No more plain polyester tablecloths in a range of twelve basic colors or a concerned mother at your side urging you to go with the plain white! Now, it’s all about color and style with table linens, so go for great colors: pastels, bright navies, greens, and even reds work for elegant parties, and brights like fuschia, yellow, and orange are perfect for daytime summer weddings.
Work two colors into your table linens by setting the table first with one color, such as a bright or deep plum, and then laying a color coordinating smaller tablecloth over it so that both colors show. Your designer will know just how to drape them for optimum color exposure.
Mix solids with sheers. Place a solid-color tablecloth on your table perhaps a deep blue or blush pink—and then cover it with a separate full or partial tablecloth that is sheer, such as a “barely there” shade of silver or white. This translucent overlay gives a lovely softening of the original color, and it adds depth and dimension to your table. This one simple overlay gives the table a shimmering, ethereal glow and the perfect coordination of colors to show off your place settings and centerpiece elements.
A colored runner can be laid across the length of the table, giving a lovely wide stripe of color on which to lay centerpieces. Use shimmery fabrics for table-cloths. They’ll catch and reflect the great lighting of the room, making the entire table sparkle and glow.
Fabrics with great designs woven into them make for terrific bridal tables. While the design might not be too apparent, a closer inspection will reveal a delicate pattern of hearts or flowers in just a shade or two darker than the background. Elegant.
Look at fabrics that are fabulous to the touch. Silk dupioni is the fabric of choice for that smooth feeling and fabulous shine. Look at damasks and jacquards as well for some texture and design.
Ivory and gold linen combinations are big for weddings right now, providing a bridal look mixed with a bit of royalty. Lace is still hot for weddings, espe- cially as an overlay to a wonderfully colored tablecloth, or even a matching ivory.
A sparkly organza tablecloth reflects the same style and movement of the bridesmaids’ dresses. For a classic, old-fashioned wedding look, check out a Battenberg lace cutout fabric placed over white taffeta moiré. You can’t get much more bridal than this.
As an overlay, look at a shirred eyelet lace draped over a colored table-cloth, gathered up at four to six points for effect. In response to more and more couples designing their weddings with a natural look, sage green is growing incredibly in the ranks of rental fabrics. Look at
the soft green colors, accented by deeper greens, whites, and pinks.
For tabletops and chair backs, look at sashes and tassels in matching fabrics, shinier silks, moirés, taffetas, organzas, satins, and tissue lamé for some sparkle.
Decorate the chairs with well-fitted slipcovers that you can rent along with your other table linens. Designs include full- length chair covers with a sash that ties at the back of the chair.
For the cake table, choose a shiny, beaded fabric if your cake will be a traditional white or ivory cake with a beaded icing design. Matching the pearl look to your fabric will make your cake look more glorious.