Pintuck perfection

Remember when I was head over heels in love with pintuck linens? And, after receiving a price quote for rentals, I was slightly broken hearted?

Well, I am broken hearted no longer!

When I found out that I would have to shell out $35 a piece for the linens, the little gears in my head began to turn...surely there would be a more inexpensive option...could I buy some? Could I make them myself? I took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to investigate their fabric selection.

Left: JoAnn's fabric, Right: linen sample

Bingo! I came across a fabric that was very similar in color and texture to the sample that the linen company gave me...AND it was very affordable (with a coupon, only about $2.00 a yard). I had a small swatch cut, which I then sent to...Grandma Buttons! Why hadn't I thought about this before? Grandma Buttons is a wonderful seamstress (is that the proper title?), and I knew that she'd be able to help me out. Sure enough, she had some good news! After receiving the fabric sample, she tried out the pintuck and sent it to me!

Grandma Buttons' sample is the large piece; the linen rental sample is in front...pretty nice match, wouldn't you say?

Oh yes, this will do just wonderfully. Right now, the plan is to make the tablecloths with 4 inch square pintucks instead of the 2 inch ones that the sample came in. I think it will give the same visual impact on the tables, but will take Grandma Buttons much less time!

Grandma Buttons is going to complete a sample tablecloth and send it to me so that I can test it at our venue before we go into full production, but I cannot wait to see how this turns out!

Did you have a family member or friend that came out of the woodwork to help you with something?

Partial to Pintuck

Our venue includes white, floor length table linens. At first, I thought that these were sufficient as a part of our wedding day décor. Hey, free is nice, right???

But then, I discovered pintuck…and it has gone all downhill from that point.

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I love that the pintuck linens are textured, yet still solid. The satin sheen gives the tablecloths such a rich and elegant look, without being too busy. I am really partial to implementing green pintuck tablecloths or runners. I personally love the celery color (the first picture below). I think that the light green will blend very well with the venue, as well as provide some softness in comparison to stark white tablecloths. And, the lighter green will possibly be less distracting than a bright lime green hue (the second picture), which might be overpowering.

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But, what I am cringing over? The price. These lovelies ring in at over $30 a tablecloth for a rental. So, I ask…is it worth the splurge? I’m weighing some of the pro’s and con’s. If I am going to splurge on a décor item, I want to make sure that it provides maximum impact. In this case, I think it might be a worthy item to splurge on, since the tables will be one of the main focal points of the reception! I am going to keep the florals to a minimum on the tables, so having linens that make a statement will be a tremendous help in the overall effect at the event.

So…did you splurge on table linens for your reception? Were any of you lucky enough to have venues with linen rental included?