Setting the Table to Set the Stage

Setting the table, an art that’s ranged from casual to competitive for generations, but whatever occasion the table’s being set for – a holiday dinner, a wedding, or even a simple seated dinner at the end of a work or school day – one thing stays stagnant in the action of setting the table, setting it with intention.

Zeb Metzler, sales manager and professionally experienced designer with Ruby Design, spoke about the intricacies and variables in setting the perfect tablescape for your event, plotting out the story behind a setting, and some of his favorite aspects behind the decorating process. 

“Tablescaping has always been at the forefront of what we [Ruby Design] do, and it’s always different because it always depends on the bride or booker’s interests,” Zeb Metzler explained, “but we like to steer some conversation to the tablescape as it is a focal point of the room’s decor.”

The story behind the soirée

There are many points of interest for the eye to be drawn to first at a party, but the set table and the tables displaying food are often the first spotted and analyzed by adoring and excited guests. The first thing Zeb and the team at Ruby Design start with when planning out the decor for an event is getting to know the client and the event they’re hoping to achieve.

“Whether it be for a corporate event, themed event, or a wedding, we're trying to present the story of our clients,” he smiled warmly. “We love to speak with our clients firsthand to see if there’s anything we can pull from their personal stories that we can then translate into decor.”

Zeb and his team love all the details so that they can shape an accurate idea and story to center their work around. Elements like color palettes, preferred textures, examples of other featured art, and possible menu options are great places to start when describing the atmosphere for your event.

“When decorating for weddings, we try to capture more of that personal touch, steeping everything in that sentimentality of the couple’s relationship in comparison to a holiday party where the decor is a little broader,” he illuminated. “We’re trying to capture the warmth and the nostalgia of each individual’s experiences, the ghosts of Christmases past, if you will, and trying to show them their ghosts of Christmases future.”

Zeb wants to know who he’s building an event for; what colors do they want to include? Do those colors have sentimentality to the event? Will they be bringing in their own elements or pieces of decor to incorporate into the event? Do they have a set idea in mind, or will there be some frequent adjustments or additions leading up to the event’s date?

The timeline to pull together a flawless tablescape can vary from event to event, based on the booker and their intentions, the time of year, and the venue. Some couples are putting in the time and effort to curate their tablescape a great deal ahead of their wedding date by designing and displaying a tablescape to place their Save the Dates on for engagement announcements, wedding invites, or for engagement photoshoots overall. 
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Ideas for a tablescape can come from numerous points in the planning process. Some might form an epiphany whilst picking out items that quickly pull the whole piece together in their minds, while others curate and collect as they go, forming their perfect tablescape over time. 

“We love playing with different elements and timestamps from over the course of a couple’s engagement or relationship as a whole,” Zeb smiled. “Using their initial invitations or Save the Dates as their table numbers or working them into their centerpiece or florals in some way is so fun. We’ve seen baby pictures incorporated, and a frequent favorite is utilizing pet photos and names into the display, theme, or menus.”

“Sometimes it can be something that comes together just so seamlessly and effortlessly that we have one consult and we know exactly what we’re going to do, and other times we have so many ideas and directions for an event that it can take from eight hours up to a day or two just to curate specific items for the piece.”

The team at Ruby Design doesn’t shy away from doing exactly what is needed to achieve the client’s wishes or completing the art and finishing touches for a perfect tablescape. Zeb and his team have even made centerpieces and details from scratch that range from 10’ to 14’ high and 20’ wide. 

Often, the tables for these displays are larger either in width, length, or both, than average to fit all that needs to be included in the tablescape. Zeb explains that while the surface area of the table might be 70” across, he and his team might really only be able to work with a fraction of that size.

“Depending on our event venue or table shape, we might build up instead of out with our centerpiece designs, capitalizing on all of the space that we have,” he clarified. “There are times we’ll look at the table we’re presented with, see all this space, and think ‘I have all of this space to work with!’, but in reality, we have to think about the logistics of ‘what else is going to have to fit on this table? Plates, water goblets, cocktail glasses, appetizers, signage…’ and suddenly, that great deal of landscape has shrunk drastically. How creative do I need to get with the real estate I have to work with?”

Creative Real Estate

Over their many years of decor and party planning, the designers at Ruby Design have picked up on a few tips and tricks to produce the most picture-perfect display for each individual booker while keeping vital factors in mind, such as the event venue, varying themes, and the people behind the planning.

“The space of the event is sort of like the base-layer to the decor process,” Zeb declared. “Some venues have a blank slate about them that makes the room easy to mold to the color scheme or theme the client’s chosen, and others have a certain architecture or color palette to them that holds a specific theme or atmosphere that proves difficult to stray from. It just depends on the venue.”

Not only does the venue provide a base layer to the decor process, but it also provides a base layer to the story of the event. Attendees may ask, “Why this venue?” and you might even introduce someone to their new venue of choice, adding to the story for their event.

