My Sister's Wedding: The Linens

It's hard to believe it, but we are actually in the final stages of planning my sister's July wedding! Flowers and invitations have been ordered. The caterer and bartender are set. Dresses and suits are done, and we have already scheduled our trial appointments for hair and makeup. Right now we are working on the little details (which I think is really what makes a great wedding no matter the budget) and we've hit a bit of a roadblock when it comes to the linens.

The short version is that they are expensive as hell and we hate them all.

The long version goes something like this.

As I've mentioned before, the wedding will take place at a jaw dropping estate, on a sprawling lawn overlooking the ocean and the homeowner's gardens. The venue is the home of my future brother-in-law's boss and it's incredible that we are able to use this space at no cost. Because the grounds are so beautiful, we really don't need to do much as far as decor goes. We are keeping the flowers as minimal as possible, and since there will be a rolling menu, there is no need for place settings which is a huge cost saver! Right now we have white tablecloths from the rental company, and I feel like the only thing we need is a killer tablecloth to go over them.

Easy right?

Wrong.

I went to the most highly recommended place in town on Thursday and really didn't like anything that I saw. We want a funky bohemian pattern like an ikat, and everything was either striped, nautical, or incredibly delicate and ornate. It was like they haven't updated anything in the last few years to reflect the current trend in weddings. After pouring over EVERYTHING, I found this print that both of us liked, but as luck would have it, it was one of the most expensive patterns and for the 10 tables we have we were looking at 700 dollars minimum.

I feel like I could probably swallow that (even though it's pretty much the entire decor budget) if we were getting exactly what we wanted, but the fact is it's just not. In my head I wanted something really fun and colorful, and today I found a few inspiration images that just solidified what we are looking for.

Bright, fun patterns that are modern and make a statement. This is pretty much the opposite of what I found in store.

After some digging I found a great pattern that is EXACTLY what we want, and it sells for only $10 dollars a yard.

I spent some time on etsy and realized that we could probably spend half as much by just having something made, which is a little crazy considering the other is just a rental. I've dedicated the better part of the afternoon trying to figure out how this would work. The main issue is that we have round tables, and I can't seem to figure out how much fabric we would really need (i.e. will the cost be more than renting?) I am SUPER open to the idea of just doing runners even though I would love a full tablecloth, but even then I'm not sure how it would work, especially on a round table. To make things a little more confusing, we have 4 high tops, 6 tables, and 2 banquet tables all of varying withs and heights.

Let me ask you, did any of you have your tablecloths made and have a recommendation? Even better, any seamstresses out there looking for a project? I wish I could DIY this one myself but just thinking about it makes my head spin. I'd love to know your thoughts/ suggestions!

I have to say that planning this event has been an absolute pleasure, and in the end I'm sure we will figure this out. All I can say is that I'm so happy we didn't settle for the other! This just goes to show that sometimes custom can be cheaper than the real deal (I hope ;)).

If you have any advice or recommendations please email me at robinanderson09@gmail.com!