DIY table decorations/centerpieces for long narrow banquet tables?

[r_beau]

Since we are getting married in a small town about 80 miles away from any decorators, I have decided to do all the ceremony and reception decorations myself! It shouldn't be a huge deal because we will have access to the reception hall for the entire day before the wedding.

However, the setup of the reception hall requires all of the center tables (most of them) to be taken down before the dance starts because that IS the dance floor.

So I want to keep my table decorations simple so they are easy to take down ... but yet at the same time I have always envisioned a fancy "dream" wedding so I want things to look stunning too!

The tables are the long banquet-style of tables.

The two pictures below show the usual setup, which I think I will do too because it works well. In the second photo, the head table would be off the picture to the left. And the DJ sets up off the picture to the right.

To me, these two weddings have nice easy decorations, but it is too plain for me! I was fancy and stunning!

So basically, does anyone have any suggestions on what they are doing? Or pictures of what you have done?

For sure I am:
--cloth tableclothes for all tables
--full chair covers for the head table, and the reserved table (possibly for the whole thing but I haven't checked on number availability yet ... but I'd be fine if we didn't)
--table skirts for the head table, goodie table, cake table, etc
--colored table running for the reserved table. Maybe for all the tables, depending on what I can find and cost.
--I considered having real flowers on the tables but I think that might be hard to take down before the dance starts b/c then you have to deal with water in all the vases.
--I have considered candles but I always worry about fire hazards with little kids running around!
--I want to put some sort of confetti on the tables. Either candy confetti (like hershey's kisses), or the rhinestone confetti, or photo confetti ... or maybe a combination.

And the food will be buffet style so only the head table and reserved tables have place settings.

Sorry that was long!!

[The Proper Wedding]

We had tables just like that. Our centerpieces probably aren't what you're looking for, but I'll post a pic for you anyways. Maybe it will give you some sort of an idea to create something of your own. Ours was a medieval themed wedding. So the centerpieces were pretty simple. We just took wood junks, drilled holes in them big enough for tea lights, and tied 3 of them together (all 3 being different sizes).

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/6030/58427509256166650224900.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/58427509256166650224900.jpg/)

Good luck with yours. I hope you find something easy to set up and tear down that is not too simple! :)

[r_beau]

@theproperwedding: Actually that picture is very helpful because I was thinking of incorporating pillar candles somewhere. Very cute none-the-less! Thank you for sharing!

[EarlyBird]

Have you seen wheat bunches? i love those, they are easy to move and inexpensive and you can add a little color to them pretty easy and still have confetti of some sort on the tables.
Also, although your concern is the moving situation. What if you had your bridesmaids put their bouquets on the tables in vases after the ceremony ? After the dinner, when its time to dance, you could ask each bridesmaid to collect her bouquet again, and their doing double duty.
The other thing is possibly splurging for ORNATE cloth table clothes instead of confetti and centerpieces. This way, there is NOTHING to move and it will look very very pretty
If it were me, considering that you have to move things and like you said, the fire hazards (although i'm a fan of candles too) i would probably go with splurging on the linens. Maybe get floor length ornate table linens, chair covers, and pretty sashes-

[EarlyBird]

also, if you did table cloths, colored table runners and those "diamond" confetti pieces on the table. i think that would be verrry pretty :)

[EarlyBird]

how many people do you have? Would a set up like this make it easier/less work/less tables to move?

http://img.over-blog.com/300x400/2/59/25/80/mariage.jpg (http://img.over-blog.com/300x400/2/59/25/80/mariage.jpg)

[EarlyBird]

this was the wheat bunches, and you can add any ribbon color u want
(http://myecochicwedding.com/2009/09/01/stunning-wheat-centerpiece/#respond)


http://myecochicwedding.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/MS_Wheat_centerpiece.jpg

[EarlyBird]

file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.pngfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VANARO%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.pngi also was looking, i like the idea of potted orchid plants on the tables :) they are pretty and people could take them home! there is a place by me that does 3 potted orchids for 20 bucks.. thats inexpensive, and im sure you could find a place like that by you! they are easily transferable to another table or the people (maybe you can give to "honored" guests like aunts, uncles etc) can table them when you move the tables

[r_beau]

@EarlyBird

Thanks for all the ideas!

I have seen the wheat bunches idea, although I don't feel like that is the type of look I personally want to go for (although my parents farm and ranch ... one of them wheat!)

