Organiser's Guide - Table Setting

Venue Review of Organiser's Guide - Table Setting

If you’re planning a sit-down lunch or dinner, put some thought into your presentation.

Don’t spend all your time agonising about the seating plan. The table setting comes a close second in importance. After all, your guests will be staring down at their plates for most of the evening, particularly if the conversation isn’t up to scratch.

Shape and colour are the first things anyone will notice. Square plates go in and out of fashion, but you can’t go wrong with round. Colour, of course, should reflect the nature of the event. Be brave and don’t necessarily go for a white-out (even for a ‘winter wonderland’ theme, where grey settings can work better than white). If there’s a cabaret theme, go for purples, blacks and pinks. You could bring in your company’s corporate colours, but make a judgement as to whether they’d improve the eating experience or induce a bout of nausea.

Tablecloths are often a necessity. They’re expected for more formal set-ups and make sense even for casual affairs, as hired tables live a hard life and usually need covering. However, some hire firms offer modern tables that don’t need to be covered. These might be more appropriate for contemporary venues.

Glassware is key. Wine glasses might usually be see-through (though coloured glass can add visual interest to a table) but they will be noticed as soon as they get picked up, so they should feel pleasant to hold. The sommelier’s well-worn mantra rings true: good wines deserve a decent glass while bad wines need all the help they can get. For a candle-lit dinner, consider using vintage-style cut crystal, which reflects the light and creates a beautiful sparkle.

One area that is easy to get wrong is table centres. Recreating the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the centre of a table can hamper conversation. Consider a less intrusive centre, that doesn’t divide the table in two. Battery-powered LED pieces create an impact, and have a look at fun props like a giant Martini glass or vase filled with coloured balls.

Finally, always ask to return hired crockery and glassware dirty. They might have survived your guests, but the real danger zone is the kitchen – most breakages happen during the washing-up. Make life easy for yourself and leave it to the experts.