Wedding Blog
Hi!
I’m a table! Just your regular 8 by 3 foot wood table with wood benches. Normally cute little kiddies put their tushies on my benches and joke and giggle while they eat on me. But sometimes… sometimes I get to go wild! Ladies who can’t stop smiling dress me up in new cloths and crown me with beautifully fragrant flowers. I wonder what I’ll wear for the next happy sappy lady!
Sincerely,
Miss Bear Cub’s wedding table
Hive, I need you help. I’ve got some big design shoes to fill, and some important tables I can’t disappoint. I’m stuck on how to dress up the tables for our reception!
There are 18 tables with 32 benches. They’re rectangular - 8 by 3 foot - and wooden. The benches look pretty awesome on their own; they look natural and rustic (not painted white on top). I’m worried, however, that the table itself needs a little sumthin-sumthin.
I know I signed myself up for a summer camp wedding, but I just can’t get over how… practical these tables look. Don’t they look like the perfect thing to use in an arts & crafts room?? The benches are beautiful - they look like they were split from a tree! But the roughly painted white top to the tables are just killing me. I’m almost set on how I want the tables to look, but I’m torn between getting linens or not.
Have you heard of Sunday Suppers blog? Their tablescapes (along with their dinners!) are absolutely delicious:
This is the type of reception decor that inspires me - that of a homey dinner party. No airs to put on, just good fantastic food, and great friends.
Burlap table runners are a must, too. I love how it gives the setting more texture and an organic feel. (Plus it would be pretty sweet to take a walk in a field of lavender after our wedding. What a fairytale to stroll in a field of lavender as magical as that one!)
Unfortunately, the tables I have to work with aren’t as presentable as the beautifully rustic ones above. That dang unfinished white surface just mungs everything up. Granted, I haven’t seen these tables in person. For all I know, they could be fabulous. In the picture, though, they don’t look so fab. And I’d rather plan for the worst, expecting the best.
So another option is to buy or rent tablecloths:
That opens a whole new can of worms. Should I get white or ivory? Knee- or floor-length? Buy or rent? Should I wait until I know how many people are coming until I decide how many tables I’ll outfit? Maybe I won’t even need to buy/rent 18 tablecloths!
Also, maybe I’m crazy and I won’t even need tablecloths! Maybe the tables will look FINE with just burlap table runners. They look so beautiful sans cloth in the other tablescapes!
As for the centerpieces, I think we’ll keep it simple, but I’ll go into that more later. But there will be mason jars full of flowers/veggies. That last tablescape has convinced me!
So, hive, what do you think is the best way to dress up these tables in a rustic, homey way? Keep in mind I’m planning all of this from out of the country, so it’s really quite hard to coordinate most things. If you have a source for cheap burlap table runners or table linens, I’m dying to hear it!
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why not just get burlap tablecloths? or if you’re set on the runner, i think i like ivory more for the tablecloth underneath. a vendor you’re using (a caterer, florist, or wedding planner) might have access to simple tablecloths that you could use for little to nothing. i do love all your inspiration pictures though!! i think you’re on a great track!
I think you should go with an ivory tablecloth and use the burlap table runners. If you’re going for more a flirty and perhaps homey reception, then I would go for the knee-length. I think floor length tablecloths might be too formal for what you’re looking for.
Too bad you can’t buy some lumber planks and just throw them over the table yourself! Then you could default to using just the burlap runners! Good luck with your planning- the pictures you are drawing from are so beautiful!
Not sure about the burlap on top– but what about a checkered tablecloth? It wouldn’t have to be red checks if that doesn’t go with your colors, but it would cover the tables while still maintaining a picnic-y woodsy feel.
I think crisp white table cloths and then the burlap runners. You may not want ivory, since they beige of the burlap would be kind of close to an ivory table cloth.
I would go to the floor to cover up the legs and grips of the tables. That will help “pop” your benches.
Such pretty pictures!
~Julie
First of all, I am in love with your inspiration pictures! The burlap is so gorgeous and totally you and Mr. BC. I think you should play it safe and rent some linens–I think white would look lovely. But more flowy, gauzy ones, instead of stiff formal linens. I think it would look beautiful! And I love your veggies in mason jars idea, btw. I can’t wait to see it all executed.
oh, this is just what I would love to have to, but I ran into the same problem with ugly tables for my far away wedding. I agree that unless you can really compare the colors, ivory tablecloth and burlap runner might not look good together since ivory tends to be more golden and burlap is more grayish. Have you considered muslin? It is also textured and nubby.
I like the colors of your inspiration photos too - the purple and light blue look great together.
I love the idea of using burlap table runners (if you re-finish the top of the table) or a sheer linen-y table cloth!
You could change your wedding date to after September, and then I would make your runners for you 
Okay since that isn’t really an option, I agree that gauzy linens would look fab, and Charia’s idea of using muslin would be perfect! Muslin is cheap and I believe comes in widths wide enough for you to make simple tablecloths (or runners if you go that route) if you’re up for it.
I think that Miss Mascara’s idea about Muslin is great! We use it for everything my mom and I sew - we actually even made lightweight summer curtains from it last year for the kitchen. I think it comes up to 120″ widths. I don’t have any great ideas on the burlap other than trying to do something with burlap sacks..
@jellybellyellie: we thought about doing burlap tablecloths, but the logistics of having someone (ie my mom) sew them wasn’t working out 
@charia: muslin! that’s a great idea!
@Miss Mascara: heehee thanks Miss Mascara I wish you could make my table runners! yours rock!
