44 Lovely Place Settings to Inspire Your Wedding Reception Tables

Once you’ve narrowed down your venue and made decisions on your ceremony details, it’s all about your reception. And if you’re planning to host a dinner, chances are, a gorgeous tablescape is a must-have on your list.

Everything from unique centerpieces to table runners can enhance the look of your wedding day dinner table. But there’s one other crucial piece that will complete the look: place settings. You can customize your reception table place settings to beautifully match your wedding style, whether you’re opting to keep things simple, going for glam, channeling a boho vibe, or any other aesthetic. There are so many options to include personalized details and make the dining experience that much more special for your guests.

Ready to find the reception table inspiration you’ve been searching for? Read on for 44 wedding place settings for any style.

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Channel a Destination

Italian inspired place setting — Photo by Valorie Darling

Are you planning a destination wedding or channeling a specific location and incorporating inspiration stateside? Start with a patterned plate that reminds you of a specific locale and build off of it from there. We love the Mediterranean Sea blue included in this setup!

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Use Textured Plates

pink and gold place setting — Photo by stepan vrzala

One of the best ways to enhance a place setting right off the bat is to consider your plates. Ditch flat, plain plates and opt for something with plenty of texture for a beautiful look.

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Wow With Watercolor

watercolor place setting — Photo by roberta facchini photography

Channel your love for watercolor to put together a lovely table. This setting incorporated clear plates with gold detailing for a metallic touch. Thanks to the clear plates though, it made the watercolor menu the star of the show.

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Play With Plenty of Layers

blue coastal place setting — Photo by ryan ray

Make a statement with plenty of layers. This stunning setting started with a neutral charger, a pastel blue plate, plus two other dishes on top. It was beautifully tied together with ocean-inspired napkins and place cards.

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Showcase the Southwest

cactus place setting — PHOTO BY RYAN HORBAN

Channel your love for the Southwest and put together a fun, casual table. This setting was incredibly inviting for a family-style meal, complete with patterned napkins, a cactus-painted menu, and a custom leather place card.

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Make Colors Pop

blue place setting — PHOTO BY REBECCA YALE PHOTOGRAPHY

There's nothing wrong with choosing bold colors, from your tablecloth to your table runners. And even with a similar shade, you can make your plate settings pop with a clear plate and a bold ribbon.

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Add Natural Touches

place setting with rocks — PHOTO BY NICOLE LEEVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Hoping to set a beautiful table inspired by nature? Keep your choices for plates, napkins, and silverware simple. Dress each setting up with a rock you found with your partner. Bonus points if you turn them into place cards!

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Place a Floral Crown

place setting with floral crown — PHOTO BY MIKE RADFORD

While this floral crown was a surprise at a place setting for a flower girl, the same concept could be repeated for a larger group. Consider adding a decorative crown for guests to put on for dinner.

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Gift a Candle

place setting with candle — PHOTO BY MERAKI WEDDING PHOTO & FILM

Why not offer favors at the dinner table? This beautiful table featuring plenty of eucalyptus running end to end was dressed up with simple white place settings, bespoke candles, and a charming bundle of flowers at each chair.

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Opt for Rustic

rustic place setting — PHOTO BY MIKE LARSON

If you're hosting a rustic-inspired wedding, you may want to keep things simple. This table featured an organic table runner with place settings to match. A frayed napkin, brown-handled silverware, and a few sprigs of wood tied it all together.

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Customize With a Wax Seal

place setting with wax seal — PHOTO BY MASHAIDA CO. AND LEA BREMICKER

The contrast of black and clear plates, along with a subtle striped napkin, make this place setting pop. But it's the custom wax seal on every bespoke place card that makes it all the more special.

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Make It Golden With Leaves

place setting with gold leaves — PHOTO BY REBECCA YALE PHOTOGRAPHY

An easy way to add a touch of gold to your place settings? Choose a gold charger with a pattern, such as stunning leaves, to really make a statement as this display did. We love the way one sprig of greenery to match a larger centerpiece tied it all together.

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Look to Neutral Texture

macrame place setting — PHOTO BY LAURKEN KENDALL

This place setting is all about plenty of texture in the most beautiful way. Consider incorporating macramé at each setting as the ideal base to pair with a textured linen napkin.

