round table.
Images: The Knot
Rectangular Tables
Pros
– Depending on the width, a rectangular table allows you ‘access’ to conversations like never before. If you really think about it, you are able to talk to the two on either side of you, the two opposite you, and even the two on either side of those two. Thats a total of 6 people! Sounds like a fun, conversation filled evening to me and an intimate setting overall.
– The shape often allows you to fit more into a smaller space. The table width is also variable depending on what tables you use so if you are really battling for space, you could even go down to a trestle width to accommodate it.
– The arrangements are variable as you are able to do individual tables or you can join them to make a long banquet table. These can be arranged in a variety of shapes that work well in the venue. Think out the box and play with your layout by doing a to scale drawing and cutouts of the tables you are using. Play around with them on the page, placing them in different arrangements (remember to leave space for the chairs when you do this. 1.5m between the tables is a good amount of space).
– There are a lot more options for the way decor is arranged along a rectangular table so you can really have fun with this! It also makes for beautiful photos.
Cons
– Consider the cost factor of renting in tables if it isn’t something the venue already provides.
– A rectangular table, and especially banquet, means that you have to place each individual person and if 1 is missing, or someone cancels last minute, your carefully calculated arrangements will be thrown off. A way to get around this is to potentially leave off the heads so that it allows a spare space to use if you need to shuffle everyone around.
– Long tables may mean that guests have to walk a bit of a distance to get anywhere as they have to move around the tables.
Images: The Knot
WHAT ABOUT A COMBINATION?
Some of the nicest layouts I have seen recently are ones with a combination of table types and shapes. With a cleverly designed layout that doesn’t look cluttered, using a combination gives you a variation that is both visually interesting and functional. The different shapes also gives you more options for seating your guests. Don’t be afraid to also have a combination of tables that are covered, or not covered with linens. To take it a step further, consider even using a combination of seating types such as tiffany chairs and glamorous couches!
Image: The Knot
THE BRIDAL TABLE
As with many other wedding traditions, the bridal table is almost always a table that is one sided, and facing the guests. It’s central and visible so that everyone can watch the bridal party enjoying their special day and it gives the couple themselves a great vantage point of all of their guests having a good time. Some however find it a bit lonely and separate from the rest of the room and prefer to be in amongst their guests. Consider placing your table in the centre of the room with guests surrounding you. Perhaps its double sided instead of the traditional one sided arrangement, allowing you to chat and interact with your bridal party when you aren’t floating around spending time with your guests. Make sure you chat to your photographer to see if this will work for them as well!
USING YOUR SPACE WELL TO MAXIMISE ON IMPACT
With a gazillion and one ideas at your fingertips from the likes of Pinterest, it becomes quite tricky to whittle it down to what you want. What some couples forget to do is check whether their beautiful ideas works in the space that they have chosen. My advice is to start there – decide what overall look and theme is going to complement the space you have chosen the best.
Secondly, have a look at the space and decide how you are going to arrange the tables and furniture within this. If you are going to have a feature in the room such as a hanging element, decide where best to place this for maximum impact. Ensure that you’re overall layout is interesting without being too haphazard and overwhelming for your guests. Don’t be scared of empty spaces and feel as though you have to cover every square metre in something, these spaces often allow you to define other areas in the room.
Thirdly, decide on the main feature for the room and work your table arrangements around how to make this the focal point and maximise it’s impact. With high ceilings and blank walls, venues are often hard to ‘fill’. However, with all the focus on the feature piece, these elements often become forgotten.
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Website: www.crystalandvine.co.za
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