Great Feedback on the long rectangular tables. I’ll pass it along.
@travelnut thank you for that link. Definitely a possibility. I think the IKEA blankets are under $3.00.
@lookingforward - my D has a good spreadsheet and her planner also is very cognizant of budget. Unfortunately it all adds up even when you are trying hard to make good decisions.
Depending upon the space and layout, a very long table can also become a barrier to easy interactions and navigating the space. Ample room for movement and the socializing that takes place as people pass tables and stop for conversation were important to us.
It is very helpful to check out venues when tables are in place and you can compare number of guests coming that day to your anticipated headcount. We saw some beautiful venues where the room was set up so tightly that it looked like the guests would have to inhale and walk sideways to get to their table. No idea how service would take place.
I went to a wedding last year where there were rectangular tables of various lengths. Honestly, it was fabulous. It worked well in the space. If we wanted to talk to someone at the other end of the table, we just got up and moved.
You know…it’s not all that easy to talk to someone across one of those big round tables either.
Get the shape and size tables that fit the “look” you want in your venue.
We only have rectangular tables available at our venue dinner. Besides the talking issue, centerpieces are much more difficult. A single centerpiece doesn’t cut it. Our florist is going to lay loose greens/flowers down the center so it looks like garland. it should be interesting.
Our venue has us moving between 4 areas; one for the ceremony (benches), one for the cocktail hour (benches/standing), one for the dinner (rectangular tables) and one for the dance (small, round tables/standing). My biggest concern is having enough tables and chairs in the barn for the dance. I know some will leave after dinner and there are other activities on the grounds (lawn games, bonfire, photo booth, bar area), most of the pictures I’ve viewed online show very few tables and chairs in the dance area.
After enduring 3 hours of standing at multiple wedding receptions, adequate seating is number one priority at my Ds wedding.
When you have round table you could really only talk to people on the right and left of you too.
D1 opted for long farm tables. I think people were fairly happy with their seat. The reception was 6+ hrs, and people were only seated for less than 2 hrs, many tables were cleared after dinner to make room for dancing. We set up various sitting areas with sofas and comfor chairs for people who didn’t want to listen to loud music.
We thought the elderly grandparents would be sitting, but they were the ones who were dancing up a storm, my mother included.
Thank you for all the input on tables. DD talked to the venue last night and round tables of 8 are the only option. We never really thought about it when we booked the place. Guess that’s something to keep in mind for the next wedding.
We had round tables of 10, and there was plenty of room to spread out … so we had some tables that were 6 or 8, depending on the mix of people. It all worked out perfectly. I bet it will work out for you, too.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of a rectangular table, especially when the event style is farmhouse. I just mentioned my dinner group of 8 or so is frustrated. Even at a large round table, we can see each other and converse a bit (or at least hear.)
Only going to keep this up for a very short time. The picture was D1’s reception, all long tables. The wedding party and their SOs sat in the center with ghost chairs. We left plenty of rooms for people to walk around. People were also able to turn around and talk to people behind them. Some of those tables were cleared out once the dinner was over for the dance floor. Each table had long garlands with flowers and we had tall plants to give the place some height.
Round tables are the most space-inefficient sitting option. The center of the table is usually useless real estate. Love what oldfort did!
We brought everything in because the venue only offered round tables.
BB is right, we were able to fit more people with long tables.
We had round tables…no intention of using the center for anything but the decor. It worked out fine.
Honestly, I think either type of table…round or rectangle…works well. It’s all about the way you set them up anyway.
@oldfort - that looks beautiful .
old fort- what a beautiful reception!
@oldfort thanks for sharing. I love the look of the farm style table with the centerpieces down the middle. My S and DIL did something similar. For them it wasn’t such an issue for conversation as the tables were just for the dinner portion of the evening. The dancing and rest of the reception was in a different part of the venue.
For my D the venue is an old dairy barn that has been totally redone and converted to a venue space. It wasn’t even close to done when we booked the venue. We go in a few weeks to see it again. All the tables and dancing will be inside the barn. I think we will have some sort of seating or lounge area outside the barn doors for those who want to get away from the music. We will see how the tables layout and go with what is the most efficient.
I just like vet reading this thread. Oldfort ‘s DD’s wedding and others look so beautiful.
our floral estimates are quite high. any must haves and things to eliminate?
Must haves? Well…bouquets of some kind for the bride and bridesmaids. We had no boutinaires…but our guys wore vests, not jackets.
Have you considered getting another estimate? We had our flowers done by the grocery store floral department. The gal who did them did weddings, and they were very nice. We went with very simple for the tables…garlands with some pink flower in them that went around hurricane candles, and then some votives too. The bride And bridesmaids carried gorgeous hydrangea and rose bouquets. We had several vases of hydrangea for the table with the cake, the gifts, the memorial pictures.
I was able to provide all of the vases, and lace for the bouquets.
We thought it looked nice.
Just changed my avatar so you can see.
Very pretty, thumper