Long Tables for Wedding Receptions
Long tables for wedding receptions create surprising elegance and intimacy
Today’s unique weddings are using more and more family style tables. Unlike the 72-inch rounds tables for ten, some of the long, family-style tables have up to 40 guests at a table, reminiscent of Italian family dinners that we have long seen in movies and old family photos. The irony of these long tables is they give intimacy and a really family feel. Some are dressed with accent lights, and others are framed with sheers to accent the wedding party table feel or used under a clear tent to cover guests from the elements and still see the stars!! Often we think of these tables as too big to be able to hold a conversation but because they are not as wide as the 72 in often as narrow as 48 in or 36 in this allows guests to talk to more at the table.
These beach style tables also allow for all sorts of chairs from simple white folding to very formal chairs to give an elegant touch. Often this table is used for a head table with either bride and groom and their families or wedding party with a mix of rounds and others styles tables. In a wedding of 40 or less, it makes everyone part of the celebration and often people randomly get up and give speeches throughout the dinner.
Chandeliers are used often to remind us of eating in a dining room at home with beach accents of seashells found at the local beach or even very elegant crystal ones that sparkle under the stars.
The table settings are often found with the full range of plate chargers from bamboo to gold for the more elegant dinner setting. Beach weddings today often have burlap runners with lace over the burlap to give a “tongue and cheek” feel to the decor – casual but elegant.
Glass jars that our grandmothers use to use for canning are now used for flowers on the table.
Often lanterns for candle light because they protect the candles from the breezes. Napkins wrapped in palm leaves and accented in small seashells give a beach feel without giving up the elegance brides still want to have!!! Some of our Brides have us rent a wooden farm table that gives an added texture and plays well with the burlap and lace runners we often use.
Long Tables Take On a New Meaning at Beach Weddings in The Florida Keys
Today we find our brides much more willing to create new feelings by using a blend of large and small tables for more intimate weddings. It somehow creates casual yet more elegant style. These unique weddings let our brides be more creative with their surroundings and let the natural elements play a role in decor. Dinner is often served family style to add to the flavor of a beachside dinner.
In the Florida Keys, we see more and more outdoor beachside dining than ever before. Brides are opting out of the hotel ballrooms and searching for that perfect natural outdoor setting.
The Florida Keys abundant days sunshine and dry climate allow our brides and grooms to celebrate outside more often than in almost any other area of the country. Our team often has to take a vision that our brides, who have never been to the Florida Keys or Key West, explain to us and create together their unique wedding along the water’s edge. Tables at any destination wedding play a big role in the feel and today’s brides and grooms are taking advantage of the longer table to create warmth and a casual elegance!
One of our favorite locations is the very private Key Largo Lighthouse Beach Wedding Venue in Key Largo where there is a large beach that overlooks the gulf and sees the sunset every night. With a private home that families can rent and celebrate their wedding celebration all weekend. It is wonderful for weddings of 30 to 400 guests. Its expansive beach and majestic trees give both a wonderful beach feel with a garden background!
A family style wedding with a family table or an elegant Sunset celebration for 200 blending family and friends, there is nothing like a beach wedding at the water’s edge.