Tablescape Ideas for Weddings

Create tablescapes that speak to your personal style.

Decorative accents help to set the tone for your wedding, making a unique celebration that reflects your personal taste and style. The tablescapes, or table settings, dress up the reception area and add to the look of your event. Create a tablescape that speaks to your personality, creating an eye-catching look and a space that invites and dazzles guests.

Color Wonder

For a vibrant look, decorate your tables in bold colors. Choose a color scheme that suits your taste, such as your favorite combination of colors and integrate it throughout the elements of the table. For example, if a silver and blue color scheme appeals to you, drape a blue tablecloth on the table and set a silver runner on top of it. Create a centerpiece of blue flowers; hydrangea, delphinium and blue bells, for example, in a silver vase and surround it with blue candles.

Monochromatic Sophistication

Create a sophisticated look for your reception decor with a monochromatic black and white tablescape. Use linens in these two shades, such as a black tablecloth topped with a sheer white overlay or a white tablecloth topped with a shorter black tablecloth that allows a touch of white to peek out of the bottom. Use white dishes and accent by draping black cloth napkins over top of them. For a centerpiece, create a simple, yet elegant arrangement of a single type of white flowers such as roses, hydrangea or spider mums and set them in a black vase. You can even dress the chairs by draping white fabric over them and tying black ribbons around the back.

Seaside Inspired

No matter how far away from the shore your wedding is, if you love the beach, bring a hint of it into your wedding with a seaside-inspired tablescape. For this theme, cover the table with a sand colored tablecloth and place an aqua overlay or runner on top of it. For a centerpiece, fill a glass bowl with seashells or sand and water with float candles and the blooms of flowers on top of the water, then scatter starfish and sand dollars around the centerpiece. For seating cards, write guests' names on the back of shells and set the shells on top of plates.

Candy Shop

For a couple with a serious sweet tooth, consider creating tablescapes that are inspired by a candy shop. Use a red and white striped tablecloth that resembles a candy cane on the table. Alternatively, cover the tables with linens that mimic the colors of your favorite candies such as cotton candy pink or chocolate brown. For centerpieces, fill different-sized cylindrical vases with candies -- set one type of candy in each vase, jelly beans in one, mints in another and hard shell chocolates in another, for example. Place the candy-filled vases in the center of the table in a circular formation. Write guests' names on chocolate bar wrappers and place them at each seat as seating cards. Not only is the table setting uncommon and eye-catching, but guests can nibble on the elements at the end of the night.