Saturday, August 27, 2005
Table settings
Well, so getting the site (that's the courtyard above) and caterer was fairly easy. Flowers even easier; MOTB has worked with Mimosa Florists before, so they're set. TBTB wants to use ivy leaves, and since we've tons of ivy growing in the ravine that is our backyard, that part will be easy. Not so sure about getting it to the florist five days ahead for "hardening," however--assume that means I'll be doing a lot of clipping of ivy, etc. But now we have to deal with the Other Stuff: linens, napkins, tables, chairs--all that stuff. Cristin at Dragonfly says she can take care of all that. But we feel confident we can make choices, select what we want, and so forth. So POTB set off for Triple A rental, which we hear from various sources is the best place in town.
Well, they've got A LOT OF STUFF. The show room is filled with tables, punch bowls, large metal stands to hold odd objects, candelabra, all manner of things. We're sent back to a large warehouse space where a single harried young woman gives us choices to make, clearly happy to have a break from inventorying glasses in trays. The decisions are unending: what color china? Gold band on rim or not? And given that they can't guarantee that the china won't be worn, that's a serious choice. What color linens? What kinds of glassware? What size tables? How many tables? Some parameters: gallery space, where reception will take place, is large, given that we're looking at about 60 guests. And it's to be a buffet, so we don't want sit down/large tables. It appears what we want are cabaret tables (or "cabs" for short--I'm learning a new lingo here). Fine. Cabs it is. And chairs. We can have simple folding chairs in white or black. Or very expensive little gold chairs. I push for plain white chairs. But am overruled by MTOB--the gold chairs it will be! I argue back. Finally we compromise: we'll have gold chairs for the wedding party, plain white chairs for everybody else. Serpentine tables (they curve) (and are known as 'serps') are chosen for food service. Gold rimmed plates are eventually chosen by TBTB after much emailing of photos back and forth. So there must be gold toned forks to match. There are! What a surprise!
Now a major crisis. Since TBTB has chosen ivory and ivy as The Colors, we must have ivory linens--tablecloths on the Cabs, skirts on the Serps, napkins, in ivory. But The Wedding Date is also a Big Day for Texas and Ohio State fans, as Neva, our 'consultant' informs us while filling out our order. And the ivory linens are bespoke. Triple A regrets, but there we are. Had we been more timely (and, I should have said earlier, I'm doing much of this well after the events: the Linen Crisis happened in late May)--- What to do? Neva has a thought: "T-Riffic Table Linens might have some!" She gives us directions. We rush to T-Riffic. It's hard to find. In an industrial (or post-industrial) part of town, it's in a commercial row on a minor side street that runs parallel to a major street, and is virtually invisible. Part of the access road is unpaved.
Once inside, T-Riffic is great fun. Where Triple A was warehouse style, T-Riffic is modified bordello in look. Everything is padded, plush, draped--walls, tables, even the chairs have fabric draped and tied over them. A large wedding cake sits on one table. A rack of available linen patters--some quite astounding: I should have expected stars and stripes these days, and sports-themed ones, certainly. But still startling to see them, and dizzying to image a banquet hall tricked out in them.
Theresa, the affable and helpful owner, takes our order. She has ivory linen! She'll deliver! She's our newest best friend!
Meanwhile, we've made contact with TGTB's family in Iowa. His father has only recently passed away, but the family seems to have drawn together. POTG were divorced many years ago, so TGTB has both a mother and step mother, who now live together, after his father's death; so now we have MOTG and SMOTG joining the circle. After much emailing back and forth, it emerges that both SMOTG and MOTG are dedicated practical jokers. That might make the rehearsal dinner interesting--
