Are you planning your wedding and looking for table names? Do you need help coming up with original and trendy ideas?
You are in the right place.
As a florist specializing in events, I assist my clients in organizing their wedding, not only with floral decorations but also with everything related to the preparation of the venues where their big day will take place.
In the following lines, I will share my expertise and knowledge of these types of events to help you choose table names that match the spirit of your wedding.
The names you choose for your tables will help your guests find their seats at the reception and will make it easier for the serving staff. They should be selected consistently: that is, they should belong to the same category (places, names, etc.) and match the atmosphere you want for your ceremony. If you have chosen a theme for your wedding or if you have a list of significant moments from your relationship, you can draw inspiration from those. Otherwise, you might opt for geographical elements, culinary delights, or names of colors or flowers. Finally, it is crucial that the decorations at your reception venue align with the chosen table names: this will create a beautiful overall effect that your guests will surely appreciate!
Want to learn more? Keep reading to discover:
- What a table name is and how to choose them
- Why it’s important to plan for them at your wedding reception
- Unique ideas to surprise your guests
- Themed table name suggestions
- Tips for coordinating your table names with your wedding decor
Why and How to Choose Table Names for Your Wedding?
If you’re planning your wedding on your own, you’ve probably started thinking about seating arrangements. Whether they’re formal or casual, it’s important to communicate them to your guests along with the name of their table.
You might be wondering why it’s important to name your tables. Let me explain the reasons for this in the following lines!
What is a Table Name?
This is a designation that will be given to a table during a ceremony. It appears both on the seating chart at the entrance of the reception hall and on the table itself, through a small sign.
All table names must belong to the same category:
✔️ For example, if you decide to have a Rock ‘n’ Roll themed wedding, you should choose either names of stars, names of songs, or names of albums. You can’t mix a little from all three categories, as that would lack consistency.
What is the purpose of naming tables?
The table name serves several purposes:
➡️ First of all, allow your guests to find their way using the seating chart displayed at the entrance of your reception hall. Once they locate their table name, they can directly look for it in the room and sit down as you intended.
➡️ It also allows the service staff to organize themselves to be efficient during the meal. For example, if someone at the table named “Azalea” requests that their meat be cooked again, they can quickly explain what needs to be done to a colleague by mentioning the name of the table.
➡️ Finally, the table names contribute to the atmosphere of your wedding and can serve as a conversation starter among those at the same table, helping to break the ice and get to know each other, for example.
How to Choose the Right Name?
Now that you understand what a table name is and its purpose, the following lines will provide you with tips and tricks to plan this key element of your wedding meal.
A name that refers to the wedding theme 👰
If you’ve selected a wedding theme, especially regarding decor, I recommend that you draw inspiration from it when choosing your table names. This will make sense to your guests and save you time.
Here are a few examples of wedding themes and the names that can be associated with them:
- 1950s: names of movies or stars from that era
- Disney : names of cartoons & Disney movies, heroes, and princesses…
- Exotic & Jungle: names of endangered exotic animal species
- Paris: names of major landmarks
💁🏻 If your theme isn’t on this list, feel free to quickly jot down what it makes you think of in terms of places, personalities, works of art, and so on. You should be able to come up with table names using this method in no time.
A name that reflects your relationship 💑
If you haven’t chosen a specific theme for your wedding, you can select names that relate to your love story. This will give you a topic to discuss with your guests as you visit their tables to chat. Additionally, it will allow them to learn more about you.
You can choose names related to:
- The trips you’ve taken together (Names of countries, cities…)
- Your favorite dishes
- Your favorite movies
- Places that are significant to your story (first date, favorite restaurant, location of the proposal…)
This list is by no means exhaustive… For this type of names, trust your instincts and choose something that inspires you!
A Fun Riddle to Liven Up Your Wedding 🎲
Finally, if you enjoy games and challenges, you can turn your table names into a guessing game for a fun activity that will take place during your wedding.
In the style of the game show Fort Boyard, each name will serve as a clue, which will help us guess a word related to all the names listed on the seating chart. This could be a location where confetti or candies are hidden, for example.