Zeb noted the current trend in the layering aspect of tablescapes – adding depth and dimension to the table and its placings with patterned or textured linens and napkins to either add contrast or a cohesiveness to the display, while still capitalizing on the minimal space available.

“For example, for Gather’s Love at First Site events, I’ve been layering patterned linens with crushed velvet tablecloths, as if you’re pulling back one layer to reveal another, and ultimately adding to the story you’re trying to present.”

For weddings, couples frequently present personal items to their designer or wedding planner they’d like to incorporate into their tablescape, such as items from their travels, anniversaries, or other similar celebrations, unfolding more of their story to their guests.

“This fall, we had quite a few brides fold in different aspects of their lives into their tablescapes, which may be as simple as creating their own table numbers to integrate places the couple has traveled to, utilizing childhood photos of one another, or even a collection of favorite films.”

Another fun way to involve these sentimental memories or moments is through weaving interactive centerpieces and stations into the celebration. Not only is it another way for your guests to know you as a couple, but it also gives them an opportunity to get to know each other through a shared experience. 

However, Zeb remarked that while interactive centerpieces have seen a rise in popularity on each of our coasts and in larger European cities, the Midwest has yet to catch on to this feature. Rather, the Midwest is geared to the seamlessly executed themed event for all occasions.

“We’ve seen a lot more themed weddings popping out,” he reflected. “Being as we just passed Halloween recently, we had quite a few couples incorporate traditional Halloween decor into their venue and tablescapes, such as cobwebs, pumpkins, and sugar skulls. As we draw nearer to Christmas, we see a great deal of heavily accented pops of red enter the mix, as well as those classy and classic holiday elements like silver or gold bells, mistletoe, and natural pine.”

While Zeb and his team love curating these craftfully coordinated elements of decor for themed events, their superb stylings are also amazingly executed when veering away from the typical holiday-themed decor.

Expecting the unexpected

“We always want our clients to be involved with our decisions every step of the way to ensure we’re hitting every mark with their seal of approval,” Zeb stated. “That being said, we love directing our clients down a path that ensures their event doesn’t look like everyone else's, while still looking phenomenal.”

As Zeb mentioned before, the story behind the event and the people being celebrated are what they focus on first and foremost. Rather than directing a couple or a company down the same palette of pastel greens and shades of white for a spring event, why not play with a palette a bit more personalized to the occasion?

“There is definitely a traditional color palette that shifts as the seasons come and go, but we like to push our clients outside of these traditional boxes if it’s something they’re receptive to,” Zeb pondered. “People tend to feel comfortable going with what is expected: bud vases and tulips with green features in the spring, warm red tones and fall foliage for autumn, which is a beautiful place to start in decor, but that’s where we as professionals come in; trying to push the boundaries and expect the unexpected.”

“I love it when somebody comes in, whether it’s a bride who has an unusual color palette, theme, or vibe in mind, or if it’s a theme we’ve not yet tackled in the corporate world, my brain gets a workout, and I get excited. I love pushing the boundaries, I love the unexpected.”

The team at Ruby Design is always looking for ways to expand their decor knowledge and experience, finding new ways to paint a story with their inventory, learning what different color combinations can mean, and how some patterns and textures can create a whole new atmosphere and intention to an event.

“We’ve done some weddings this past season throughout Northern Wisconsin and Door County, where some venues have allowed us to run wild with our ideas, and it’s been so fun to tap into that creativity and see how we can move forward with those ideas,” Zeb glowed. “There are so many things that have come together cohesively to make a spectacular event.”

Typically, the client doesn’t see things until the finished product is set up. During weddings, the bookers are not on site while the designers work, as they have so much else to do throughout the day. For corporate parties, there might be a planner or a social media strategist on-site, but otherwise, they are absent as well. 

“We prefer to have that ability to give them a “wow” factor upon arrival. We love the big reveal moment, and the intensive work that goes into assembling everything leading up to that surprise is what we thrive on. All we want from our clients is to sit back and say, ‘That wasn’t stressful at all!’”

While the team loves the opportunity for the big reveal moment, Zeb’s previous assurance stands strong: the clients are always involved every step of the way. No designer will incorporate anything new or eye-catching without going over it with the couple or event planner first.

“With any event, whether it's a wedding, a corporate event, a holiday gathering, whatever it might be, it really is about expressing your intent and your personality, whether that be through incorporating personal items or just bringing your own personal flair to that,” Zeb smiled. “It's about trusting the professionals, such as your designers doing tablescapes, your florists flourishing the space, the chef in the kitchen… letting the people you booked really run with their tasks will often get you the most amazing outcome.”

Ready to set your table? Schedule your first consultation with Ruby Design today.

‍https://www.rubydesignevents.com/