Wedding Decoration Tips: 5 Simple Ways To Fold Your Napkin

Wedding Decoration Tips: Five Simple Ways To Decorate Your Napkin

Swans, fans, goblets and pocket folds…you’ll need a course in origami for most of these traditional napkin styles!

There are however, easier ways to enhance the table decorations at your wedding reception by presenting your napkin or serviette in a more modern style.

These are simpler, less time consuming napkin ideas that are a great way of accessorizing your table design and improving the style of your wedding reception table.

1. Napkin rings

There are a vast range of napkin rings on the market available to hire from reputable linen hire, party rental or cater hire companies. The trick is to ensure that you choose a napkin ring that will compliment the theme and tone of your wedding decorations.

For a traditional wedding, you should consider a classy, silver napkin ring.

The more modern bride may opt for a crystal diamond ring and these are great if you’re partial to a bit of ‘bling’.

A simple, yet modern, coloured napkin ring is ideal for bringing in some colour especially if you can find one that compliments the accent colour of your wedding décor. Ask your linen hire wha they would recommend.

Other styles to consider include a wooden napkin ring which would be ideal for a wedding reception that incorporates a Scottish or medieval theme.

2. Napkin ribbons

With even more choice than the napkin rings, the amount of ribbon available is almost endless! You can have any colour, in any fabric, with any design!

This is a very pretty way to fold a napkin and the savvy bride can really make a statement in their table decorations.

For a voluptuous bow, you should use something like a wired satin ribbon as the wire enables you to be more flexible with the way you tie the napkin.

Organza or satin ribbon is great for a simple yet graceful knot, or you can simply cross tie it and leave the ribbon trailing. You can go one step further and take your table decorations to another level if you or your linen hire company can source a ribbon that matches the sash or bow of your chair cover.

For the bride who likes a bit of glamour, try a diamanté attached to the napkin ribbon. Your napkin will then become almost like a centerpiece for the place setting and make your wedding decorations stand out from the countless other weddings your guests will no doubt have attended.

Yet another napkin ribbon style is to use a sewn ribbon band to fold the napkin. It’s less feminine but extremely simple. Again, source a ribbon that will compliment the napkin itself or your table cloth or chair cover and sash. I would recommend a minimum ribbon width of 50mm to make this work.

3. Simply flat and folded napkin

The simple flat and folded napkin style is the simplest way to present your napkin yet it looks very effective, chic even.

First, ensure your napkins are pressed and folded twice, then fold the napkin in half and place it on the centre of your charger plate or place setting or to the left underneath your cutlery.

4. Pocket fold napkin with menu included

This is my personal favourite. It combines interest and will arouse the curiosity of your wedding reception guests by encouraging conversation as soon as they sit down at the table. It’s a fantastic ice-breaker and ideal if you’re seating guests together who may not know each other.

It’s slightly more complicated than the other methods but definitely worth the effort! Use square menus and ask your linen hire company to create a pocket for it by folding and pressing the napkin in accordance with the size of the menu.

5. Napkin with favour

Again, this can be used to arouse the curiosity of your guests who will no doubt be highly impressed with your beautiful wedding decorations.

You could use a napkin ring engraved with you and your partner’s initials and the date of your wedding. A bride once used a heart shaped trinket box to give to the female wedding guests whilst the men were presented with a malt whisky miniature tastefully hidden inside a rolled napkin and tied with ribbon.

The only limit here is your imagination but you’ll need to give careful thought to how you’ll incorporate your favour into the napkin itself.

This article was written by Marc Samuels, Director of 88 Events, Glasgow UK. 88 Events aka The Event Design Experts design and plan high-end and couture weddings so you can have your dream wedding just as you always imagined. Visit 88eventscompany.com for more info.