weddingsouthwest

Round or long tables: What is the best choice for your wedding reception?

Wondering what table layout will work best for your wedding?

We wish we could say making the decision between round or long tables is an easy one. The truth is, choosing the best table layout for your wedding isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Your venue space & capacity, guest list, guest requirements, menu style and your overall wedding style all come into play.

We have made a good ol’ fashioned list of pros & cons for each table type, so you can way up the options and decide what is the best fit for your wedding reception. 

Image: @emmamacaulayphotography

Before we dive into the pros and cons debate, the first point of call is to check in with your venue. Confirm the capacity limit and do a walk-through of the reception space so you have a clear vision of what the space looks like, where the entry and exits are, the bathrooms and the power points. Trust us when we say, all these things will impact the floor layout.

Sometimes, venues often have their own furniture for you to use, which helps to make your choice of tables a whole lot simpler. If your venue space is a blank canvas, it’s still wise to check with the venue as to what their recommended floor plan for your number of guests may be, especially if they are coordinating or catering your wedding themselves.

Image: @thedayweddings

 

Round: Pros

– Round tables can’t be joined together, therefore there is less table top to be styled meaning less budget you will need to allocate to decorative items. So a pro for your budget!

– Round tables better accommodate conversation – guests can more easily chat to all parties on the table, rather than being restricted to the guests next to them or directly opposite.

 

Round: Cons

– Round tables tend to have the ‘been there, done that’ connotation. They are perceived as more traditional, which might not work with your wedding style.

Image: @parishawkenphoto

 

Long: Pros

– Long tables are communal – they can be joined together to create even longer tables, decreasing the overall number of tables on your seating chart all together. It might sound silly, but this can also decrease the chance of some of your guests getting upset with the table number they were put on.

– Long tables allow for more styling options –  think larger floral arrangements, table raisers, candle & posy vase combos.   

– Long tables more often than not sit more guests, which is a big tick if you are hiring tables, chairs & linen!

 

Long: Cons

– Not so easy to mingle. Long tables make it harder to strike up conversation with multiple guests during the seated service, other than the ones sitting next to you and directly across.

– Accessibility – getting to your seat can be difficult if you are sat in the middle of the table. If you are going for a long table layout, be sure to take this into considerations when drafting your seating plan. Seating your elderly guests in the middle of your long tables probably isn’t the best choice.

– Speaking of seating plans, it could possibly be a little more difficult putting together your seating plan with fewer tables to group your guests at. Word of advice, start this as early as possible and have a glass of wine handy!

 

Image: @holiiandash

 

 

Summer Soirees & Boozy Banquets: Four festive event planning tips you should know

The Festive Season is upon us! The season where your social calendar fills up with long luncheons, end of year celebrations, boozy banquets and of course, Christmas festivities. Is there any better time of the year?

If you are throwing an outdoor soiree, here are a few little pointers from the experts on how to make it one to top this festive season.

 

1. Comfort is key

It’s safe to say that everyone’s ideal weather situation for an outdoor event is a beautifully clear, mild day with a light breeze and a warm, balmy evening. Though let’s face it, this isn’t always the case, especially in December…

Our number one piece of advice; be prepared for every possible scenario and keep your guests comfort your number one priority. We are talking adequate shade, furniture, food & beverages, and last but certainly not least, always have a backup plan just in-case the weather gods decide to put on a show!

For example:

If you are longing for classy, long table lunch, at midday, set up on the grass so your guests can take in the picturesque views of the gardens or vineyards. Then be sure you provide:

–    SHADE! A luxury tent, marquee or canvas umbrellas.

–    Plenty of water, sunscreen and mosquito repellent. Heatstroke, sunburn or mosquitos are not a vibe.

Oh and if there is a forecast of 40 degrees (this is a high chance in December), consider changing your event start time to a later time, or moving your event inside or to an undercover shot where there are outdoor fans.

 

Image: @blackbirdtale_

 

2. Styling & Cohesion

 

It is the silly season after all, so why not go big with your styling! 

