By Lei Lydle, Founder and Editor Last Updated: 5/2/2005 8:22:37 AM

As a bride you spend weeks, sometimes months, picking out the perfect gown for yourself...you go to great lengths to find bridesmaids' dresses that will please all of your attendants...you look through dozens and dozens of pictures of almost identical tuxedos for your groom...

...but have you ever thought of what your tables and chairs will wear on your big day?

It sounds kind of funny but I can't tell you how many weddings I have been to that were absolutely beautiful EXCEPT for the tables...unattractive naked black or brown chairs, plain white tablecloths, no centerpieces...you get the picture.

A gorgeously decorated table is an absolute must for any large wedding and it is the perfect way to make even the smallest of weddings fabulous.

In April 2005 the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (www.atlantanace.com) held its annual Trends in Wedding Table Decor Competition at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta. The tables were absolutely gorgeous and designed by some of the top wedding and event design professionals in Atlanta.

AtlantaBridal.com was there to take pictures to share with you for ideas for your weddings. It should be noted that the lighting in the room changed during the event so pictures of the same table may look different because of the difference in times of the shots. I am also adding more pictures this week but there are LOTS of pictures here already!

I put this article together because there are just so many fabulous and creative ideas for you all. You will see some gorgeous chair covers and linens as well as all sorts of ideas for menus, favors and napkin treatments. There are even some beautiful floral arrangements and a few cakes!

If you see a table you like or elements of a table, please contact the vendors that designed it to help you get the same look for your special day!

The following information was provided to me by the Greater Atlanta Chapter of NACE for those of you that may be interested in learning more about this particular competition.

Greater Atlanta Chapter NACE
Trends in Wedding Table Décor Program and Competition

This meeting gives our members the opportunity to showcase their style and creativity while giving all attendees many ideas for weddings and social events. Any NACE member, Primary or Affiliate can volunteer to produce a table. Each table entry has common limitations … similar space size, setting for ten diners, and using the provided crystal, silverware and china. Designers are permitted to call on any resource they wish to produce their design.

HISTORY

The Program Committee of our chapter was planning a monthly meeting for June 2000 at The Georgian Terrace Hotel. Newly opened as a hotel, the facility did not yet have a working kitchen so we offered to make their job easier by providing some of the meal. Knowing that the venue was renowned for weddings, we decided to make that a theme; we could then supply a wedding cake for dessert. Rather than request décor from a single member (because all of our members produce weddings in one way or another) we came upon the idea of asking all members to design and produce a single table as a décor exposition. Because the tables would be used for dining, we established common limitations; all tableware, including silverware, glassware and china, would be provided by the hotel, and every designer would use a 60” round table set for eight. As a catering organization, we recognized that multiple tablesettings would be impossible to manage in a single kitchen area, and wanted to minimize loading dock congestion by providing hotel tables for all. Designers had the option of bringing in chairs if they chose not to use the hotel’s black banquet chairs. Eleven members volunteered as designers, some producing more than one table each, and in a very short time most requested that it become a friendly “competition” with the attendees voting. With fifteen decorated tables we sold out, and even dropped another round in the only space left in the room.

The official program featured Ms. Matilda Dobbs, Tiffany’s Bridal Consultant, who shared her wedding experiences over the years along with a looped tape of HGTV’s “Weddings Home Made” TV special featuring contributions of some NACE members. During the meeting I went around the room and introduced the designers of each table; each had a short time to explain their theme and design. In addition to NACE members, we extended welcome to members of International Special Events Society (ISES), Association Bridal Consultants (ABC) and Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants (ACPWC), some of whom joined NACE after attending this meeting. This first “competition” was won by a coalition of Holiday Inn members.

The success of this program encouraged us to plan this meeting again when the right location was available to NACE. The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta offered to host in fall 2002 and we immediately slotted this program for that venue. Still utilizing the mandatory table size – this time 72” rounds for ten – and common tableware limitations, we welcomed sixteen designers, including many non-designer companies, and hosted a total of 180+ guests enjoying the imaginative setups and décor ideas. We again invited sister organizations to attend. Our theme was Champagne, provided by Moët e Chandon, and the winner in 2002 was Chuck Henry of Chuck Henry Designs. Once again, the guests experienced totally different décor “scapes” which were explained by each designer after the voting.

In February 2004 we were booked into The Biltmore Ballrooms and, with just four weeks advance time, produced the 3rd Trends in Wedding Table Décor program. Knowing that non-round tables were a “trend” that we should allow to be promoted, we permitted the designers to bring in tables and chairs as well as décor. Two professional photographers were given a full hour to shoot the room and the tables. When the ballroom was opened to the guests, twenty-two designed rounds of eight were absolutely stunning in this classic space. We provided six additional non-competitive tables for extra seating. Three Program Committee Coordinators handled details for the Designers, Venue & Caterer and Rentals (a major category at an off-premise site). Walking the room with the microphone during the dinner to announce designers and hear the theme description proved a challenge in this room due to poor acoustics (not an important issue when it was built in 1929). We promised to add a printed program in future competitions to alleviate this problem, as well as to allow designers to completely describe their motivation and details. By this production we realized that we did not need to share the excitement of the décor with a speaker or additional topic. The 2004 winning table was produced by Atlanta Perfect Wedding Guide.

Shortly after the very successful 2004 Trends in Wedding Table Décor program, the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta approached the program committee with the offer to host this event in 2005 on Monday, April 4. Having a long advance planning time, we signed up twenty-seven unique member-designers to produce seating for ten, many of them new to table production and design but all very creative. Once again, due to logistics, the hotel provided all the tableware. Designers could bring in their own tables and chairs, in addition to having a choice of chairs and use of a 72” round table provided by the hotel. As at prior programs, each designer’s space was to be approximately that of the standard table provided by the venue. This year, however, we did limit designers to one table each because of the high number of entries. All in all, over 20% of our membership contributed to the competition in 2005 and the event sold-out at 270, perhaps a record showing at a regular NACE meeting.

Striving to increase our services for the designers, we were fortunate to offer pin-spotting of each table and the publishing of a Programme, listing all the details of each table. After voting, each guest was given a Master List, noting every designer and all of their contributors, so that all attendees would be able to utilize the resources at their own wedding events. Designers were briefly introduced between courses. The winning table, produced by the Capital City Clubs, was awarded the 1st Crystal Candlestick Award, and 2nd and 3rd place finishers were noted for the first time.

Future plans include giving our designer-members more opportunities for creativity and style, while increasing the hundreds of wedding ideas for the attendees; we do anticipate permitting the use of specialty tablesettings at the next Trends in Wedding Table Décor competition on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at Puritan Mill. That venue will allot us enough room for changing out the tablesettings prior to guest seating. Information will be available in a few months at www.AtlantaNACE.com.

This program encourages every NACE member, regardless of discipline, to participate and share ideas, creativity and style with a wide audience of industry professionals. Every single table produced displayed ideas for set, décor, lighting, linens, menus, place cards and favors. The “Theming of Weddings” is the biggest trend in the industry today; twenty-seven unique and complete themes showcased hundreds of ways of personalizing a wedding reception for our wedding clients, enabling NACE members to lead the special events industry.



Submitted by
Pat Galante
Designer Coordinator and Table Designer
Program Committee, Greater Atlanta Chapter NACE
Owner, Dining Décor – Design, Sales and Rentals for Fine Entertaining
770-973-1511
by appointment: 3453 Sheridan Chase SE, Marietta, GA 30067