Mar 08 2018
Your wedding table plan can be one of the most difficult tasks during your wedding planning process – but it doesn’t have to be! Let’s stop procrastinating and putting it off and tick it off the to-do list!
If you have received all of your RSVPs and you know how many tables/chairs are available at your venue, then you are good to start planning. Firstly start with your top table.
At Larchfield Estate, we have options as to which top table you would like. An oval top table? A more traditional long top table? Or would you like your top table to be round and shaped like the other guest tables (you could have a different centre piece to stand out a little bit if you opt for this option). The top table shape and layout in the room will depend on the style of your wedding. Formal or more informal?
Normally we suggest having no more than 12 on a top table as this fits nicely into the space we have, but you can of course have a smaller or larger number.
You may want to look at peoples common interests and ages when seating guests together. If you seat your guests in tables full of families or friends then there is less chance of them mingling. If you seat guests randomly then it may not be a good idea. So, it is about finding the right balance that you are comfortable with.
Round tables are provided here at Larchfield Estate, and most other venues also use round tables. We have different sizes of round tables so that you can change numbers of guests on each, and this will hopefully work well when placing smaller or larger guest numbers together. It is tradition to place male and female guests alternatively around the table.
Instead of round tables, you could have a banquet style meal. Banquet style dining has a tradition of seating couples opposite from each other.
It is a good idea to make sure that you make a table layout of the main barn at Larchfield Estate for your caterer to be able to place tables/guests exactly where you want them. This means you will be able to control tables closest to your top table and you will know that they are filled with family and closest friends.
Centrepieces are an important part of anyone’s wedding day as they are a huge part of your wedding day theme. It is nice for guests sitting at the tables to be able to see each other during conversation, so possibly tall and wide centrepieces are not best. Have you thought about centrepieces? Will you be having vases, candles, flowers, picture frames or anything else? We once had a wedding at Larchfield who had small plants as their centrepieces which guests could take home if they wished – great and unique idea which can turn into a long lastly memory!
Tables can either be named or numbered. You could name tables after anything of interest to you such as your favourite holidays together, any hobbies you have, your favourite sports teams, most loved movies or characters, songs… the list goes on!
Individual name cards need to read well. We don’t want guests being miss placed in case you specifically placed them somewhere, or they have ordered the chicken and not beef. This will make sure conversations flow well between guests placed in exact seats and it will be greatly appreciated by who is serving your meal. Always give a copy of your seating plan and name cards to your caterer so that it is ensured everyone will be where they are meant to be.
