Creating a Tablescape for the Groom

Summer wedding season is gearing up.  I thought of creating a tablescape for the groom and his party.

Do you know what a tablescape is?  It's decorating a table for some event.  It could be a children's party, movie night, a holiday celebration, or dinner without any special reason.  However, when there is a special reason, I like to do something a little more than putting plates on the table and loading them up with food.

There is no wrong way to do a tablescape.  You don't have to design it or plan it, but that isn't a bad thing to do.  I usually plan a theme, a color scheme, and a centerpiece.  Once I have those items in mind, the other objects on the table fall into the plan.  However, if none of these things come to mind, at least you should balance the table someway.  Even if you're setting a table for one, you can still balance it.

The tablescape I created for this article I called the Tuxedo Table.  Names don't generally come with a tablescape.  You can name it or not.  I like giving them names.  It makes it easier for me to remember what it is.  Once I had this idea, I thought of the napkins.  I wanted them to look like a tuxedo.  This table name is based on the way the napkin is folded.  Folding can be elaborate or simple.  The photo above has a simple fold.    As this is a male oriented table, I didn't want it to be too feminine.  Placement of the napkin can also be in various places, on the plate, next to it, in the glass, etc.

The idea for a Tuxedo table came because when we think of weddings, the bride usually comes to mind.  Dressed in white and floating down the aisle toward her soon to be husband, is a mental image we can pull into view.  But what about the groom and his before the wedding activities?   We all have cliche images of the bachelor party, but even there, it isn't all beer and pizza.  So the napkin I folded for the groom's party is above.

Earlier I mentioned a tablescape should be balanced.  I also come up with a color scheme.  For a wedding, the colors are coordinated between whatever the bride and the bridesmaids are wearing.  The subtle message here is the bridemaids wear red and the groom and his men have white tuxedos. 

Let's look at the balance on this table.  In the photo below, if you remove all the place settings except the one at the head of the table, it remains balanced.  The huge centerpieces balance the table.  Don't be afraid to use large or tall centerpieces.

Most of the colors I used in these photos are red, black and white.  Keep the number of colors to a minimum.  As this is a set up for the groom and his party, the bride's colors are subtle and the groom colors are prominent.

The center piece in this tablescape is tall.  The longer the table, the more centerpieces you might need.  These can be spread out, but remember to balance them.   Don't have different centerpieces for different sections of the table.  Make them all the same, even if they are clusters.  The clusters, like the ones above, would be repeated and evenly spaced.

I once worked in a bridal shop and saw mainly the bride's side of the wedding party.  Many of my novels are wedding stories.  The groom always has a part in the planning.  And his bachelor party should be something to remember.  Just as the bride will remember her shower, the groom should have pleasant memories of his last night of bachelorhood.

Doing tablescapes are not difficult.  You do them every time you set the table.  Next time you feel like doing a little more, think of a theme and add a little extra.  You don't have to learn to fold napkins or find the exact color napkins, tiny bow ties (that took forever to find), or crystal glasses, but a little effort will make your guests feel special and you can take a well deserved bow.

As always, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

How a Wedding is like Writing a Book

How a Wedding is like Writing a Book
By Shirley Hailstock

Weddings, like books, come in all varieties.  There are theme weddings, destination weddings, and ordinary weddings, although no wedding is ordinary.  They are all special to someone.  Theme weddings take their cues from popular culture to traditional heritage. Destination weddings are open to any place on earth (since there are people with seats on the first manned trip to the moon, earth could be a temporary condition).  In books, the wedding can be on earth, but paranormal weddings are occur anywhere in any universe.

Photo Credit: Bigstock.com

I've been involved in more than a few weddings.  One year I was in four weddings, three of them were destination weddings.  So I know a little about being a bridesmaid.  I've written five or six books with a wedding theme.  Most of these books required some research.  However, nothing beats the authenticity of writing from personal experience.  Much of mine was garnered first hand; being a bride, a bridesmaid, maid of honor, baker of the wedding cake, and for a couple of years I worked in a bridal shop.

Credit:Freeimages.com

Credit: Freeimages.com

Every bride wants her wedding to be spectacular and for every single detail to unfold according to plan.  When they walk through the bridal shop door, some may have an idea of the type of gown they want.  In writing, these would be the plotters, people who plot their story from beginning to end.  They have the entire story in their head.  It's just a matter of writing it down.  Other brides are looking for a dress that talks to them.  They resemble the pansters in writing.  Pansters have a vague idea of the story.  They sit in their writing chair and learn what happens in their story as it happens.  The bride sorts through the gowns and chooses the dress that speaks to her style.

Writers all want their books to attain bestseller status.  The bride wants the perfect gown that is unique to her. It doesn't matter if the bride or writer is a plotter or a panster, it's amazing how many brides choose the same gown and writers choose the subject that works for them.  It's their bread and butter, their go-to shot.  The bread-and-butter sale at the shop where I worked was a Chantilly lace gown covered in pearls.  While everyone has something about clothing they hate, this type of dress seemed to appeal to a large number of people.  The bestseller is a book that huge numbers of people both buy and enjoy.

Credit: Pixabay.com

As a sales associate (no longer called a clerk), we walk hundreds of miles back and forth over the same flooring, in and out of dressing rooms, removing clothes from the plastic protective covers and rehanging them in the same condition.  Workers need several pairs of shoes in reserve.  Even if the shoes are exactly the same, they don't wear the same and will use different muscles, keeping your legs from getting tired.  Unfortunately, nothing works for the feet.  Just as in writing, nothing works until you get the words on the page.

Having never been to a wedding steeped in heritage, I only have cliche's to go on, so I won't offend anyone, by describing a wedding.  This, however, is the confirmation that weddings can be different, but in the end, all the couples are married.  The books are different, too.  We know if given the same story idea to any number of people, the return will be a myriad of unique stories from the group.  Like series romance novels, they may have the same look and feel, but the characters are different and the situations change.  Yet happily ever after is almost a guarantee.

Credit: Freeimages.com

The destination wedding couple looks for a beautiful locale for the perfect setting to showcase the bride and groom.  In writing, some authors tour the setting for their stories.  Like the wedding, these writers want the details correct.  They want to immerse themselves and their guests in a unique atmosphere where their characters go on their adventure.  And marriage is an adventure.

Credit: Fololia.com

Time for the reception.  The ceremony is over and the happy couple celebrates with their friends and family. The book is done.  The bride and groom dance about the decorated hall with large smiles and tearful parents.  The author celebrates in her own fashion.  Some people pop the wine, have dinner with a spouse or friend, share the news with a fellow author.  Personally, I go to bed and get a good night's sleep.  For whatever reason, I often finish a book in the early hours of the morning.  So going to sleep is a luxury.  The couple head for their honeymoon knowing everything went well and they are ready for a few weeks of fun before returning.  The author has a breather before beginning the next book.  She often cleans her office or writing area and attends to mundane tasks that were unimportant during the final days leading up to the deadline.

Credit: Freeimages.com

Each bride wants her wedding to be different, reflect her tastes and provide a beautiful showcase for the all important day.  Writers want a beautiful package, too.  They want a cover that reflects the story and is beautiful to look at. As the bride throws her bouquet on the way to her honeymoon, the writer looks to her readers to grab the book as soon as it's available and to tell every one of her friends that they must read it.  Each has a trousseau and each wants to live happily ever after.

Credit: Pixabay

The next time you read a wedding story or attend the nuptials, smile at the comparison.  And as always, keep reading.