Table linens: a trial

In my last table linen installment, I broke the amazing news that Grandma Buttons was kind enough to offer her services in creating my pintuck tablecloths!

Well, after I confirmed the dimensions of our reception tables, she whipped up a few samples and sent them to us to test out at Carlouel! They happened to arrive on a Saturday when my mom and Mr. Buttons were holding a garage sale at our house. They opened up the box, and a few customers happened to notice the tablecloths. We had a few offers to purchase them right then and there! I wasn't there, but I was glad that Mommy Buttons was not tempted to sell them on the spot...they ARE really pretty! I digress...

So, a few days later, Mommy Buttons and I made the trek to Carlouel to test the linens out! I have to admit that I was extremely worried; what if they looked awful? What if the fabric was a terrible color in the room? Well, clearly I was crazy for worrying, because they looked absolutely fantastic!

(please ignore the wrinkles in the cloths; the linens will be steamed on the day of the wedding!)

The soft sage green of the linens blends perfectly with the wood beams, green carpet, and white stone fireplaces. They add a pop of color on the table (albeit a soft pop), and soften the ambience of the room (in comparison to all white table linens). Keep in mind with these photos that on the day of the wedding the tables will be covered first with floor length white linens, with our overlay on top (they weren't set with floor length ones on that day).

We even brought a few vases and birds along with us to test out the complete look. On the table as it is, they appear to be very small, but the reception table will be set with silverware, butter plate, napkins, and water glasses at each place setting, which will fill up a lot of the table space that is currently empty in the photos!

Putting together a sample table was such a great experience for me; for the first time I was able to visualize what our reception space would look like on the day of the wedding! Now I am even MORE excited (if that is even possible...)!

Did you set up a sample table at your venue to test out your vision?

Vintage-y Vases

So, if you recall, I somewhat recently decided to make a switcheroo in regards to my reception flowers. Bye bye hydrangeas, hello baby’s breath!

Next up on the to-do list was to figure out what to display the beautiful poufs of baby’s breath in!

Mommy Buttons and I began by scouring JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, and the like. We saw a lot of the same thing; clear glass vases in different shapes/heights. It could work, but I wasn’t in love.

Then, we decided to try our luck elsewhere by visiting our all-time favorite stores; TJ Maxx and Marshalls. My mom mentioned that she had seen some pretty vintage-looking vases there previously. We walked down the aisles in anticipation…

And…boy was I glad we went there! There were shelves filled with vases in various shapes, sizes, and patterns galore! And they were a very reasonable price, ranging from $3.99 for the smaller pieces to $7.99 for the larger ones! We quickly gathered every single vase we could see into the shopping cart…and then proceeded to visit every TJ Maxx and Marshalls in the Tampa/Clearwater area to clean them out!

Here is our stash…I am just loving them!

I plan to combine at least one taller vase with a shorter one, and add some “extra” items on the table (such as bird figurines, vintage books, tea cups, etc)…I’ll show you some of my first trials shortly! And my favorite aspect of these vases is that we will DEFINITELY re-use them after the wedding! My mom is fond of them, and they match the décor in the house…and I know that I will want to keep a handful for Mr. Buttons and I to decorate our new home! Sure, there will most likely be some leftovers, but I am loving the fact that I don’t have to rent them for $15 a vase (since that is what we were previously quoted by a florist for similar containers…yikes!)!

Are you planning on DIY’ing your centerpieces? What did you do/are you planning to do with the containers after the day is done?