Even an informal setting can be transformed into a magical venue. With a little ingenuity, color and strong notes of our theme, we made the winery’s courtyard into a “casual Camelot.”
Table linens
We allowed the natural beauty of the picnic table to shine, choosing to turn our celery-colored placemats 90 degrees from the typical. The unusual placement allowed them to drape off the table edge adding even more interest. Our napkins give the table a real lift – sage and thyme paisley in a bold, fresh pattern. We tied them with thyme and orchid-colored ribbon and laid them on the seats for a more casual feel.
Napkin rings The napkins are particularly fun and inviting wrapped in white, personalized wine labels held together simply with double-stick tape and wrapped with stitched grosgrain ribbon. It’s casual chic that’s distinctive, too.
Centerpiece We placed a miniature olive topiary in the center of the table and perched it in a bed of fresh grapes and leaves to add the desired depth of color. The height of the centerpiece also gives the eye another direction to travel.
Place Settings
Plates and glassware Eggplant-colored dinner plates lie on wooden chargers, which pick up the natural feel of the setting, as does the wooden-handled flatware. The glasses – purple goblets and stemless glassware – add visual appeal (varying heights, proportions and colors) and fit the informal presentation like a cork in a bottle.
Fans Square-corned paper fans are laid on each plate and carry a decorative touch – a simple knot of thyme-colored ribbon tied to the handle. For a little pre-wedding fun, the fan includes facts about the couple that help the guests get to know them better, including how they met. No guest will miss reading this trivia!
More ideas
Print the dinner menu on each fan.
Print a list of the couple’s "favorites"….from songs to food to entertainment.
Votives and Favors The flared votive holders appear as mood lighting – charming with the sage candles and grapevine wreath. Now, they double as favors that guests can take home with leaf-shaped gift tags on each that have a short “thank you” message from the couple.
These flared glasses also make great serving dishes, too, for fruit, olives and – inserted into a plant stand near the table – for crackers that guests can savor with wine before dinner.
Invitations Small wine bottles with personalized labels serve as the dinner invitations. Imagine guests’ excitement when they receive their own bottle hand-delivered (if possible) by the bride and groom!
Decor The rustic exterior of the winery was the perfect backdrop for our rehearsal dinner. We used the plants in the courtyard to their best advantage, hanging our votives in them to create a warm and inviting ambience.
The door wreath is wrapped with olive and grape ribbon. After mounting a metal silver-tone cake top initial on a background of scrapbook paper (pulling in color and helping it stand out), we hung it with ribbon on the inside of the wreath.
Guest sign-in We took advantage of our unique location to give our guest sign-in a twist. Guests were invited to sign a cork (use a wide-tipped permanent marker) and drop it into a large, beautiful vase on the sign-in table. The corks are used to make a keepsake wreath for the couple.
Hotel Gift Bucket A large, gold-colored bucket is filled to overflowing with surprises for guests from out of town. Grape and orchid ribbon add stylish pizzazz to our handsome assortment, which includes crackers, cheeses, a bottle of wine, a CD case with a photo sticker of the couple, and monogrammed napkins nestled in purple shred.
Why not include directions to local points of interest, your favorite coffee shops/restaurants, gift certificates or coupons to area shops as we did? Even a brochure discussing local history and sites from the department of tourism or the chamber of commerce would be helpful.
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