How do I tactfully decorate picnic tables for my evening luau beach recption?
Don’t worry about the picnic table seating. People will deal. As far as decorating goes, I would cover all the tables with white table cloths and then put small clear glass votive holders along the centers of the tables, and then put votive candles in them that are the main color of your wedding. Or, you could get clear glass bowls and put floating candles in them along with some floating flower petals. Or, since it’s a luau, get a bunch of pineapples. Cut a little off one side so it will lie flat on a table. Then carve a couple of holes in the opposite side big enough to put tea lights. You could keep the fruit theme running down the entire length of the tables with bananas and oranges as accents alongside the pineapples, but you wouldn’t have to put candles in those. I dunno…so many possibilities.
Your wedding sounds WONDERFUL! Since the wedding is on the beach, many or most guests will probably have attire that while looks wonderful will accommodate sitting at a picnic table. Since you can’t remove the tables or use staples, you can take tape and tape the table clothes edges to the underside of the table so that the clothes don’t move or slide or blow away. (White duct tape would probably work great.) Depending upon your tastes you could use linen or continue with the tropical island theme, which sounds so fun. The table clothes could be some sort of tropical design that matches your theme. Center pieces could continue the theme of the Tiki bar, with a Tiki candle holder or something similar. You could even do something with gorgeous tropical fruit and flowers with coconut shells and Tiki’s, However, if it really bothers you you can rent tables. But save your money for the honeymoon and let them sit at picnic tables. It will be fine. It will be terrific. Congratulations.
