Design
A long table or round tables? Choosing your reception layout
The shape of your tables changes how the evening sounds and feels. A practical comparison with guest counts, room sizes and the conversations each layout creates.

Table shape is one of the first design choices we make, because it decides the room plan, the florals and how guests talk to each other.
Long tables
Long tables feel like a family dinner. They fit narrow rooms and gardens, and they let you run one continuous line of florals and candles. Guests mostly talk to their neighbours.
Round tables
Rounds of eight to ten make it easy to seat groups that know each other. They need more floor space and suit a dance floor in the middle of the room.
Mix them. One long head table with rounds around it often gives you the best of both.Fete studio note
Planning something of your own? We would love to hear about it.
Keep reading
More from the journal

How to build a wedding timeline that guests never notice
A good timeline is invisible. Here is how we plan the hours between the ceremony and the last dance so nobody waits, rushes or wonders what happens next.

Seven questions to ask every venue before you book
Curfews, wet weather plans and the real number of seated guests. The questions we ask on every site visit, and why they matter more than the view.

Real celebration: a fortieth by candlelight
Ninety candles, one long table and a surprise string trio. How we turned a townhouse into a dinner party for thirty-two friends.