Gone are the days where red and green are the key elements to your festive celebration colour scheme. Instead, break the boundaries, gimme that atmosphere and make it WOW.

 

Here are some tips to keep you on track:

–    Cohesion – pick a theme and stick to it. Think Parisian Party, Havana Nights or Backyard Boho for something different.

–    Base all of your styling choices around the theme: including furniture, florals, lighting and stationery.

–    Group your styling items based on colour, texture & materials.

–    Add some flare and personality to create something totally unique. Think of a seasonal menu, complete with a gelato cart, or oyster bar.

 

If you are traditional, and want to keep the Festive spirit alive, opt for a classic white theme and add a pop of colour with a sage green, terracotta and beige combo. Or instead play with duck egg blue and gold for a festive ‘Winter’ wonderland vibe.

 

Image: @photogerson

 

3. Use appropriate furniture

 

Festive events are usually when we see 20-plus people around the table, so look into hiring some furniture to fit everyone in with enough elbow room as well as to create a beautiful and consistent table.

Here are our top hire items we think are essential when planning a festive event:

–    Hydration stations – AKA, Bars. If you have a larger guest list, or two separate entertaining areas, consider hiring multiple bars.

–    Beverage Accessories: glassware, water carafes, champagne bowls and ice buckets.

–    Tables & Chairs – to suit your event style. Bar chairs & tables and lounges for a cocktail vibe, or long banquet tables & chairs for seated.

–    Shade – whether it be a marquee, or luxury tent, this is a big one if you are hosting a large celebration.

–    Lighting – especially if your festivities will run into the evening.

 

4. Communication and flexibility is key

 

Understand all of your vendors’ needs – from power requirements to space needed and time frames. Look at the event holistically and then make sure those needs are fulfilled as much as possible to avoid misunderstandings or issues on the day. Know what everyone is and isn’t taking care of so you can identify any double-ups or gaps that need to be resolved.

 

A Recipe for Vow Writing Success

In today’s age, we are seeing more and more couples break away from traditional wedding customs, and instead introduce their own. Your wedding vows are no different.

Custom wedding vows are written from the heart and are personalised, authentic, and true to you as a couple – we mean, what is more real than that?!

 

Breaking away from tradition:

Gone are the days of using ‘thee’ & ‘troth’ in our everyday vocabulary, so you shouldn’t have to use these phrases when committing your love to one another. This isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with tradition, and if traditional wedding vows are meaningful to you as a couple then you should 110% use them as part of your marriage ceremony. Remember, it’s your day, you can do as you please!

So unless you want to use the tradition, it is more than okay (really it is encouraged) for you to write your own vows.

 

From the heart:

If it was up to us, we would say that writing your vows would have had to be the most heartfelt, rewarding and emotional part of your wedding planning journey. It brings you back down to reality to remember why you are actually marrying your person of choice, rather than worrying about your seating plan and if those last minute shoes you ordered are going to arrive on time.

There are many ways to write your wedding vows, but unless you are the next Tim Winton or Egdar Allan Poe, it may end up being a harder task than you originally had thought. With so many memories to reflect on, good times shared and reasons why you love your significant other, it can sometimes be hard to narrow it down and know exactly what to include and what to leave out.

To get to the point, we have put together a little recipe for vow writing success, that we hope will help you in crafting vows that will make your other half laugh, cry and confirm how much you love them.

Image: @raemarie_loveclub

Things to Remember:

1. Be thoughtful – your vows are meant to make your other half feel friggin’ amazing, so speak from the heart.

2. Be personal – use your fiancés name or nickname. Remember, you are talking to them.

3. Be considerate – though humour, and wit is encouraged in tasteful doses, hint at the funny stories or embarrassing moments rather than spelling them out. Your vows aren’t a script for roasting your other half. Remember point 1, make your partner feel friggin’ amazing!

4. The legalities – remember that there are some legal requirements for marriage vows, so be sure to chat to your celebrant, officiant, or whoever may be the one to make it legal, prior to writing to make sure you have everything you need to include. Also advise them of your wish to write your own custom vows, so they can plan your ceremony with this in mind.

