Wedding Planning: Set up for the reception

On Friday evening my assistant and I went to the rehearsal. I wanted to get there early to start setting up for the reception, but traffic said no way. Thankfully the rehearsal was short and we were able to get the tables arranged and make note of what I needed to purchase for the next day.

The wedding was at 6 on Saturday evening and we started decorating at 11. Full table cloths weren't in the budget so I made runners instead. I cut strips of burlap and gathered them and wrapped lace and twine on the ends so it wouldn't just hang. I did end up purchasing 40 jars to supplement the 20 jars I managed to collect. I had yellow and white carnations and hydrangeas that went into separate vases and were placed in groups of 3 at the ends of the tables. Hydrangeas are a wimpy flower, we had to keep then in the fridge until right before the reception. We also put ice in all of the jars to keep the flowers from wilting. For the "centerpiece" I put fruit trays (dollar store chic) on each table so guests could immediately eat without moving around too much in case it was still hot in the barn. I designed the reception cards to match the invitation. Some had a logo up top, some had a logo at the bottom. I alternated the placement and positioned the bowls and silverware in a way that you could see the logo.

We had indoor and outdoor seating because we still needed room for the dance floor and I didn't want a bunch of people crammed in and hot. What I didn't anticipate was how much space the dj would require. I had to rearrange a few tables and change the food placement when he strolled in with all his equipment. The new placement was even better than the original plan I had. In the end, the only thing I would change about the reception set up was the head table. Somebody was supposed to provide me with one, but only half delivered. I made it work, but it wasn't up to my standard (i don't have a picture of that yet.)

Next up: ceremony set up
Follwed by: How it all went down and Well I won't make that mistake again