Lessons Learned: Table Settings and Sizes
I’ve got a two-for one Lessons Learned post for you today! I recently had a wedding where we told the florist during the planning that all the dinner tables were going to be 6′ round in size, because we were anticipating a large guest count and wanted to maximize the floor plan by using larger tables to seat more guests. In the end, the wedding guest list was smaller than planned, and we went back to using mostly 5′ round tables. I forgot that I had told the florist the old table size, so I also forgot to tell her the new table size.
Fast forward to the wedding day. The florist brought her A-game. The centerpieces were magnificent. They were also taking up a lot of space on the table. We had ordered 4 pieces of glassware for each place setting: water goblet, red wine glass, white wine glass and champagne flute. All this glassware was also taking up a lot of space on the table, AND the water goblet was so TALL – it was crazy to me how tall it seemed. It was basically blocking the centerpieces.
There were also a few things from the caterer I wasn’t expecting either – bread baskets and water carafes were placed on the table. I consulted with the clients, gave them my advice, and in the end, they agreed with me that we should remove all the water goblets. This meant that the red wine glass was now the water glass, and the white wine glass was now an all-purpose wine glass. Not ideal, but it was better than blocking the amazing centerpieces, which were of high importance to the couple and their parents.
Yes, these are the centerpieces and tables I’m referring to. Turned out great, right? I typically don’t pair the Lessons Learned post with photos from that same wedding, but this couple knew of the situation, and it all turned out great in the end, so I think its fair to share with you. Photos by Kurstin Roe.
Lessons Learned is a recurring series about the little and sometimes not so little things I learn at each and every wedding. Even after 15 years and 200+ weddings under my belt, I still learn something new at each one!
