How to DIY Sweetheart Table Floral Decor
Your sweetheart table is the focal decor of your wedding reception. It's where you and your partner will celebrate your newfound union with friends and family. The floral arrangements for there will inform the overall theme for the other decorations at your reception. So, if you want to make your sweetheart table decor as special as possible, why not create it yourself? You'll be surprised how simple it can be with Ling's Moment guiding your journey.
Today, we're here to show you how to make this DIY wedding sweetheart table decor using Ling's Moment flowers and greenery. You can recreate this DIY sweetheart table idea as shown or use it to inspire your design. Feel free to invite friends and family along to aid in your design process.
Are you short on time for your wedding day? Have a look at our Ready-to-Use Sweetheart Table Decor Collection. Our vintage-inspired color palettes and elegant designs are an excellent way to elevate your wedding reception with minimal time and effort.
Without further ado, here is how to make a sweetheart table arrangement step by step.
What you’ll need:
To bring this elegant sweetheart table idea to life, you’ll need:
- 1 Roll green floral tubing
- 2 Half dome crafting bases
- 1 Sheet of cardboard
- Floral mud
- Pliers
- Wire cutters
- Hot glue gun
- Wire ties
- Your creative spirit
These materials will create one table centerpiece and two free-standing floral arrangements. Ling's designer flower boxes contain multiple flower types curated with colors inspired by the four seasons. Using them in tandem with roses can bring variety to your design and give you a cohesive color palette to start with. We used a Dusty Rose and Navy designer box set for our design, but you can use any color scheme you like.
Choose roses that complement your main color scheme to elevate your design. We chose warm taupe and nude, but Ling's foundational roses come in 50+ nature-inspired colors suitable for any wedding palette. Feel free to mix and match them to create a custom color palette that's uniquely "you."
How to DIY Wedding sweetheart Table Decor:
Step 1: Prepare your greenery base
Let’s start by creating the floral centerpiece for your sweetheart table.
Begin by unboxing your greenery garland and cutting it in half with your wire cutters. Now, you should have 2 pieces of garland approximately 3.25 ft long.
Cut one piece of your greenery garland in half again, creating two more half pieces.
Now, cut the other piece into 5 small pieces of differing lengths. Don't worry about making the cuts all perfect. Having differing lengths can add interest to your design.
Step 2: Create the greenery base
Now that you’re prepared your greenery, let’s assemble the pieces.
Take the two longest pieces of your greenery garland and tie them together using an iron wire. Make sure that their ends face outward, so that the parts you cut earlier meet in the middle.
Now, let's add the 5 smaller garland pieces to the main garland. Cut small pieces of green floral tubing and hot glue them to the center of the main garland. Insert the smaller pieces into the tubing one by one. The hot glue should ensure they stay secure.
Now, you have a finished greenery base waiting for your creative expression!
Step 3: Prepare your greenery base for flowers
Let’s prepare your greenery base for flowers.
Begin by tying 7-8 iron wires to the center of the garland. Use your pliers to wrap them around the greenery, then cut off the excess. This should leave a small branch of wire for you to attach your flowers.
Bend the wires apart, then reinforce them with hot glue. Attach floral tubing to the wires. This will allow you to insert flowers as you did with the 5 small greenery branches. The floral tubing will also hide any sharp wire edges, which will protect your hands during setup and cleanup.
Step 4: Add flowers to your design
Now comes the fun part–adding the flowers to your design!
Begin by placing the largest, or your favorite, flower in the center. Surround this flower, one by one, with more flowers to form a diamond-shaped arrangement.
Alternate using roses and other flowers from your designer box set. This is where you have the opportunity to express yourself and customize the design to your heart’s content. If you don’t like the way you’ve placed a certain flower, you can always remove and reattach it to another part of your floral arrangement.
Once you’re happy with the main arrangement, add 2-3 smaller flowers to the edges of your design. This will help draw the eye towards the center of the flower swag. Keep going until you’re satisfied with the overall design.
Now, you have an elegant floral swag ready for your sweetheart table!
Step 5: Create the free-standing base
Now, let’s make two free-standing floral arrangements to go at the base of your sweetheart table.
First, take a piece of flower mud and cut it to fit your half-dome base. We’re using a base that has small holes throughout the surface, which will allow us to insert greenery and flowers into the flower mud.
Once you've cut the flower mud, take a piece of cardboard and cut it to cover the bottom of the base. Glue the cardboard to the bottom of the base with hot glue. This will keep the flower mud secure inside.
