How to create a timelessly stylish dining table.
Remember 80s sleeves, the 90s Beckhams thrones, and butterfly clips from the 00s? I'm sure we'd all rather forget. Making sure your wedding is timeless is a concern many people have. There's nothing worse than feeling like you're going to look back on your pictures and hate them in 10 years. However, that doesn't mean that you can't make bold moves to suit your personality. There's a way you can be stylish and timeless in harmony, and great tableware helps that.
The good news for you is over the following few paragraphs, we walk you through exactly how to create a timelessly stylish dining table.
Do your research
Let's be honest, if you're reading this, you're probably engaged, and that presumably means you've already got 14,027 Pinterest boards and millions of Instagram saves. If not, you don't have to go that far, but it's worth having a look. To get started, search for simple terms like "autumn wedding" or "red pink wedding". We'll be creating a post soon about how to pull your design together, so sign up for the newsletter to make sure you receive that.
But anyway, doing your research on Pinterest is one thing, but knowing what exists is another. There are some places (we're looking at you, California) that are blessed with thousands of choices from thousands of suppliers. Whereas if you live on the Shetland Islands, your choice is probably non-existent.
Have a quick google search or Instagram search as to what's available in your area. It's like everything, if you're close to a big city you've probably got plenty of options. The lack of supply is actually one of the reasons we set up Black Saucers, as we felt Kent and the home counties were under-serviced.
Consider the Canvas
Your wedding canvas is your venue. Everything sits within that. It's easy to see how different a wedding in Italy at the height of summer would be from a wedding in Kent in winter, and it's essential to consider that.
Think about how you want your wedding to feel too. If you're going for a relaxed festival vibe, maybe stay clear of the gold cutlery, but go heavy on coloured glassware.
Some venues can take more than one style/look; for example, Euridge Manor is ultra glamourous and decadent but is also set in stunning countryside and tranquil gardens. Therefore, this venue can either be dressed to the nines with the most glamourous tableware, pearl white charger plate, and a heavily luxurious look. Or, you can go for the stripped-back English country garden feel—focussing on the Chiaro clear glass range, wildflowers and items like our ruby water goblet.
Slightly contradictory, sometimes opposites work. For example, a touch of gold from a charger plate can look stunning in a rustic barn. It depends a lot on the venue. But if you think a juxtaposition will work, go for it!
Create a mood board
We'll keep this brief as Pinterest, in effect, is a mood board, but sometimes it can be helpful to pull all of your inspiration from across platforms into one place. You don't have to create anything fancy; simply copying and pasting images into PowerPoint will be more than sufficient.
Your mood board can be as straightforward or as complex as you like. If you want to take it to the next level, try adding a colour palette/swatches. You can do this by searching on Pinterest or starting from scratch yourself. If you like one particular image, you can take swatches from a site like imagecolorpicker.com to select the exact colours.
If you want to go into the ultra granular detail, you can also include examples of fonts you like. We suggest including images of textures and other items, such as some fabric that works or maybe a roll of ribbon.
Start from the base
Now we know what's going around your tables, let's focus on the tables themselves. There are two basic options:
Table cloths
Rustic wooden tables
Check with your venue what tables you'll have, as standard trestle tables unclothed are a travesty. If you go down the cloth route, decide if you want it to act as a neutral base or be bold. If you choose the option of going bold, we'd suggest you keep everything else pretty simple so that it's not overwhelming. If your venue provided table linen, it'll probably be white as standard, so check if you can hire more or use an external supplier.
The options are endless; once you've chosen your colour, you can look at patterns and textures.
The other option is unclothed tables, which creates a much more rustic, relaxed feel. Fun fact, most rustic tables you see at weddings are made from Victorian floorboards.
Have some stand out items
We spoke briefly in the last paragraph about choosing a bold cloth. This might not be everyone's favourite option, but it's essential to have some items that stand out. That might not be in the form of one bold statement; it might be that everything works so well together that it practically sings. Our black-rimmed charger plate, Carmenta cutlery and Onyx goblet is a chef's kiss of a combination.
BUT don't go for too many stand out items, or your eyes won't know where to go. Some people like that look, and it's very on-trend at the moment, but if you want your design to be timeless, we'd suggest one or two stand out pieces.
Layer up
Now that we're bringing all of the elements together, consider if they work in harmony. If you have a gold-rimmed charger plate, consider gold calligraphy place cards. If you choose our Umbria cutlery, including some black candlesticks will make everything look cohesive.
A charger plate is a great way to add a sense of sophistication and also an easy way to add a layer to your table. Adding a napkin too will contribute further to this.
Thinking about textures is essential here; it's always good to have some that clash. For example, if you print menus on printer paper and place them onto a plain white table cloth, it will all feel a bit flat. If you were to change those menus to handmade paper, or something with a touch of colour, it would lift the whole table.
Have fun
Finally, have fun with it. Make sure your choices are representative of you and your taste. If you're a bright person, choose something like our sapphire water goblet. If your style is more dark and moody, check out our Umbria Cutlery. There's something for everyone, so enjoy the process. There's no such thing as right.
And there you have it. No matter what colours you choose, your table will always be timelessly stylish if you follow this method. We predict that blue will be very on-trend next year, and although that's a trending colour, following this technique will ensure your table never fades.
If you've got any questions, our design consultants will gladly help, so don't hesitate to get in touch!