Reception & Tabletops Décor play a big role in creating the overall look of your wedding reception. Start by determining your wedding “theme” or aesthetic — what do you want your tables to evoke?
For this wedding, terracotta tones were the overarching theme. To complement, Plenty of Petals created a floral runner featuring a loose mix of hydrangeas, roses, and greenery.
Vignettes are a great way to showcase personal mementos, decorative objects and artwork in your home. They are also an uncomplicated way to freshen up your space and bring new life to tabletop surfaces.
Creating a vignette is all about balance and proportion. Use varying heights, shapes and textures to add visual interest and appeal to your tabletop display. For example, stacking books and vases of varying sizes can be used to create dimension. Using risers on which to display smaller items can also help to elevate the scale of a vignette. The layered effect also draws the eye across the entire surface. Mixing metals with woods and glass also adds visual contrast and interest to your vignette.
It’s important to edit and curate your vignette to avoid overcrowding it with too many elements and details. A well-curated vignette tells a story and evokes emotion.
A vignette should always include something from nature to add a sense of freshness and beauty to the space. Whether it’s a small potted plant or a collection of sea shells, this natural element brings visual appeal to any vignette.
Another way to incorporate the perfect finishing touch into your vignette is by including something that reflects your personality or interests. This could be a vintage trinket that has a special meaning to you or a piece of art that is meaningful to your family.
A good rule of thumb when arranging your vignette is to work from the tallest object in the center down to the shortest item. This will ensure your vignette is balanced and won’t appear lopsided or boring. Another tip is to arrange your vignette in a zig-zag pattern. This helps to keep the eye moving and prevents it from getting bored by looking at the same items in a straight line.
Lastly, don’t forget the “rule of three”. This is a general rule that works best when designing your vignette. This means that the number of objects you include in your vignette should be no more than three. This will keep the arrangement from becoming too cluttered and busy and will allow each individual item to shine.
Tall Centerpieces
A tall centerpiece is an instant crowd-pleaser. They’re perfect for venues with high ceilings, as they draw your guests’ eyes upward instead of blocking their view of the tabletop. A towering display of greenery, flowers, and even trees will make a gorgeous statement piece at the center of your wedding reception table. These tall designs can also serve as focal points at wedding altars, sweetheart tables or as decor elements adorning guest dining tables.
Pair your tall wedding centerpieces with a wide variety of tabletop accessories and floral decor for a completely customized look. For example, if you’re working with a flower palette that leans to the more neutral side, consider mixing in some vibrant colors to make your centerpieces stand out. For a spring wedding, peonies make for a gorgeous addition to any floral arrangement. Here, Sophie Felts Floral Design used the fluffy flowers to highlight roses, dahlias, ranunculus, and sweet pea in this neutral yet romantic centerpiece.
If you’re working with a more traditional color palette, try incorporating a pop of blue to your floral arrangements. Here, Issa Mariage topped a tall vase with a cascade of hanging ivy vines and orchids to add a bold touch to this white wedding centerpiece.
To create a more modern look, work in some unexpected color palettes or shapes to your tall wedding centerpieces. For this couple’s vintage-inspired wedding in California, Le Petal Studio adorned round tables with a mix of peonies, roses, lisianthus, and anemones in shades of pink, lavender, and peach.
The style of the stand your tall wedding centerpieces are mounted on can also dramatically affect their overall look and feel. For a vintage or old world aesthetic, a classic footed stand will add classicism and elegance to your wedding day style. A Harlow stand or other clean-lined holder will suit a more contemporary look.
The size of your tall wedding centerpieces can make or break their overall effect. For smaller weddings, you may want to opt for a clustered arrangement with small buds and stems rather than an over-the-top display. For this couple’s wedding in Santa Barbara, Glenna Joy Flowers paired dahlias, roses, ranunculus, and cosmos to create these petite yet impactful mixes.
Metallics
Metallics can be a great way to add some sparkle and shine to your tabletop decor. The key is to decide how much you want to incorporate and then select the right color scheme to match. Gold, silver, bronze, and copper metallic decorations work well with warm toned color palettes while steel or aluminum can complement cooler shades.
Metallic colors, like their namesake metals, have long been a symbol of wealth and power. They’ve also been popular in art since ancient times, often used to approximate the look of precious metals and to add a decorative touch to manuscripts, paintings, and mosaics. In modern times, we’ve seen the popularity of metallic accents in jewelry, shoes, and clothing.
Whether it’s the soft glow of a pearlescent dress or the shimmery luster of a sequin top, metallics have always held an irresistible allure. This season, they’re shining brighter than ever, backed by high fashion and celebrated by style icons on red carpets and Instagram. Christy Turlington’s statuesque liquid gold Ralph Lauren dress, Claudia Schiffer’s Versace chainmail, and Taylor Swift’s gold Gucci suit all exemplify the elegance of this season’s metallic trend.
With their ability to reflect light and create a sense of depth, metallics are perfect for adding interest to your wedding day look. They can be worn at any time of day, and the key is in the styling. For example, a pair of flats will make metallics look more casual and appropriate for daytime wear while heels will evoke a more elegant evening style.
When choosing the color of your metallic accents, it’s important to consider the overall tone you want to achieve for your big day. Silver and gold are classic choices for a festive vibe, while bronze, copper, and rose gold will work well with a romantic or bohemian theme. You can also try metallic shades that are a little more muted, such as gunmetal grey or copper orange.
When incorporating metallics into your wedding decor, it’s important to keep in mind that too many can overpower the look and feel gaudy. If you’re planning on using a lot of metallics, try to pair them with neutral colors such as white, black, gray, navy, beige, taupe, and brown.
Citrus
One of the most important elements of a wedding reception is the tabletop decor. Whether it’s the centerpiece or tablecloth, adding a pop of color or texture can really pull together the entire setting. One way to do this is by adding citrus to the mix. This bright and fragrant element is perfect for bringing summer vibes to your big day.
Consider incorporating lemons, oranges, and grapefruit as the centerpiece of your tablescape. The vibrant hues will stand out against neutral linens and candles, and their aroma can add a refreshing touch to your guests’ dining experience. This look is simple to execute, too. Simply add a layer of sliced citrus between two vases, like this couple did, and you’ll have an aesthetically pleasing centerpiece that smells amazing.
Smaller pieces of citrus can also make beautiful place card holders. Just tie each guest’s name to a piece of citrus and they’ll go home with a little bit of your special day. This is a great option for destination weddings, too, as your guests can take the citrus with them at the end of the night!
Aside from citrus, other fresh ingredients are also a fun addition to a wedding tablescape. Fruits and veggies can add a cheerful element to your décor without taking up too much space on the table. Besides lemons, oranges, and grapefruit, other fruits that work well at receptions include pineapples, strawberries, and watermelons. They also pair nicely with flowers, especially those that have similar colors as the fruits, like dahlias, roses, and zinnias.