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Embrace Earth Tones

boho place setting — PHOTO BY LAURKEN KENDALL

If you're planning a boho wedding, why not incorporate plenty of Earth tones into each place setting. Select a neutral charger, a simple white plate, and dress it all up with velvet and sprigs of dried grasses and blooms for a lovely look.

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Keep It Simple

greenery place setting — PHOTO BY KRISTINA ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY

There's elegance in simplicity, and this design proves it. Stick to a simple place setting for each guest with all of the essentials. Dress it up with a single sprig of greenery for a hint of natural color.

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Play With a Pattern

place setting with bold napkin — PHOTO BY KINDRED WEDDING STORYTELLERS

Want just a hint of bold color? Incorporate it by using a patterned fabric. This is such a fun way to finish off a place setting for each guest.

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Go Neutral

earth tone place setting — PHOTO BY KAITY BRAWLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Not interested in plenty of contrast or vibrant color? Stick to a neutral color scheme and add layers for interest. This setting incorporated two different sized plates in the same hue, along with a subtle linen and natural bone flatware.

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Include an Orchid

orchid place setting — PHOTO BY HUGO COELHO

If you're opting for a moodier aesthetic, a dark napkin is sure to fit the bill. A deep-hued menu? A beautiful touch as well. But what final detail tied this look together? A fresh orchid to really make each setting pop.

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Showcase Seashells

place setting with sea shell — PHOTO BY HEATHER WARAKSA

Put together table settings for a beachfront wedding by incorporating natural elements. We love the deep blue napkin incorporated into this place setting with an illustrated menu. It provided the perfect backdrop to showcase beautifully calligraphed seashell place cards.

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Place Baby's Breath

baby's breath place setting — PHOTO BY DU SOLEIL PHOTOGRAPHIE

Baby's breath is the perfect way to add a touch of life to each place setting. We love the black and white color scheme set up here, with just a hint of gold tied into the mix and dainty blooms to finish it off.

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Customize a Linen Menu

place setting with custom napkin — PHOTO BY CINZIA BRUSCHINI

Imagine your guests sitting down to a beautifully adorned table, with a bespoke linen menu at each chair. We love the details of branches with berries along with napkins tied with ribbon. But it's the fabric menu that really takes this look to a whole new level.

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Include a Single Bright Bloom

vibrant floral place setting — PHOTO BY HANNAH COSTELLO

Love a wildflower look? Bring it into your tablescape. Lay the groundwork with a wooden charger paired with beautifully designed menus. Top it all off with a rust-colored napkin tied in a knot and a single bright bloom to make a statement.

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Display a Custom Cookie

place setting with cookie — PHOTO BY ATMOSPHERE FOTOGRAFIA

Why not kick off dinner with something sweet? This place setting utilized beautiful china and white linens, but it's the custom cookie on top that made it that much more special. Plus, with such a stunning cookie, the design just enhanced the place setting even further.

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Channel Harvest Vibes

autumn place setting — PHOTO BY CASSIDY CARSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Create a rustic-meets-elegant vibe with a tasteful place setting. This look used gorgeous gold chargers as the perfect base to make a beautifully designed menu and a strand of tied wheat really stand out. To make it even more charming, place cards were tucked into artichokes to embrace a freshly harvested look.

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Include a Handwritten Note

place setting with handwritten note — PHOTO BY CLARKIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Thank your guests for joining you for dinner right at the table! Create an elaborate place setting or go with a simple choice, and then add your note right on top for a special touch.

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Take It to the Tropics

tropical place setting — Photo by O'Malley Photographers

If you're planning bold centerpieces, let them do all the talking. Keep your place settings simple so they don't detract too much, like this tropical-inspired setup with a leaf as the base, a wicker charger, and a plain white plate.

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Go for Greenery

Greenery is one of the simplest and most beautiful ways to dress up a place setting. Set a romantic table with gauzy linens and candlesticks, and incorporate white plates at each place setting to pop against a white table. Add a few sprigs of greenery to finish it off.

