Sticking to your budget is easy to do when you have the right expectations to fit that budget. Yellow may not be your first pick for a color scheme, but look at the tablescape anatomy, which is what's most important for the sake of this card: 1. Outdoor venue 2. Table style 3. Chair style 4. Linen 5. Place settings 6. Centerpiece Holding your wedding reception at an outdoor venue will almost always give you more money to play with at the table than an indoor venue. More tablescape money means more in quantity and better quality. Both rectangular and square tables--seating 10-12--are gaining popularity in the special events industry. And for good reasons too. More elbow room. More leg room. More room for everything. Notice the Chiavari or "ballroom" chair as they are sometimes referred as. This is the definitive wedding reception chair. It's the same chair you'll always see used on television shows and in the movies. These come in a variety of colors and even come in clear. Expect to pay $7 - $12 per chair. Add $4 for the seat pad, each. Sashes and chair covers are also extra. Linen for tables can be super simple, using standard polyester from the hotel or you can glam it up through dedicated linen providers offering the exceptional in fabric choice, prints, beaded, shirred, layered, et al. Choosing your linen should never be done in a vacuum. Remember, my dear, you're creating a tablescape. The whole damn thing gets designed together. At once. As it's own design. Place settings don't have to be daunting. Just use common sense. Chargers. China. Flatware. Stemware. Glassware. What seems to be the problem? On to the blessed centerpiece(s). My dear, since you've got more money to spend on your tablescape, you can afford a plethora of high end florals. Holland flowers. Garden roses. French pressed cotton. Hydrangeas. Stephanotis. This is where you can let your floral designer work wonders. This maize tablescape is a revelation of visual texture because there is the "trilogy-effect" happening here. Three different flowers, in three different shades, in three different sizes, in three different heights. Notice the pattern darling? Whatever the hell you decide to do, be it sensational or grotesque, my God, at least use the "trilogy-effect" to get a tablescape that is at least, technically, pleasing to the eye. (Grabs something stronger than a cocktail...)