5. Do it your way – If you are a singer, then sing! If you enjoy poetry, write a poem, do what is true to you.

6. Plan with your partner – make sure you are on the same page with your partner. Together, determine the length and tone of your vows, to help guide you both through the process.
For example: 
Length: 5-8 sentences
Tone: (clarify the degree of humour) – No sexy stories, no mention of our trip to the slopes, only one cheeky comment allowed – you get the picture.

Image: @youmeandtheseaphoto

The Layout:

Like all great love stories, your vows will have a beginning, a middle and an end.

 

The Beginning

An opening statement. Set the scene and give context to what you say next. Make reference to when you knew you first loved them, or how you came to realise you knew they were the one. 

Here are some sentence starters to get you thinking:

–   Remember when…

–   When we first met…

–   When I think about…

–   I love the way you…

–   It will never be (something) without (something)…

 

The Middle

The why – everyone knows you are lovestruck, but what is it that makes you love your fiancé the most? This is your chance to tell them exactly what and why you love them.

 Gather some descriptive words that best represent your fiancé, and tie them together with a few sentences on what makes them so amazing.

 Ask yourself:

–   What makes your fiancé unique / what are their best qualities?

–   What do you look forward to the most about seeing them each day? 

–   How is your fiancé different from anyone you have ever met?

 

 The End

The promises & your future together.

What do you promise?

–   If there were only 3 promises you could make to your fiancé for the rest of your lives, what would they be?

Reflect on your future together.

–   What are you looking forward to? This could be a long term goal you have made together like travelling the world or building a holiday house, or milestone such as starting a family.

–   Pssttt; this is where you could add your touch of cheeky by saying something like ‘I can’t wait to grow old, wrinkly and cranky together’ or ‘I hope our future daughter has your brains, and my sass’.

 

Recipe for success:

Mind map and write down absolutely everything you feel is important & you want to bring to the table. Reread over it and circle the no.1s.

Make a list of descriptive words that best describe your future spouse, these will come in handy when you are wanting to bulk up or link sentences.

Then add it to a table like this:

**Another tip: keep all of your sentences short & sweet. This will help with the overall flow and will also work in your favour when reading aloud.

 

Remember:
A draft is better than nothing at all! And finished is better than perfect. Once you have your points, you are pretty much there. Don’t over think it and don’t pick it apart. Your vows are meant to come from the heart.

Image: @jamessimmonsphotography

 

What’s next:

YOU DID IT, well done! Now it’s time to re-read and rehearse.

First of all, make sure you can read them. Make yourself two copies; a nice presented version which you can give to your other half after the ceremony, and a version you can read. Think black, san serif block letters printed on white paper, in a size you can see.

Practice speaking out loud, and in front of a mirror. Even if you are the best public speaker with nerves of steel, you never know what kind of emotions are going to hit you on your wedding day. So, practise speaking your vows with confidence and calm, remember to look up and pretend to practise making eye contact with your partner, imagine you are speaking directly to them.

And last but not least, try to memorise as much as you can. Your vows will be so much more heartfelt if you are looking into your partner’s eyes than reading off of a piece of paper.

Champagne Towers – How to master the basics

They are big, they are beautiful, and they are bold. Champagne towers are a showstopper, and a (somewhat) easy way to add a level of opulence to your event.

A fancy New Year’s Eve party, wedding, or 50th Birthday celebration, whatever your occasion, is there really any other way to celebrate than with yummy bubbles trickling down a majestic tower of champagne saucers?

Like with most great things, there is still some science behind building a dazzling tower that will totally WOW your guests. So, if you are considering showing off to your friends and family with one of these bad boys, keep reading. Because let’s face it, no one wants to be the next ‘champagne tower fail’ hit on tok-tok. 

Image @katiegrantphoto

WHAT YOU NEED:

–   A super sturdy base or table of some sort

–   Spillage tray & a fancy tea towel or napkin – spillages are a risk

–   Coupe champagne saucers, NOT flutes

–   Bottles of bubbly!