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Top With Bread

place setting with bread — Photo by Melissa Oholendt

With adorable baguettes like these, why not show them off? While this place setting was intentionally kept simple and elegant with clear glassware, it was dressed up in the most charming way with a sprig of rosemary and a bit of bread.

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Feature Your Monogram

monogram place setting — Photo by Lucy Cuneo

Ready to show off your new monogram as a married couple? Use dinner as the perfect opportunity! Have your monogram embroidered on napkins and allow it to make a statement against white and gold plates.

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Choose a Vibrant Palette

colorful patterned place setting — PHOTO BY REBECCA YALE PHOTOGRAPHY

If you're opting for a vibrant color palette, make your place settings follow suit! This place setting was the perfect mix of tropical meets contemporary with beautifully patterned napkins, colored glassware, white-handled silverware, and a modern-inspired menu design.

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Play With Pastel Blue

blue patterned place setting — Photo by Lauren Fair

Want to incorporate something blue into your reception? Choose patterned blue china to pop against otherwise white plates and chargers.

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Use a Leaf

tropical leaf place setting — Photo by Lauren Fair

Bring a tropical touch to each place setting at your seaside wedding. Set a rattan placemat for a natural base, add a white plate, and wrap it with a leaf. Your guests' names will be sure to stand out in the most unique way.

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Flaunt Floral Patterns

floral pattern place setting — Photo by Kurt Boomer

Hoping to balance between rustic, colorful, and sophisticated? This look pulls it off flawlessly with a wicker charger and formal china dressed up with stunning floral plates and linens, plus bone-handled flatware.

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Exude Elegance

elegant place setting — Photo by kt merry

Keep your settings entirely elegant for your dinner party. Incorporate a white plate with a beautiful pattern, paired with simple flatware. To tie it all together? Choose custom embroidered napkins with a simple hue and add subtle colored glassware for the most enchanting look.

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Include Cactus

Embrace a Southwestern vibe with cactus in the mix. A beautifully colored plate is a great choice, but incorporating cactus pads at each setting really makes a unique boho statement.

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Personalize Napkins

custom napkin place setting — Photo by joel serrato

The color incorporated into this place setting is absolutely stunning on its own. But it was made that much more special by having each guest's name added to the napkins for a personalized touch.

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Make It Modern

Take your tablescape to the tropics, but make it entirely modern. This place setting utilized gold-edged plates with a patterned napkin to stick to the color scheme. And to make the look that much more chic, black-handled gold flatware was beautifully displayed.

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Look to European Inspiration

european place setting — Photo by Catherine Guidry

Hoping to bring a bit of European flair to your tables? Play with patterns! This setting started with blue floral chargers, custom linens napkins, and a scripted menu. To top it all off, mini baguettes served as place cards featuring names wrapped in twine.

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Tie a Bow

place setting with a bow — COURTESY OF BILL HANSEN CATERING; DESIGN BY GLDN EVENTS AND RENNY & REED

Set a formal table, but add a uniquely charming touch. This place setting featured a black ribbon bow to tie the entirely chic look together.

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Embrace Autumn

Embrace autumn with the most stunning place settings. Start with a copper charger and dress it up with a linen napkin, beautifully hued menu, and two dainty feathers.

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Use Tropical Leaves

tropical leaf place settings — Photo by Ashley Jensen

Embrace a tropical locale and bring flora into the mix. These place settings started with simple white plates but were cleverly dressed up for the occasion with tropical green leaves for added interest.

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Go for Glam

black and gold place setting — Photo by charla storey

Stick to a glam theme with plenty of black plates, black and gold flatware, and even black and gold place cards. But incorporate just a hint of a rustic vibe by including a neutral table runner and printed menus to match.

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Raise a Glass

glassware table setting — PHOTO BY OLIVIA & DAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Ready to raise a toast? This place setting was simple and rustic, with an unexpected touch. Custom embroidered linen napkins were tied with a string and then topped with glassware for a unique spin on traditional placement.

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Commission Art Pieces

handmade watercolor plates — Photo by Carmen Santorelli Photography

Not interested in a multi-plate setup? Keep your settings simple, but dress them up with color instead. Consider incorporating handmade plates for a splash of color to make your dinner that much more special.

How to Choose the Right Wedding Reception Tables