How to Set Up Tables at a Small Wedding Reception
There is often a lot of pressure put on brides to plan the perfect wedding reception. Most wedding resources focus exclusively on large, lavish receptions. With so little advice offered about planning small receptions, brides who are planning a smaller marriage celebration might wonder how to go about setting up tables for such an affair. Depending on a couple's wedding budget, set-up can be as elegant or as simple as a bride and groom prefer.
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Instructions
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Consider how many tables will fit comfortably in the small reception venue. Be sure to leave enough room for guests to walk comfortably among the tables as they mingle throughout the reception.
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If the reception venue is large, set up round tables. These seat fewer people per table, allowing brides to fill some of the venue space with more tables. Round tables also encourage personal conversations.
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Create a seating chart and print place cards so that guests will know where to sit. Be sensitive to the needs of guests. Avoid seating elderly guests near speakers. Seat small children with their parents or at a supervised children's table.
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If the reception venue is small, tables might need to be taken down to make room for dancing. As suggested in the Cost-Effective Bride online newsletter, "If you know of people who need a chair (elderly or handicapped) be sure not to seat them at [a] table that will be removed."
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Decide on table decorations. Small receptions lend themselves well to either simple or elegant decorations.
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If there is money to spare on table decorations for a small number of guests, purchase expensive, personalized favors, such as a figurine symbolic of your relationship.
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If the wedding budget is still tight, do away with favors altogether. Consider making a donation to your favorite charity. Sprinkle the tables with artificial flower petals in your wedding colors and leave folded pieces of matching cardstock in the center of each table explaining that a donation has been made in lieu of table decorations.
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