Long Tables and metal chairs

jkchs2003

I have found a place to have reception but the only tables and chairs they offer are 8ft long tables and brown metal folding chairs. My wedding is not going to be perfectly elegant, but I want to be able to have it look elegant. I am on a tight budget and I don't know if I should find a way to afford to rent tables and chairs. What do you guys think? The reception is in a gym.

ExpatPumpkin

There's nothing wrong with the long tables. Many elegant weddings have had tables like that... Once they're covered, they'll look nice. Make sure they're covered to the floor You could line them up and have several rows - I've seen this done very well before. About the chairs, some people on here will say that no one will notice them. But they were important to me, so I rented chairs. You can probably save on renting just chairs and keeping the tables.

pag41989

My original venue that I was going with had the same exact thing. I had actually gone to the party store and bought some plastic tablecloth rolls and was going to use those to cover the tables. I looked into getting chair covers but it turns out it is actually cheaper to just rent white chairs so I was planning on doing that until we changed venues.

Catwoman708

If you had it in the budget, sure renting round tables and nicer chairs (or chair covers and sashes) would look nicer. But those nicer looking tables will still be in a gym, and there is only so much you can do to dress up a gym. One of the best ways to dress up the reception venue is to put the focus on the tables, and away from the gym walls. But you don't have to go and rent tables and chairs to do that. Dress the tables the best you can with nice linens. Once the room is filled with guests, no one will really notice the chairs. And chair covers are kind of a pain, they slide around, drag the ground, get stepped on or caught under chair legs, and trip people up. Long rows of tables end up looking kind of like a school cafeteria. BUT, if you have enough tables, you can put two long tables together (side by side), and space out the pairs of tables at an angle. The 8' tables will make more of a rectangle, probably seating between 12-14 people. Still cozier than long rows of tables, because you can see and talk to others easier.

Catwoman708

Meant to add to dress up the tables as best you can, and put your budget into centerpieces and soft lighting/candles, Christmas lights, lanterns, etc... and hopefull try to avoid using the harsh overhead lighting.

aerinpegadrak

I've seen plenty of weddings that do long tables instead of small rounds, it looks just fine.  It's also quite conducive to a family-style meal, which can save you some serious coin.  Lighting makes or breaks a venue.  A drab venue with awesome lighting looks better than a gorgeous venue with bad lighting any day.  If I were you, I'd spend the money to bring in a lighting designer or a DJ with a decent setup, and make the venue look so amazing that no one notices the chairs.

Leanne&Bruce

Great idea about putting two long tables together! I was going to rent round but I'm looking to cut my budget so I was going to borrow long ones from work! I will be renting white padded chairs.