 

THE STEPS:

 

1.Determine your tiers & number of glasses

First thing is first, figure out how many tiers you want your tower to be. The number of tiers will determine the number of glasses you need. We suggest you start from the top and work your way down!

For example:

Top = 1 glass (1×1=1)

Tier 2 =  4 glasses (2×2=4)

Tier 3 = 9 glasses (3×3=9)

We have put together a little cheat sheet for you:

Image: @peterthephotographer.co

 

2.Start with a base

Your base must be solid, sturdy and not on wheels!

Be sure your base has enough room to hold enough coupes without it being too squishy, though still within arms reach.

It’s also a good idea to think about its placement. Try and keep the tower out of congested areas, as there would be nothing worse than someone accidentally knocking it as they walk past.   

 

3.Build from the bottom up

Create the bottom later – then build her on up!

Your tower should consist of squares that get successively smaller as the tower rises.

For example, if the base was 6 x 6 coupe glasses, then the second bottom tier will be 5 x 5 glasses, the next  4 x 4 glasses and so on until you finish with one solitary glass sitting at the top.

NOTE | The glasses must sit snug and touch, creating a diamond shape in the middle of every 4 glasses. The glasses need to be placed directly in the centre of the diamond below it.

DOUBLE NOTE | Remember to use coupe style glasses, not flutes. Also be sure that all of your glasses are the same size so they balance easily when stacked on one another. 

Our ribbed champagne saucers & premium champagne saucers are the perfect option.

Image: @emmamacaulayphotography

 

4.Watch the magic happen

IT’S TIME TO POUR THE CHAMPAS!

Start slowly with a steady hand and let the champagne trickle down the tower.

TIP | Top up the side coupes as you go to make sure there is an even weight throughout the tower to avoid it collapsing!

If you can’t reach the top, grab yourself a small step ladder so you can pour from the top and not knock any glasses in the process. Or rather, as your 6’ft friend to do the honours!

Image: @photogerson

THE TAKEAWAYS:

  • Coupe style champagne glasses
  • A solid, sturdy base
  • A steady hand

4 Wedding Traditions to Leave Behind in 2022

Have you ever wondered why some wedding traditions are still going strong?

Tempted to toss tradition at your wedding and make your own rules?

Dropping customs that don’t resonate with you means you can discover more authentic ways to mark those important wedding moments.

Swap these for something more your style. And maybe spark a new trend!

 

1. Walking down the aisle 

Don’t like the idea of being walked down the aisle?

Swap it:  Walk down the aisle with your partner and both your families. It’s symbolic of you entering an equal partnership and future together.

 

2. Wearing a white dress

White not your colour? 

Before Queen Victoria made the white dress viral in 1840, brides wore whatever they wanted. It was usually something they could re-wear, and colour was the norm.

Swap it: Do you feel amazing drenched in green sequins? Go for it. The choices are boundless (and more affordable).

Photographer: Ben and Ebony

 

3. Ghosting your partner before the wedding

Not seeing (or even meeting) your future spouse until the ceremony was once common practice. 

It was feared the groom would back out when seeing his future wife (hence the veil only being lifted after the vows). 

Yup. Not a lot of romance there. 

Swap it: Help each other get ready. It’s a deeply intimate way to connect, build anticipation and slow down before the wild day ahead.

Photographer: Lindsey Taylor Photography

4. Bridal party

In Ancient Rome, legal marriages needed 10 witnesses. Cue bridal posse.

Here’s another fun fact. The bridesmaids would wear the same gown as the bride, and the groomsman would dress identical to the groom. 

Why? 

This was thought to trick evil spirits and prevent them finding and cursing the couple.

Swap it: Deviate from the norm with a more diverse squad. Bridesman? Groomsmaid? How about your pet chihuahua? Or is your nan your main girl? 

Photographer: Pete The Photographer Co

 

So, make (or break) the rules. When it comes to your day, we advocate doing what’s culturally significant and important to you. 

Want to read more wedding tips and advice like this?  Check out our other posts