It’s up to you to speak up at the beginning of the meal and explain the rules of the game to challenge your guests!
Some Table Name Ideas for Your Wedding
If you don’t want to choose custom table names for your wedding or are having trouble finding inspiration, I’d like to share a small selection of classic table names that can fit any wedding theme.
You can use these as inspiration to customize your table names or reuse them as they are.
🔸 Colors 🎨
You can choose beautiful, poetic color names such as:
- Celadon (Light Green)
- Champagne (Pale Yellow)
- Opera (Purplish Red)
- Periwinkle (Blue Purple)
- Reseda (Yellow Green)
- Vermilion (Red)
- Mahogany (Red Brown)
- Madder (Bright Red)
- Marengo (Red Brown)
🔸 Flowers 💐
Depending on the flowers you choose for your wedding decor, you might consider selecting floral-themed names for your tables:
- Wild & Bohemian Flowers: Bellflower, Sunflower, Yarrow, Cosmos, Chamomile, Eryngium, Stock, Scabious, Lady’s Mantle,…
- Romantic Flowers: Rose, Lily, Baby’s Breath, Poet’s Carnation, Dahlia, Amaryllis, Star of Bethlehem, Calla, Arum,…
- Exotic & Tropical Flowers: Anthurium, Gloriosa, Venus Slipper, Heliconia, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Vanda, Bird of Paradise, Porcelain Rose,…
- Winter & Early Spring Flowers: Tulip, Hyacinth, Daffodil, Ranunculus, Anemone, Narcissus, Physalis, Hellebore,…
🔸 Geography 🌍
For this type of naming, you have plenty of options. You can choose names from cities, mountain ranges, or even seas. The important thing is that it makes sense to you and feels right.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Seas & Oceans: Baltic, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Adriatic…
- Mountains : Pyrenees, Alps, Ural, Andes, Atlas, Himalayas, Appalachians, Altaï…
- Space:
- Constellations 💫 : Andromeda, Bootes, Capricorn, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Ursa Major, Orion, Perseus…
- Planets 🪐: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto,…
🔸 Cuisine and Local Flavor 🍽️
You can choose specialties from your region, your country, or even names of famous wines such as: Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion, Pétrus-Pomerol, Château d’Yquem, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon…
🔸 Music 🎶
In this theme, you can choose from artist names or music styles, such as: Rock, Reggae, Classical, Soul, Jazz, Rap, R’n’B, …
How to Match Table Names and Decorations for Your Wedding?
Once you have chosen your table names, you can definitely use them to decorate your venue.
Creating a Unique Seating Plan
The seating plan, located at the entrance of the dining area where the meal will be served, allows guests to know where they will be sitting and who they will be sitting with. It displays all the tables and details the individuals assigned to each one.
You can make it with recycled materials, for instance, using an old frame where you can hang some wire mesh. You won’t need to pin up the list of your tables and the guests who will be dining there anymore.
You can also place potted plants on an old wooden step stool and use a stake to display the list of guests for each table, including the table name, in each plant.
For more ideas, feel free to check out social media, which is full of inspiring concepts.
If this topic interests you, I will also share an article specifically dedicated to seating arrangements in the coming months!
Creating Themed Centerpieces
Once you’ve chosen the theme for your table names, you can plan to incorporate them into the decoration of your tables. You can ask your florist to include photographs, small trinkets, or even food items (protected for hygiene reasons) in your centerpieces and table runners.
You can also plan to choose your floral decoration based on your theme.
For a romantic wedding, you might choose to place pink teddy bears 🧸 on your tables. If this idea appeals to you, you can find high-quality pink teddy bears in our online store.
For a Disney-themed wedding, if you’re setting up a table dedicated to the animated classic Beauty and the Beast, we have just what you need: I invite you to visit our page featuring our eternal roses 🌹 under a dome in our catalog! These real preserved roses will be the special detail that makes your wedding décor stand out for this theme.
Now that you have all the key elements to choose your table names, you can continue organizing your wedding with confidence. Don’t hesitate to check out our floral decoration articles and our floral crowns 👑🌼, which will enhance your special day…
Image Sources: Pinterest