On today’s blog, we’re looking at how to style your wedding tables.

Wedding Styling – it’s an area often shrouded with mystery, so today, I’m going to share some handy tips and tricks to ensure your wedding looks beautiful! If you’re thinking of hiring a wedding stylist, don’t forget to check out my wedding styling service. Designed to help you create the perfect setting for your wedding day, this option will help you enjoy your planning your decor as much as the other aspects of your wedding!

Whilst my wedding styling design consultations are all-encompassing and look at every element of your wedding design, one of the key areas we spend lots of time working on is your wedding table styling.

Whilst I’ve seen a significant shift in how couples are approaching their wedding breakfast this year (say goodbye to the traditional 3-course meal and hello to relaxed, sharing style platters, as an example), our newlyweds still want to sit with their nearest and dearest to share the first meal as a married couple.

A beautifully designed table will always take centre stage in your overall décor scheme. Not only will it help you create ambience and atmosphere and provide an opportunity to inject some of your personality into your wedding aesthetic, but it’s also where your wedding guests are likely to spend a reasonable amount of time, so getting it right is vital! Here are our top tips for styling your wedding tables.

Wedding Styling Tips

Whilst I’m focusing purely on styling your tables today, to ensure consistency, it’s still essential to consider how this element fits into your overall décor scheme. First of all, have you already got a theme or style in mind for the rest of your wedding? If so, take inspiration from other elements such as your stationery, furniture, floristry selections and signage to ensure your tables are aligned with these, creating cohesiveness and helping the design to flow beautifully throughout your day.

For example, if you’ve opted for clean, modern luxe vibes for the rest of your wedding, you’ll want to incorporate this with simple, pared-back design on your tables too.

Choose your wedding furniture

To begin with, consider the style of table you are working with – have you opted for something wooden and beautifully rustic or have you chosen a type of table that requires a tablecloth or cover?

To an extent, this decision will help you set off on the right path. For many, a crisp, clean white tablecloth needs to be matched with cut glass crystal and a floral statement arrangement for a beautifully luxe/elegant feel. In contrast, reclaimed wooden tables naturally encourage lots of freely formed, unstructured foliage with wildflowers and a much more relaxed feel in the design overall.

Wedding styling is about layering

The perfect wedding tablescape contains lots of depth, texture and detail – this is where layering comes in handy! As you begin to design your table, think about using lots of different tableware elements and don’t be afraid to move away from the conventional – mix and match coloured or patterned runners in unusual fabrics with textured charger plates, beautiful glassware and unique crockery and cutlery. Napkins (shock horror!) don’t need to match, and you can inject some serious personality with your stationery and favours too.

Wedding floristry

As for the florals – be creative! You don’t need to opt for a single central arrangement, individual stems in apothecary bottles or brass/crystal bud vases dotted across the table look stunning and offer variety and an opportunity to add some splashes of colour.

Just a note, if you do opt for a single, central arrangement, ensure this doesn’t impede vision at the table – your guests won’t appreciate getting neck strain where they’ve had to sit awkwardly to be able to chat with a guest on the other side of the table!

Wedding styling ideas

As a wedding stylist, I very much believe that there can NEVER be enough candlelight! Whether you opt for candelabras, candlesticks or dainty votives, adding some lighting elements to your tables helps to create an atmosphere and a warm, romantic feel.

Add the ‘wow’ factor to your wedding styling

Now it’s time to choose your ‘hero’ ingredients – these are the pieces that really add the wow factor to your tables. From beautiful, contemporary metallic geo shapes, natural stoneware vases, shells, driftwood or even quirky props and pretties added to your centrepieces, don’t be afraid to experiment and be playful!

Also, think about what can go above your tables as well. Depending on your venue, you may be able to add hanging installations (flowers, greenery and ribbon chandeliers all work well) or even experiment with creative lighting options too if you can.

Be practical with your wedding styling

Of course, we want an incredible looking table, but also, we need to ensure it works practically for the food service as well. For example, if you have a feasting menu with sharing platters, adding lots of décor to the centre of the table (where the platters will need to sit) will make life difficult for your caterers and stop your guests from getting to the grub!

Finally – less is more.

I always believe that ‘less is more’ when it comes to wedding design. Make sure that every single element on the table has a purpose and that you aren’t adding unnecessary items which can create clutter and detract from your overall vision. Keep it simple and invest in quality pieces that help to make your desired look – quality over quantity every damn time.

Always keep in mind that the design elements are one of the enjoyable parts of the wedding planning process! Pinterest is a fantastic source of inspiration and ideas, and if you’re struggling to bring your vision to life, why not take a look at my wedding styling service?