Text size:

Top off tables with style

By Lana Bortolot | Special to amNewYork

January 30, 2007

While the wedding dress is a personal expression of the bride, the reception tabletop has become a way for newlyweds to express themselves as a couple.

White linens and conventional settings may work at a country club, but increasingly, what one designer calls "mini scenarios" are important design elements of a reception.

"I try to keep things really simple and find interesting ways to address the finer points," says Vanessa Baran, an East Village-based stylist who specializes in floral applications. "If I have to use one color, I'll use different flowers to break up the texture and profile."

She recommends incorporating unexpected elements in traditional arrangements such as swirls of fine gold threading in a bunches of peonies.

"Even adding organza overlays to white tablecloths gives transparency and looks more dramatic," she says.

Westchester-based caterer and stylist Nisa Lee, whose clients have included Vanessa Williams and Marcia Gay Harden, often breaks up a traditional table with shapes and color.

"We often fold napkins to hold party favors, so it's a more inviting setting," says Lee, adding, "It's a great ice-breaker at the table."

She also likes mixing up the styles, shapes, sizes and color of glassware.

One thing most designers agree on: Centerpieces meant to impress by height or volume are a thing of the past. What's in? Elegant designs that foster intimacy and conversation among guests.

Katrina Parris Pinn, a florist and stylist who counts Harlem neighbor Bill Clinton among her clients, describes her style as "simple, elegant, distinctive," often mixing sculptural and exotic elements such as pussywillow branches and hand-tied cymbidium orchids, or incorporating wires and Swarovski crystals.

Another tip: "Colored water in flower vases and interior leaf wraps make the vase itself become part of the artistry," she says.