Dining Linen Length

Linens are a beautiful part of your reception and they are the part most closely examined by your guests.  Here are a few things to consider as you decide what size of tablecloth to use. 

The round tables at most Wasatch Front church houses are 60 inches across.  Three tablecloth lengths to consider for these tables are (1) 120-inch which reach the floor, (2) 96-inch which reach the seat of the chair and (3) 70-inch.  Seventy-inch cloths hang five inches below the tabletop and are available at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and other department stores.

The floor-length cloths are pretty in pictures but are a nightmare for your guests.  They make it hard to move chairs in and out.  There is risk of a guest stepping on the cloth or having it catch on their clothing and unsettling your table.  They restrict the guest from stretching legs out under the table.  Floor length cloths are elegant in theory; they hide the table legs and they do look good in pictures.  Most pictures of long tablecloths don't have chairs in the picture or if they do the chairs are carefully staged for the picture because you can't see the table cloth with chairs against the table. You will rarely see photos of floor-length cloths with people seated under them, it's just awkward.    Something Borrowed has floor-length cloths in limited colors and we will gladly provide them to you if you wish.  I share my 25 years of experience with you to help you make create best reception experience for your guests.
              
I recommend a chair-length 96- inch cloth.  You will notice on our website we feature the 96-inch cloth on a smaller table so the cloth reaches the ground.  There is no question, floor-length looks better in pictures and people primarily take pictures of the dining area for sales purposes.   However, traditional pictures of your wedding don't include the dining area.   If you choose to use our longer tablecloths, please put in a special request with your photographer to photograph the area before the reception or you won't end up with dining pictures in your memory book.

The 70-inch cloths are a good choice for a dinner prior to the reception.  You will not want to use the same cloths for both.  Seventy-inch cloths are inexpensive and if they get stained at dinner, no big deal.

Watch for upcoming posts where I will address colors and sizes of layered tablecloths and things to consider with centerpieces.

Something Borrowed has been serving Utah brides for a quarter-century.  We have decorated thousands of Wasatch Front weddings.  Something Borrowed is a leader in creating the magic atmosphere you've always wanted for your wedding. When you want something magic, you want Something Borrowed.