@pvaulter718: we totally thought about buying a bunch of coffee-bean burlap sacks, and then cutting&sewing them to make the table runners. Unfortunately, burlap sacks are REALLY expensive to ship (and I don’t know of a local distributor in chile or in portland), and I don’t really have anyone in portland/the US who could sew them for me in time. I don’t exactly want to be sewing my table runners the week before my wedding :-/
Oh!!! I love all of those tables!!! I e-mailed our venue wedding girl to find out if the tables were nice wood beneath all those tablecloths. Lo and behold, they are not nice wood. Boo!!!! I get round tables. What I wouldn’t give for a long, nice, wooden table. Sigh.
Our tables are wooden also with benches. We are doing muslin tablecloths, I’m sewing them myself, I think that might look good on your tables, also the burlap runner is a good idea, adds more texture, good luck!
i like the cut tennis balls on the bottom of the table legs… reminds me of elementary school.
also i agree with most others, muslin and burlap would look great and cozy.
I know that Pottery Barn has their “nubby table runner” that look like what you want! They may be a bit more than you want to spend ($29 each), but maybe this means that other stores might sell something similar!
I love the crisp white with the tanned burlap or muslin. I think the white will add elegance without fussiness.
If sewing is going to be a tough task, you might want to consider hemming glue. It will give you the clean edge and you just need it to hold for a day.
I have gotten material from here… they have burlap, too -
http://www.catalogclearance.com/products/sku-NB0312__dept-145.html?gclid=CLyn67HAtJsCFVRM5QodiVARQQ
Portland has some of the best fabric stores in the world. Check out the burlap selection at FabricDepot.com. They are in Portland with a huge store, and sell bolts wholesale, and also have big sales. You’ll want narrow burlap, so you don’t have to hem the sides, just run it down the tables.
Great idea - looks terrific. Do the tablecloths; the table tops of a summer camp are probably in crummy shape.
I agree with getting muslin or linen-y tablecloths. It would look great with a burlap runner as well. I also think you should stay with knee length that way you see the cute benches better, and I could just see what a nightmare it could be with people trying to sit on the benches and getting tangled in a too long tablecloth and everything sliding to the floor! I would also wait on execution until you have a better idea of how many people you’re having, and how many tables you’ll need for food/cake/gifts/music etc.
@MissCamera: thanks, this is all great advice!
@weddingmuse: ooooh I wish I could go shopping for fabric in Portland! alas, I won’t be there until a week before the wedding
I think burlap would look wonderful. HOWEVER, back when I was more “crafty,” I decided to make burlap gift bags (that I tied with organza ribbon for a contrasting look). The biggest problem I had with the burlap was that it smelled REALLY BAD! I tried airing it out and that didn’t help. Muslin might be a great option. You could use fabric paint and foam or rubber stamps to decorate the edges to match your theme. Plus at Walmart or Hobby Lobby, you can get 108″ wide muslin (quilters use it for king size quilt backs)
I was so going to suggest burlap table runners! I should have known you would have thought of them already.
I didn’t read all the comments so this could have been mentioned before, if it was sorry! How about old sheets. You could get them at garage sales and Goodwill and the like. Old sheets have some of the coolest designs on them and I think they would go well with your overall theme and they wouldn’t cost a fortune. Plus, I think it would look absolutely adorable….but that’s just me. 
I just got married at a barn. For our tables, we used white tablecloths from here: http://www.linentablecloth.com/90×156in-tablecloths.html
and got burlap rolls from here: http://www.jamaligarden.com/pID_17254.asp
We decorated the tables with simple copper vases and ivory roses. it turned out beautifully.
I know it’s not fabric, but have you considered kraft/butcher paper? Might play into the summer camp theme a bit, but it’s super cheap ($10/huuuge roll at Lowe’s) and it looks suprisingly classy with dishware.
Hi Miss Bear Cub! If you decide to go with tablecloths, a Web site to consider is http://www.linentablecloth.com. The sell linens for the price most places charge to rent. I’m not sure if they ship outside of the U.S. and Canada, but maybe you could have a family member order them and bring them down? We ordered a sample one (I’m not sure yet if we will need to get linens on our own … I’m hoping we can find a catering company that includes them.) and it was the 100% polyester kind. It was pretty good … Not as charming as real linen, but it will do the job. I love the idea of the burlap. It’s beautiful! Good luck!
[...] my plans for dressing up the dinner tables are slowly coming together (thanks to you guys! ), I have a solid idea of how I [...]
Thanks for sharing the Sunday Suppers blog! Another great one to add to my list!
[...] write our ceremony, learn our dance, pick some more key songs, do something substantial about the tables, pin down the menu… It just doesn’t feel like I’m getting anywhere with anything. As much [...]
[...] the reception. We won’t be using foldable chairs for seating - my personal taste is to use the wood benches. Also, I can get a better idea of how everything can look together, all set up. Maybe floor-length [...]
I purchased a whole bunch of white ikea sheets for $1.99 each. I found this was cheaper than buying fabric, with the added benefit that they were thinner than the typical rented linens. Because I wanted floor-length linens I sewed two sheets together (and I am using the scraps for napkins!), however, without sewing they would be mid-length. The best part is that they are already hemmed, so you just need to layer them down the tables.
We are doing burlap runners as well, however I just discovered that washing the burlap doesn’t seem to remove the smell! Hopefully once they dry they will smell better
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Mrs. Cub, Chile/Portland
Age and Occupation: 26, Astronomer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Astronomer
Engagement Date: May 10, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: Westwind YWCA camp
About Me: I'm a small-town girl who's making a living in Chile, with her heart in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Southern California, went to high school in Texas, grad school in New Mexico, and now I can't wait to settle down in Oregon! I love pears, hazelnuts,
knitting, traveling, running, baking, and long talks on the phone with
good friends. I'm planning my Oregon coast summer camp wedding while
abroad with my best friend - I'm always at home when I'm with him!
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