If you want to see the set up of the reception hall, you can see the 2 pictures I attached at the end of my original post. There is room for 550 guests in the hall. We haven't finalized the guest list yet, but it will probably be a larger wedding around 450 to 500 guests.

As far as using the bridesmaid bouquets, we are already going to do that for the head table.

I do like the idea of potted plants! Since we are having a June wedding, that would fit perfectly with planting flowers in the spring. I'll keep that one in mind.

[Huntress]

i think the candles were beautiful... personally, i'd like the reception to reflect what kind of couple you and H2B will be like... why not try putting years or months instead of numbers for your table numbers? then put a picture of you and your h2b on that month a year ago... like remembering the years that you were dating.

[r_beau]

@huntress

We don't need table numbers, because we are going to do a buffet-style dinner. And it's just how my town does things I guess. I will have name plates on our "special guest" table.

Although... since no one DOES tables numbers in my community, that certainly would be unique! I'll definitely keep it in mind.

I have been trying to somehow incorporate the idea of how long we have spent apart. We are on year number three of our long-distance relationship while I finish school, and we have one more year to go yet.

I had thought of scattering photos that I have of us on the tables as part of decoration. And I even thought of getting some some cheap picture frames to put prints of our engagement photos on the tables too, and then letting our guests take them home! (I will have rights to my photos, so I could get cheap prints done somewhere.) I thought that would be a neat personal thing to do.

[SunnyAB]

r beau just a comment about table numbers - even though you don't have assigned seating you could still have table numbers (or names or whatever) just so your mc could announce which tables should go up to the buffet next. With so many people attending, we usually have some sort of 'crowd control'. You have all the table numbers/names in a hat or something and your mc draws a slip, announces who is next and so on. I've also seen where its announced that whichever table sings a love song - they go next - but that is probably a more casual setting than you are having. Just some options though. :D

[r_beau]

@sunnyAB

Well if I did decide to use table numbers, that's kind of what I was thinking we would do. We that might be a neat idea to work in "years" or "months" that my fiance and I have been together or something like that.

Usually, they have "ushers" designated to walk around to the tables in a certain order that can be excused to go through the buffet. We don't let them do a "free for all"! That would be mass chaos....

[SunnyAB]

well yes it would be chaos! lol But everyone does things differently, and since you hadn't said anything about it - thought it wouldn't hurt to mention it. Good luck.

[IsabelSive82]

If you wanted flowers, it might look neat to have some of the skinny rectangle planters (http://bucket-outlet.com/planters.htm) filled with flowers, then they would be short enough that people could talk over them, but long enough to not look dwarfed by the tables, and this way you would need fewer centerpieces to give it a nice look. I haven't found any pictures of what I'm talking about, but if I come across any I'll post them.

[Motherofbride]

Lay a garland of tul and ivy, loosely twisted together, from beginning to end of the table. Insert some long "spriggy" flowers (don't know what you can get in Oregon) between the twists. Place some storm candles in different heights and sizes in it. If it's a theme wedding, you could add theme items too.
Hope this helps:crossfingers:

[tinadimascio]

I think you might be able to use a variety of candles (low, tall, square, circle, fat, thin) in different shades of the same color or the same color arranged in a long line on the banquet table in round vases. I know that your guests will have to be careful with the candles, but the end result is very pretty:
http://alwaysabridesmaid.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c395f53ef01053631c2de970b-500pi

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2158/3529455055_98faf1c8fd.jpg

[petulantfem]

We had long tables as well. We did table runners down the length (burlap for us, but whatever colour you would want to use would add some interest to the table) and then we did two mason jars wrapped in ribbon with floating candles (floating candles eased my fears about kids and fire too, in case one got bumped) and then one mason jar with fresh flowers (we bought inexpensive flowers - for our bouquets and centrepieces we spent about $120 and that covered 15 tables and bouquets for myself and 5 girls). We also did table confetti (we made ours by punching them out of paint swatches from the hardware store).

Once you get the wine glasses, plates, wine and cutlery (and anything else needed) onto the tables too, it gets pretty full.

Before flowers, wine, etc was set out (this was in the process of setting up):
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6097111518_5b02c6564e_z.jpg

Flowers:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6199/6096599029_f7e623884b_z.jpg

Floating candles and confetti:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6097053094_6e112b3f0b_z.jpg

Head table:
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z368/kingwedding2011/DSCN3203-1.jpg

I love the look of the tables FULL of candles, but in a old wooden venue with all those kids running around, I would have died of stress haha.