Intimate Dinner Party Wedding Style Design Tips

Apr 11

There is something so sophisticated and timeless about a wedding reception that feels like a simple, intimate dinner party. Whether you’re planning a chic backyard wedding with a “quiet life“ vibe, or an ultra-luxe event with a once in a lifetime culinary experience, creating an elevated dinner party atmosphere includes the same core design components.

Here are my top tips for designing an unforgettable wedding dinner party…

1. Make Your Dining Area the Main Focus

For a dinner party feeling at your reception, your dining tables should be the focal point of your room design. I love the look and feel of long flowing tables because they make your guest feel as if they are all sitting together, while creating a striking design element.

2. Create Luxe Tablescapes With Elevated Dinnerware

A beautiful table scape filled with elevated plates, flatware, glassware and linens will make your guests’ dining experience feel extra special. This isn’t an everyday meal, so why use everyday dinnerware? Think of it like using your family’s special occasion china - it’s a signal that this is an event to be celebrated! Even if you don’t have the budget for a full table of special rentals, picture your tablescape overall, and choose one or two accents that would elevate the look of the whole table, and give your guests a lovely experience. This can be especially impactful if it’s an item that guest touch and interact with during their meal, like pretty glassware, or stylish silverware.

3. Complete Your Table Design with the Perfect Florals

Flowers are a key part of wedding table design, but they should be designed thoughtfully. It’s not just about how they look, but how they impact the table’s function! To keep conversation flowing and to stop tables from being overcrowded, work with your florist or designer to create the perfect centerpieces for your specific situation. Consider the size and shape of your tables. Who will your guests likely talk with during dinner? The people next to them, or across the table? Keep your centerpieces at the right height so they don’t block people’s view of each other. Consider also the needs of your caterers. Is your dinner plated, or are you serving food family style? Be sure there is plenty of room on the table for food service to flow smoothly.

One dinner party wedding that’s a great example of the tips above was this Spring Garden Wedding in Santa Barbara. After a ceremony overlooking the water, family and friends were seated for dinner at a long and gently winding dining table decorated with grey linens and clear glassware. The white, pale blue and silver edged plates were topped with a white magnolia blossom and delicate olive branch to bring the whole look together. The floral centerpieces we designed were simple, low vases filled with white tulips, peonies, roses, spring greenery and succulents that added to the intimate atmosphere, but didn’t impose on the table’s space. See the full wedding here…

Photos above by Michelle Beller

4. Lighting Is Key!

Think about your favorite special occasion restaurants - I bet their lighting is soft, warm and inviting, not too bright or harsh. Lighting is a powerful design element at any wedding reception, but especially when creating an intimate dinner party atmosphere. Can you tuck small votives among your table centerpieces or use lovely candelabras as part of your tablescape? How about hanging lights above the tables to define the space, or adding soft uplighting around the room? Having multiple sources of ambient light as well as using pretty lighting as a design focal point will create an incredible atmosphere.

5. Create a Lounge Area or Space for Guests to Mingle

Even if dinner is the main event at your wedding reception, no one will want to sit the entire night. Be sure you have another area dedicated to mingling, visiting, and allowing the room’s traffic to flow. Perhaps that’s some open area with casual seating near the bar, or a quieter lounge area (away from the dance floor and party zone!) with comfortable furniture for those who want to catch up. Style these areas like your favorite bar, restaurant, or chic hotel lobby to keep the guest experience feeling special.

Another quiet dinner party wedding to pull inspiration from is this Modern Outdoor Garden Wedding that was Inspired by its beautiful California location. The long, winding dining tables that drew the eye were topped with a soft tablescape color palette that paired natural wood textures with pops of elegant gold. The chic lounge areas with leather sofas and ottomans felt like the most sophisticated interior design. Every detail of the celebration felt like the epitome of elevated, dinner party wedding style. View the full wedding here!