How to Design a Reception Dinner for Your Wedding
For your reception dinner, you want something that perfectly fits you and your guests, making everyone feel comfortable while showing off your personality and style. So, let me introduce you to your options!
As an Idaho wedding photographer, I’m familiar with options that will work for any vision, whether you’re having a dinner reception or a brunch. Let’s dive in!
What to Consider When Designing a Reception Dinner
The Food
First, let’s review the types of dinners you can choose from when planning your wedding reception.
Buffet: For a buffet reception dinner, you’ll have all the tables set in advance, and guests can simply bring their plates up to the buffet. This is an excellent option if you have a more informal event, want a dinner experience that focuses more on mingling, or if you’re just planning on providing a great spread of food and want everyone to be able to try a bit of everything!
Family-Style: For a family-style meal, you put all the food on the tables in bowls so guests can pass them around and take what they want. You can start with a plated salad, and then have the family-style meal begin after that. The great thing about family-style receptions is that they feel like a dinner party, making them more cozy and intimate. Also, guests have more options for what they can choose to eat.
One of my brides, Alisha, chose to host a family-style reception and loved it! “Family-style tables were important to me because I didn’t want a traditional wedding feel to the dinner,” she said. “I also didn’t want to be on display. I wanted to feel like we were having a big Thanksgiving feast with all of our favorite people.”
Plated: A full-service, classic plated meal is one of the more common options for a formal wedding. With a plated meal, each course is brought out separately on a set plate and is cleared away for the next course. Plated meals are easy for guests because they don’t need to choose, but they aren’t best for picky eaters. They also might require more staff and take longer because each plate must be cleared away.
Appetizers: For a more casual option, go for appetizers that guests can snack on throughout the night. You don’t have to provide a full meal to celebrate your big day! Another fun option is to pair these with a surprise food truck at the end of the night.
Food Trucks: Like a buffet but with more local flair, food trucks are a fun way to serve dinner by providing many options for guests. Food trucks are a great way to have lots of delicious food options that guests can get up and grab. These are also fun for late-night snacks or desserts!
The Setting
Now that you’ve chosen the style of your reception dinner, it’s time to decide how you want to set up the tables. Do you want round tables with towering centerpieces? A head table on a stage? Long rectangular farmhouse tables to match the family-style feel? The choices are endless, but let's review some of the options you can choose from.
Round: Some people say round tables facilitate conversation better. Some couples also like the look of having many round tables in the venue. In many cases, round tables may be all the venue provides.
Allie and Connor chose round tables. They said, “We chose circle tables because that was the only option at our venue, but even if we had the choice, I think we would have still gone with round tables as I think conversation flows better and allows the whole table to be engaged with each other rather than just conversing with the person next to you!”
Rectangular: Many couples love the elegant look of a single long rectangular table that brings everyone together in one place. This is also great for smaller wedding parties.
Clara and Clarence went the rectangular route and said, “It mostly comes down to not wanting to be limited to 8 or 10 people total at a table. I loved the idea of having a super-long table that contained 40 relatives or 20 friends from different groups.”
Many long rectangular tables are uncovered wooden farmhouse tables, which are beautiful for a more rustic wedding look if that’s your style!
Sweetheart or Head Table: A sweetheart table is a small table where the couple sits together. A head table is when the couple’s closest family and friends sit with them. These don’t have to be particular shapes—they’re entirely up to you!
The Details
Chairs and Chair Covers: The chairs you use will, of course, largely depend on what the venue has. If you don’t love the chairs they have, you can also use chair covers, which can mask whatever is underneath. And you can also decorate the chairs with extra elements that match your vision for your day if you want to!
Napkins: There are generally two options for napkins: paper or fabric. Paper is easy for a casual look, but fabric is the classiest! If you opt for cloth napkins, there are a few different ways to fold them:
Knot
Band wrap
Decorative wrap
Pocket fold
Napkin ring
Square
Off-the-table
Silverware: You will choose silverware to match the type of food you’re serving. For example, if you have salad or soup, you’ll have a salad fork or a soup spoon.
Glassware: At minimum, you will include a water cup, but it’s also common to have wine and champagne glasses.
Plates: Your chosen plates will also depend on what you’re serving. It’s common to start with a charger or underplate, which is a decorative plate that goes underneath the plates as you swap them out. If you’re serving salad, a separate salad plate is standard. A dessert plate is typical for plated desserts as well.
Tablecloths and Runners: You can also rent tablecloths and table runners to transform the aesthetic of the tables. Or, layer them on top of each other to better match your color palette.
Table Seating: Having a preset seating chart can make it easier for guests to find their seats and sit near people they might have things in common with or will have a good conversation with. You can also get creative when assigning table seatings, such as with leaves, rocks, or handmade items. Or, go classic with printed calligraphy cards! These can take the place of a traditional seating chart and instead be placed directly at the place setting. This works best for more intimate weddings!
Table Numbers or Names: These can help guests easily find their assigned table. You can also name tables things based on your relationship, like meaningful locations!
Table Favors: Whether or not you include a table favor is entirely up to you! Some cute ideas couples have used are cookies or desserts with some cultural significance to the couple, seeds to plant in your garden, or shots of alcohol.
Table Decor: The decor you put on your table can tie in nicely with the themes and colors in your day. Some table design ideas include candles, greenery, scattered flowers, Edison lights, terrariums, garlands, and bouquets. But make sure the designs don’t block guests from being able to see each other across the table!
Menus: Placing a printed menu at every guest’s seat tells them what they can expect to eat, which is particularly important if any guests have allergies. To better coordinate your day, match the design of the menu to the table seating cards, or even to your invitations.
I hope this post inspired you and gave you a clearer idea of what you need to plan a reception dinner. I’m only a quick text away for my couples as they plan their Idaho and PNW weddings. When we work together, I’ll answer all your questions as best I can! I look forward to hearing from you!
