There will be many moments popping up during your wedding day that have guests taking little mental snapshots (you know, like Jim and Pam in their Niagara Falls wedding episode of The Office?). When you or your partner walk down the aisle, when your officiant says “You’re now married, you may kiss the bride!,” when they get a first taste of the cornucopia of cuisine and signature sips that comprises your cocktail hour, and when they finally walk into your reception space and find their seats (among many others, of course) for your grand entrance. They won’t just pull out their chairs and plant themselves according to their place cards, either. Nope! They’ll all gather around the table, stealing glances of the celebration space in its entirety, and then take stock of the tablescape – from the candles and centerpieces to the table numbers, table linens and place settings. It’ll be one of those major “Wow, they truly didn’t overlook any detail of this day, did they?” moments in time, and while you’ll obviously want your guests to have fun – a packed dance floor will tell you that – you’ll also want them to feel totally at home at their table.
Here are some of our favorite tablescaping helpers from our own Style Me Pretty Collection at Michaels! Whether you’re having your reception in a beautiful open-air venue, an equally intimate and intriguing warehouse or loft space, or an enchanting, natural light-filled ballroom or tented garden, you can be certain any table you set with these pretty pieces of decor will sparkle. And the best part?! You can shop the collection in store and see all of the beautiful details in person!
Candles are just the thing to light up your day and the love story that brought you there. From matte and metallic tea light holders to elegant cream tapers in wooden or delicate gold candle holders, however you choose to illuminate your tables is sure to set everyone’s hearts aglow.
If you’re after some modern edge and a fashionable touch to your tabletops, matte black candle holders will do it. They can also bring a level of mood and festiveness to undressed wooden tables, intermixed with flowing garlands and green botanicals. The look is so fresh and crisp, especially for fall nuptials when you might not want to saturate the scene with too many call-backs to foliage.
Table numbers help your guests find their seats straight away and with several styles to match your setting, modern, boho, romantic, and traditional, you don’t have to opt for what your venue already provides. Scalloped edge silver or gold metallic numbers are classic, but tweaking in the most subtle ways with wooden or acrylic table number holders can make the effect more rustic or minimalist.
We’re fangirling hard for our brand-new black and white table numbers featuring calligraphed numbers beneath the stunningly-scripted ‘table’ – both in charcoal hues. The border is just barely antiqued, making the numbers a perfect blend of something old and something new.
Place cards offer the most poignant hint of personalization at every guest’s seat. Fitting for a formal wedding reception, ours can easily work for seating assignments at other pre-wedding festivities, including the small-group bridal luncheon or rehearsal dinner. Scalloped edging and either gold or silver foil borders can be mixed and matched with acrylic and wooden holders to vibe with your venue.
Just like the torn edges on the new table numbers, the new, faintly-tattered place cards with black borders translate into traditional and contemporary styling, all at once.
Whether you’re embracing the beauty of long banquet tables or tailoring a petite setup for your Sunday brunch wedding, your choices for curating a reception table look you and your guests will love are endless. Turn your tablescaping skills up a whole notch with fail-proof designing how-tos from our editors and the perfect products to turn your vision into reality!