Weddingbee boards

Hello,

My wedding is October 2012. We are having a vintage/fall themed wedding in the distillery district downtown toronto. We are only having 50 people so i plan to do alot of DYI stuff. The tables i am working with are rectangular and the seat 8 and will have white floor length tablecloths. I have attached some pics of what i am thinking of for the centerpieces. I feel like they are missing something. Maybe i need more berries or leaves?

I was thinking of either using gold charger plates or using brown napkins (cheaper option) and having a statement making menu. I also had the thought of using metalic scrap book paper underneath the white plates with the brown napkins on the plates. I am a fairly good watercolour painter/calligrapher so i will be hand painting my menus, place cards, and invitations (i have attached some pics of the invitations i am getting my inspiration from they are from momental designs). Does anyone have any suggestions on sprucing up the table? I also want honest opinions on whether yout think the decor is tacky/too literal.

First is a pic of the space i am working with

Centerpeices (iron pumpkins)

Invitations

For the room decor i have bought these wicker light up pumpkins which i plan to put at the base of the stairs or at the entrance to the room. (see pics) I was also thinking of encorporating pumpkins into the stairway. Do you think this is overkill?

Pumpkins on the stairs leading up to the reception room

Random decor

Ceremony Decor

The Cake I am considering

Flowers

Do you think instead of a pumpkin lined aisle i should go with something with branches. I cant use candles because i am getting married in an art gallery.... thoughts on candle alternatives

Great ideas so far guys! Keep them coming! The table runner is sort of hard to see in the pics. It is kind of a bronzy brown with copper and gold leaves on them. Do you think i should bother with charger plates or go another route?

Oh i forgot to mention my favours. I am going to go apple picking with the fiance and make caramel apple favours.  I would do an oak leaf name tag instead of regular green leaves.

I love it all!! Your invitations are beautiful, and I adore the cake!  I like the idea of the gold chargers, but I think the brown napkins would work too. 

This looks lovely! We have a very similar theme. :) I wanted to make a note, besides my glowing approval, that you should be cautious about how many pumpkins you put on the staircase. Do you need to walk up this staircase? Can you see your feet in your dress or do you have to just know where you're putting them? How wide is your dress and train? It would be very sad if you snagged your dress on the top of a pumpkin stem and ended up with a tear in the back.

Not trying to give you a complex, but I know you were looking for feedback and that's something that came to my mind.

Toronto is a beautiful city (I used to live there) and I am sure you will have a wonderful day. :)

Also, I am having gold charger plates at my reception. They have a rustic look to them, almost as if they are cut from the cross-section of a tree. They are not your standard gold charger plate. I know you're thinking napkins are a cheaper option, but I bet my inexpensive second-hand charger plates (that I will be packing up carefully and wiping down after the wedding) would be a great option for you as well. :) PM me if you're interested. My wedding is next weekend, so you would have them in plenty of time. More than happy to send pics and whatnot.

On the table runner note, have you considered a table runner that is solid, without the pattern? I think it would help your mini pumpkins and iron lanterns to pop. Maybe a copper color with a little shimmer? Some ivy leaves or branches nestled around the pumpkins on the table may help it to come together as well. And if you're looking for an extra bit of color, pears go nicely with pumpkins and are very inexpensive.

So the wonderful point made by julies1949 made me think about the length of the table runner that i have chosen. So my tables are basically square tables pushed together under the table cloths the are 2.5x2.5 ft. and there are 3 tables pushed together with 4 ppl seated on each side (bit different from pic above). So the total length of the table is 7.5ft. I am obviously going to need to return these runners, but how long should i make them if i am doing them DIY. What fabric should i use burlap, metalic copper silk? I dont know?

I really love the look of these, but i dont know if it would work with the decor. What do you guys think?

posted by  VagabondGurl

or maybe something totally off the wall like a wood table runner?  I am wondering if you guys think this table setting is nicer than having the iron pupkins that i bought?

I will be using these charger plates

I got burlap in rolls through save-on-crafts. I will be cutting runners on site. Burlap is not supposed to look perfect, so it's kind of ideal that I can cut it based on the tables. For me, not all the tables are the same, so I can just hang over 1 foot on one side, lay it across and cut it at one foot on the other.

The burlap (listed at jute on the website) was very cheap and is perfect runner width at 14 inches wide.

Love the wood idea. That would be easy and inexpensive if you have a chainsaw and a sander!

Also, I like your iron pumpkins! Stick to some of your decisions, you already bought the pumpkins.

canadianbacon the iron pumpkins are nice, but they were actually quite expensive. I got them at michaels and they were $17 for the large pumpkins and $12 for the small. So for each table before runners or candles or gourds it already over $40...

After i bought them i kind of regretted it even though they were cheaper than having flowers, i felt like i could have saved more money. I am seriously trying to cut down on costs because we really want to be able afford some fun late night snacks (ie. poutine and mini burgers).

Okay. Nice candles are no cheaper, if you want different sizes and colors. It all adds up.

Iron pumpkins are expensive because they are heavy, no? Have you considered pumpkins made from cheaper metal or made out of branches?

Or maybe you can have the little gourds and pumpkins on the table, like you have, but use a lantern in the center of the display and have a candle inside the lantern? I have put a few pictures below of lanterns I decorated in a fall theme to give you an idea. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures yet of a "table trial" showing the lantern, table runner, pumpkins, etc. But just wanted to get the wheels turning.

Do you like to read books? Old books in fall colors stacked up with a few votives in jars around them look really nice and make an inexpensive centerpiece.

I can totally get behind the poutine and burger sentiment!

ooh, very nice centerpeices! I am just going to have to ponder it for a while i think....

What an amazing idea!

"Do you know anyone who owns property where you can grow your own pumpkins? You could save a lot of money there. They are pretty easy to grow. Just plant lots so you can pick and choose."

I have a relative that might be able to accomodate us growing pumpkins in hir field. I would never have thought of that. Do you grow them from seed?