Seating Charts, Menus and Fabrics: Small Styling Choices that Matter
Weddings that come across as perfectly considered, seamlessly cohesive and to put it simply, magazine cover worthy, are also the weddings where the smallest of details have been carefully styled. The art of wedding styling encompasses everything from opulent tablescapes down to the welcome sign font. But it’s these little stylised details that truly bring weddings to life. Join Melbourne Wedding & Bride’s Alice O’Brien as she discusses the power of subtle styling with Amie Laiyton, founder and director of ARLAI Event Co.
Written by Alice O’Brien
When asked to explain wedding styling, Laiyton instead answered with a question of her own: “You have to ask yourself first and foremost if styling, and what kind of styling, is important to you?” For the team at ARLAI Event Co, Laiyton answered her own question by saying styling “means bringing someone’s vision to life … we get to bring the venue to life!” It’s the transformation of months of inspiration from countless mood boards and pinned images into a beautiful reality. That’s why small details deserve your attention. Final touches have the power to “bring the room together” and create a natural sense of cohesion, as these are the “things guests will continue to notice throughout the evening.” Laiyton brilliantly used the far too relatable scenario of forgetting your toothbrush on holiday to explain the importance of subtle styling:
“You think you have everything and you’re happy with the overall look of the suitcase and don’t notice until you realise an important aspect isn’t there, and then it’s ALL YOU NOTICE. And if you noticed, someone else will have noticed, and it’s something that you could live without or it could be fixed with a quick replacement … but it’s not the same as the real thing. And had you have written it on your packing list and prepped it wouldn’t be an issue.”
Seating Chats & Menus: Purely Functional?
There are some wedding details that have always been treated as purely functional: the seating chart and food menu. There is no denying both have incredibly important logistical roles but just because their main purpose is functional doesn’t mean they can’t step into the spotlight and become design statements themselves. When asked about seating charts, Laiyton was quick to claim it as “one of [her] favourite aspects to have fun with.” Stepping away from the stock standard signage screaming I’m only here on organisational grounds, Laiyton sees the seating chart as a space to create a guest experience. This is the piece your guests interact with first, so without giving away all of ARLAI Event Co’s styling secrets, Laiyton has playfully described ways to make it atmospheric: “If you’re a movie buff, a staff member may be an usher and all the guests get a popcorn snack and their ticket punched on their way to their seat [or] have a full bakery setup with bread and cheese boards as the table display.” However, if you want to subtly style the seating chart, one way to move beyond the stock standard is to “add plinths and depth to create interest.” As Laiyton reminds us, it’s also important to consider how the seating chart will appear in the background of your photos.
For menu styling Laiyton has a trick up her sleeve: “Save money, include your place card and menu in one … this will allow you to custom print your menus … I always suggest adding a hint of colour too, so they add contrast to the table and show up nicer in photos.” A menu reflects the spirit of the day – whether it’s a summer wedding with seasonal produce as the star, or a wonderful winter wedding with warm, full-bodied soups – think of menus as an extension of the food’s aesthetic. Pairing fresh salads with brightly coloured menus is that extra step to creating the cohesion that feels so natural to some weddings.
Fabrics & Linen: Effective or Not?
Fabric and textile design now plays a more creative role at weddings. Long gone are the days when fabric was solely restricted to being a tablecloth. Textiles, from soft linens to draping velvet, now come alive with movement and completely transform how a venue is experienced. But this transformation only comes “if you have the right fabric and if you measure correctly,” Laiyton points out. It’s not just about putting a sheet on a table – effective fabric styling that actually elevates the look and feel of a wedding comes from intention.
Draped fabric, or more simply known as drapery, is an intentional stylised choice used to soften and add movement to a room. Drapery can be found on the ceiling, walls, floors and extend onto the tables and chairs, even becoming an individual centrepiece design. The material itself also plays a role. Flowing fabrics like cheesecloth are used for more whimsical settings, while structured textiles such as raw silk are better suited for formality. However, Laiyton warns that “when draping, depending on the effect, you don’t want it to be over-draped” as “some people think doing it themselves is simple, but if it isn’t steamed, you’ve wasted time, effort and money.” It’s here that fabric can quickly become an ineffective styling choice, as Laiyton explains “it’s a very fine art and there is a line in between.” For couples wanting to use fabric in simpler ways, she recommends focusing on key fundamentals, like “tablecloths that reach the ground” and using “good quality-coloured tablecloths and napkins.” While seemingly small details, they “make a huge difference to any room.”
Styling Team: Who To Call?
A wedding stylist can be the artist you never knew you needed as Laiyton commonly experiences “couples [who] have an idea but don’t know how to make it work.” The ARLAI Event Co team makes it work in five simple steps.
One: call consult. Two: custom package creation. Three: vision mock-up six months prior. Four: change requests. Five: day stylised!
With a styling hire range available to view online, ARLAI Event Co love anything a little quirky, but most of all, for Laiyton and her crew, “it means [we’re] part of someone’s special day and create that dream backdrop for them to celebrate and look back on.”
Photography by Jack Ham Imagery