Reception Decoration & Flowers

Since there are only 2hrs between the ceremony and the reception, we expect all decoration and set up to be completed before the ceremony at 3:00pm.

For the reception, Jack & Jill Weddings (JJ) will be responsible for the head table, guest book table, cake table and the ceiling décor. The dining area is surrounded by lots of windows with plenty of natural lighting. Behind the head table is a series of windows, so we do not want to order a backdrop to block the view and the light. For the head table, we like the idea of using dark purple swag and a string of lights to embellish the front of the table where it faces the guests. The two large floral arrangements in the ceremony will relocate to the reception on the two ends of the head table. Perhaps will order a long and low floral arrangement to place in the middle of the head table. There is a ceiling lattice work in the middle of the main dining area. Both of us love the idea of fabric draping on the ceiling to accentuate the lattice work above. We haven't thought about the design for the guest book and cake table. The details will be communicated with JJ a couple months before the wedding.





I dislike the concept of paying someone else to do every single thing for the wedding. This is such an important day in my life and I wish to be more involved in the process, especially to be able to make something for my own wedding. After discussing with BMM, we have decided to be fully in charge to decorate the guest tables. Creating centerpieces will be our most significant contribution. Our initial thought is to make submerged flower centerpieces, with floating candles or placing waterproof LED lights in the bottom of the vases. I have done my research on suitable flowers to use underwater and a handful of choices are my favorite, including tulip, orchid, hydrangea, calla lily and rose. In order to establish a more appealing setting, we are considering to add a second design of centerpieces, small flower arrangements in cube vases. Ideally half of the guest tables with submerged flower centerpieces and the other half with small flower arrangements. We will add flower petals and candles surrounding the centerpieces to enhance a romantic ambiance.







The wedding theme color is purple, so we will purchase violet shade table overlays or linens for the guest tables. If the overlays/linens do not have printed patterns, yellow runners will be added to brighten up the tables. Chairs will be wrapped in solid white covers with purple satin/organza sashes. I am looking for other ways to tie the sashes, aside from the conventional style of tying a bow.



The traditional display of table numbers will not be used at our wedding. We have decided to assign our tables with city names, places that we have traveled to together. BMM suggested a while ago to use a map as the seating chart, but I thought this is difficult to accomplish since many cities we have been to cluster in Europe. I'm not sure how to fit the guest names on the map without looking too messy. Nevertheless this idea is very creative, so perhaps we will take a closer look later. For the individual name tags, I am thinking of printing the names on lotus shape papers. Attach a cocktail straw at the back of each lotus and place it in a wine glass. I have a Cuttlebug (die cutting) machine at home, so I can buy a variety of die templates to make all sorts of crafty designs.

The lotus die template is sold by Spellbinders.



The chart below shows the responsibilities of each party:

	Reception
	JJ	Florist	BLMM
Head Table Décor	√
Guestbook Table Décor	√
Cake Table Décor	√
Ceiling Décor	√
Guest Table Centerpieces			√
Flower Petals & Candles			√
Table Overlays & Runners			√
Chair Covers & Sashes			√
Long & Low Arrangement		√