Small Stuff: The Tables

Are you getting tired of wedding posts yet? Too bad! Another one of those little Etsy details that YJDKIY fell in love (harhar-you'll get that in a second) with immediately were tiny round magnets from Buttonhead. For $60, I got 100 custom design 1" magnets.

See? The design was a no-brainer. And I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

Placed on top of a simple white napkin at each seat. A useful wedding favor for once. Shop Owner Ali Puckett was great to work with, from placing the order, submitting my files, reviewing a proof, and fast delivery!

For rustic elegance in our outdoor tent, I immediately decided on family style seating - two long rows of tables instead of traditional rounds. Things were a little tight, but hey, we're all friends here right?

The next decision I made was the runners and cloths. I started with plain white linens, in tea length. Trying to maneuver a floor length cloth in a nice dress, especially in the grass, with folding chairs is just awkward. (It also save a couple of dollars). For the runners, I considered burlap but didn't love the smell and mess that it brings. A better, cheaper option was found with a roll of brown kraft paper extended the entire 40' of the table line.

The vases were an IKEA find! The galvanized look was perfect for the theme. Each one cost about $2 and was filled with 10-12 of my scarlet red Gerbera daisies, ordered in bulk from a local grocery store. Note: test IKEA products for quality. Although I did a test arrangement with silk flowers, I didn't actually try putting water in the vases until the morning of the wedding. What could have been a disaster was saved by simply placing a plastic wine/punch cup (the short kind) in the bottom to hold the water. The table numbers were small white doilies with house numbers from Lowes Hardware laminated. I repeated those under faces and place cards.

I opted for a contemporary flatware instead of traditional even though it cost a little more, and used one style of hi-ball glasses for all beverages (except wine), which made up the cost difference.

The folded doilies were excellent place cards and were super affordable. In addition to the tea lights (also from IKEA), I found $1 plastic white frames perfect for menu cards (stay tuned for that menu!). One side was menu, one side was a photo.

I could have spent a lot of money on fancy linens and flowers, but in the end it just really didn't matter. There were a few details that made it personal, but I wanted it to be easy and comfortable, just like a family dinner at some one's home. The food and the fun would be the feature. Success!