Start with the people, not the photograph
A sweetheart table seats the couple separately from the wedding party. A head table brings a larger group together, often along a line of banquet tables. Neither choice is automatically better. Think about the conversations you want during dinner, where partners will sit and whether your wedding party would prefer to sit with family or friends.
Write every name assigned to the main table before choosing its length. Include partners only if they will actually sit there. This avoids ordering a long table for a group that will be seated elsewhere, or discovering that a photographed arrangement leaves someone out.
Compare the two arrangements
Swipe the table to see every column.
| Question | Sweetheart table | Head table |
|---|---|---|
| Who sits here? | The couple, with other guests at separate tables. | The named group you choose to seat together. |
| What needs measuring? | The table, both chairs, decorations and the routes around them. | The full table run, occupied chairs, end clearances and service routes. |
| What can complicate it? | A small tabletop crowded by flowers and place settings. | Ordering by normal banquet capacity when people sit on only one side. |
If you are considering a head table, show the exact seat positions on the drawing. A table’s ordinary dining arrangement may use both long sides and the ends. That count cannot simply be reused for a one-sided wedding-party arrangement.
Choose a table that supports your plan
The wood 60-inch half-round accent / sweetheart table is listed as 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep. Its shape offers a starting point for a couple’s table, but the tabletop still has to accommodate the place settings and decorations you intend to use. Share that plan when requesting it.
For a longer head table, compare the 6-foot and 8-foot rectangular table guide. Mark each tabletop separately, including joins and legs. Ask the team to review the seating arrangement rather than calculating a promised capacity from table length alone. Add the selected chairs separately to your rental list.
Measure the whole area around the table
Place the main table on the same drawing as guest seating, entrances, the dance floor and the DJ or band. Allow people to reach their seats and step away without needing nearby guests to stand every time. Ask your venue to confirm the required access and service clearances for that room.
Try a simple mock-up at home: mark the proposed tabletop footprint, place chairs behind it and sit down. Check the space with chairs occupied and pulled back. This is a planning exercise, not a substitute for venue approval, but it helps reveal a layout that looks spacious only when every chair is tucked in.
Decide the linen finish and decoration footprint
Match linens to the actual table shape, dimensions and desired drop. A half-round table does not drape exactly like a full round table of the same width. Describe which sides guests will see and ask the team to review the cover choice; do not transfer a full-round sizing recommendation without checking.
For multiple rectangular tables, decide whether each tabletop gets its own linen and where the seams will sit. Use the linen order checklist to record size, color and quantity. Keep place settings, flowers and other decoration plans on the drawing, and confirm those items separately with whoever is providing them.
Send a clear main-table request
A useful request reads: “We need seating for the couple at a separate sweetheart table, with two chairs. The venue has this much usable space. Here is our tabletop decoration plan and the linen finish we would like.” For a head table, replace that with the named seat count and a sketch showing one-sided or two-sided seating.
Central Florida Event Rentals serves Mount Dora, Eustis, Tavares, Apopka, Leesburg and Clermont. Start with our wedding rental collections and include your date, address and complete furniture list. Your quote confirms availability, services and final pricing for the arrangement you choose.