How to Decorate a Food Table for a Fall Outdoor Wedding

Celebrating your wedding in the crisp fall air can be romantic, but an outdoor wedding brings with it some additional concerns. Make a clear plan with the catering staff about when they'll bring out the food, since hot dishes will get cold faster when they're outside. Avoid rickety card tables. Ask your reception venue if you can move some solid wooden tables outside. Explain your decorating plan to your wedding planner or bridal party. Decorating should be done just before the reception so items don't blow away, but you'll be too busy with touch-ups or photos to supervise.

Instructions

1

Cover the tables with cloths in warm colors such as orange, red or deep brown. Choose silky or satiny cloths, since these look rich and decadent. Arrange a wide table runner or napkins on top of the cloth for extra decoration and to protect the tablecloth from food stains. If you're using napkins, spread them out on the table with the edges overlapping.

2

Set up serving plates or the bases to your chafing dishes. You'll need to settle on an arrangement for the food before finalizing decorations. Set up small plates in front of the dishes to rest serving spoons on as well.

3

Arrange accents around the plates. Buy cloth fall leaves from a craft store to scatter around the edges of the table. Add pine cones and small bud vases with flowers around the table. Guests reaching for food could tip over any open flames, but if your table needs additional light you can place votive candles inside glass lanterns or hurricane vases. Pretend that you're reaching over the table to serve yourself from each dish to ensure that guests can't knock over any decor or candles.

4

Place buckets of flowers or branches on the ground around the tables. Since the tables are filled with food, placing larger decorations on the ground will create more visual impact without distracting from the food. Buy two metal buckets or straw baskets for each table. For a rustic look, place tall twigs in the buckets. You might also buy some fake branches with fall leaves attached from a craft store. You can also fill buckets with shafts of wheat or potted flowers. Choose flowers in yellows or oranges, such as marigolds. Place one bucket on either side of the table, out of the way or where guests will walk.

5

Cover the dessert tables until it's time to eat. You may want to arrange the cake or cookies before the reception begins, but you don't want guests digging in early or insects landing on the food. Buy white or gold netting to cover the table. Place some candlesticks or other sturdy metal objects on the table that are taller than the food. Drape the netting over the table. It should rest on the taller objects without touching any food.