Tip: If you can’t find a half-dome base at a crafting store, you could also insert your flower mud into a decorative pot or vase.
Step 6: Add greenery to the base
With your base finished, Let’s begin building your floral arrangement.
Cut individual branches of greenery from your greenery spray, then insert them one by one into the base. Insert your largest branches into the center, and surround it with smaller cuttings. This will give your design a natural look, as the greenery will appear to radiate outward from the center.
Step 7: Add flowers to your design
We're almost finished! Now, it's time to add flowers to your soon-to-be masterpiece.
Insert flowers one by one into the base, the same way you did with the greenery. Ling's Moment flowers come with long wire stems, which you can use to bring height to your arrangement.
Try to concentrate flowers towards the base of your design. This will help draw the eye upwards and help you conceal the base. When you’re happy, add a final layer of hot glue to the base to keep your design secure.
Repeat steps 5-7 to create another free-standing floral arrangement. Now, you'll have two beautiful floral decorations that you can set on either side of your sweetheart table–one for you and one for your partner.
All Finished!
Congratulations! You've just completed your very own DIY sweetheart table decor. Now your wedding reception will be even more special with floral arrangements that you handcrafted with love and flowers.
A few extras for your DIY sweetheart table
Looking to add a little razzle-dazzle? Here are a few things you can do to take your sweetheart table decor up another notch:
- Table cloth. A tablecloth in your wedding color palette or theme is an easy and quick way to transform your sweetheart table.
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Floral swag. Technically, a swag is just a cluster or bunching of something. When we're talking about sweetheart table decor, a swag is usually made of greenery or flowers.
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Signage. Small signs with newlyweds names, wedding hashtags, or a warm greeting are trending. Add one to your sweetheart table to customize the look.
Your DIY Sweetheart Table FAQ
Sweetheart vs. head vs. king table: What's the difference?
If you've been digging around on the internet, trying to learn how to make a sweetheart table arrangement, you've likely come across these two terms: king's table and head table. Who knew there were so many options for newlywed dinner seating?
Don't worry, the differences between a sweetheart, head, or king’s table are simple.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
What is a sweetheart table?
A sweetheart table keeps it simple, with only enough seating for the newly married couple. When deciding between sweetheart, head, or king's table options, this is the most popular. You may have heard that, despite it being your literal wedding day, you won't get much time with your new spouse between friends, family, and festivities. This is especially true at the reception, with so many guests to talk to, pictures to take, and gifts to open.
A sweetheart table allows the couple to steal small moments alone, making it the most intimate and, in some ways, most romantic reception table option.
What is a head table at a wedding?
A head table has seating for the newlyweds plus their wedding party.
The usual head table seating chart has bridesmaids on the left of the couple and groomsmen on the right. Being surrounded by the love and support of your wedding party is a clear advantage of this reception table option.
What is a king's table?
So the sweetheart table includes just the newly married couple, and the head table is the couple and their wedding party. A king's table includes the newlyweds and their wedding party, along with the dates/ plus ones of the wedding party. Often, a 'plus one' might be swapped for parents or family members not in the wedding party.
Where does the bride sit at a sweetheart table?
Following tradition, the bride sits on the left with the groom to her right.
Of course, you should sit in whatever way makes sense for your reception. (Especially if your wedding involves two brides — or none at all.) Since only the newlyweds are at the sweetheart table, this change is easy to execute and, honestly, hard to notice.
Does the sweetheart table need a backdrop?
A sweetheart table doesn’t need a backdrop. The couple themselves are enough to look at! Of course, if you want a backdrop behind your sweetheart's reception table, there are many options, from flower walls to banners, curtains, or string lights.
How do you attach a floral swag to a table?
Have you ever been scrolling through bridal inspiration online and seen an image of floral swag seemingly floating on a table and thought, “How on earth do they do that?”
You'd be surprised by how simple it is! Many of the items you'd use to attach floral swag to a table can be found online or at most craft stores.
- Boutonniere pins. These are an especially strong type of craft pin. Boutonniere pins can be used to attach lightweight floral swag to your sweetheart table. You can also use twine to string greenery through the pins.
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Bind wire. Also called jewelry-making wire, this is another simple-to-use and inexpensive option that won't damage your floral swag.
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Command hooks. Is there anything you can't do with a set of these babies? Just be aware that if you're not using a tablecloth or protectant, the adhesive on the back of the hooks may stick or cause damage.
