Setting your wedding tables: A practical count for sashes, rings, and flutes

Count from your seating chart, not your guest list

Your final seating chart is the most important document for planning your reception decor. It represents the physical reality of the room, not just a list of names. Base all your counts on the number of chairs standing in the venue on the day. Even if a few guests cancel at the last minute, their empty chairs will still need a sash and a full place setting to make the room look complete. Start with a chair-by-chair count from your floor plan.

Pay special attention to tables with different numbers of seats. Your head table might be a long rectangle for eight people, while guest tables are rounds of ten. Count each one. Remember to include seats for any vendors who will be staying for the meal, like your photographer, band leader, or wedding coordinator. They will need a place setting, too. Once you have a firm number for every chair, add a small buffer. Ten spare sashes and a handful of spare rings cover the chair carried in from the lobby, the ring that goes under a table and the cousin you squeeze in on Thursday. This final, buffered number is your true quantity. Use it to calculate your orders for every decorative item at your place settings.

Dress your chairs with sashes

Chair sashes tie the room together, adding a finished look and a splash of your wedding colors. For each chair in your final count, you will need one sash. Our spandex chair sashes are designed for quick setup. They are stretchy bands that you simply slip over the top of a standard banquet chair. There is no need for tying, which can save your setup crew a significant amount of time.

Before you decide on a quantity, check the measurements of the chairs at your venue. The bow-style sashes are about 6 by 14 inches. The buckle-slider style is about 6 by 15 inches and stretches to fit chair backs up to about 19 inches wide. Knowing your chair dimensions ensures a good fit. Our sashes are available in packs of 50, 100, and 150, making it straightforward to order the amount you need based on your chair count. Consider using two different colors to create a visual focus in the room. You could use one color, like dusty blue or sage green, for all the guest chairs. Then, use a complementary color, perhaps gold or terracotta, for the chairs at the head table to make it stand out. This simple technique adds a layer of design to your reception space without much extra effort.

Add detail with napkin rings

A napkin ring is a small detail that makes a place setting feel intentional and complete. You will need one for every setting on your seating chart. Our semicircle napkin rings are made from stainless steel with either a gold or silver finish, giving you a choice of metallic accent for your tables. They measure approximately 1.89 by 1.18 inches, a size that works with both cloth napkins and the heavier paper ones. The rings come in packs of 8, 10, and 20. If your venue uses round tables that seat ten guests, ordering one 10-pack per table is an easy way to get the right number.

To prepare them, simply fold or roll your napkin and slide the ring over the center. The semicircle shape holds the napkin securely. You can also use the ring to hold other small decorative elements. Tuck a sprig of fresh rosemary or a small flower into the fold of the napkin, or slip your guest's place card partway under the ring. These personal touches add warmth to the table. After the reception, the rings are easy to care for. Just wipe them clean with a damp sponge before storing them. Because napkin rings are small, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reminds us to keep such items away from young children. Make sure any favors or small decorative pieces are placed out of reach of toddlers at your event.

Plan the flutes for your toast

The toast is a central moment in any wedding reception, so you want to be sure every guest has a glass to raise. Plan for at least one champagne flute for every guest, including those who will be drinking non-alcoholic sparkling cider. This ensures everyone can participate. If you plan to serve a sparkling wine or cocktail as guests arrive, you should plan for a second flute for each person. This allows your guests to enjoy their welcome drink without needing to hold onto that same glass until the toasts, which may happen hours later. A second flute also saves your staff from hunting down the glass a guest left on the windowsill an hour earlier.

Our plastic flutes are a practical choice for large events. The standard polystyrene flutes hold 5 ounces and come in packs of 150. They arrive as two pieces, a bowl and a base, that fit together easily. The wall is 1 mm thick. The assembled flute stands about 6.38 inches tall with a rim diameter of 2.1 inches. We also have PET flutes with a decorative rim in gold, silver, or clear. These also hold 5 ounces and come in larger packs of 200. Assembling these flutes is the job to hand to whoever turns up the day before the wedding. You can get them ready and arrange them on trays, which makes distribution quick and easy on the day itself. Place them at each setting just before the speeches are scheduled to begin.

Your wedding reception setup timeline

A good timeline turns a potentially stressful setup into a manageable project. With your decor items counted and ready, you can divide the work into phases.

The Day Before This is the time for preparation. Get your helpers together and tackle any assembly tasks.

• Assemble all your two-piece champagne flutes. Place them on large trays or back in their boxes so they are easy to transport and stay clean.
• Fold all your napkins and slide the napkin rings on. You can then stack them neatly in clean, lidded boxes, ready to be placed on the tables.

The Morning of the Wedding This is when the room itself comes together.

• The first major task is putting the sashes on the chairs. With a team of two, slipping our spandex sashes over each chair back takes about 20 to 30 seconds per chair. For 120 chairs, you can expect this to take between 30 and 60 minutes.
• Once the chairs are done, you can set the tables. Place your pre-folded napkins at each setting.

The Final Hour Just before guests are due to arrive, handle the final details.

• Bring out the trays of champagne flutes and place one at every seat.
• If you are serving chilled desserts in our mini cups, now is the time to bring them out. To keep them safe and cool, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service advises that food should not sit out for more than two hours, or one hour in temperatures above 90°F. Placing your dessert cups in larger trays filled with ice is a great way to keep them at a safe temperature below 40°F.

Planning for a bigger crowd than usual? Write to bythepack@chengustore.com and everyone at CHENGU will help you count.