How to select the perfect linen for your next event

Every event starts to come together when the small details properly line up. A great event planner is going to have foresight based on experience and good taste to make sure those details line up with your needs and goals. This is especially helpful for busy professionals who don’t want to spend a lot of time on the minute aspects of their upcoming event, but do want every detail carefully considered.

It doesn’t matter if you are planning a major fundraising gala or your own wedding, event planning can be overwhelming and time consuming. Linens, for example, can have a dramatic effect on an event space. This small detail is often overlooked, but the right linen can make a big difference in the overall look and feel of your event. Here are just a few of our tips for selecting the perfect linen for your event.

Consider the Season
First of all, colors and linen types should be chosen according to the time of year that your event falls into. If you have a wedding planner or event planner, you will probably already have a color scheme picked out to match the season. You will want to make sure your fabrics match in style as much as they do in color.

• Fall styles might include natural and rustic textures
• Spring or summer events work well with light, vintage or romantic fabrics, like lace and linen
• Winter often works well as a season for heavy patterns or even bright, cold whites in a range of thick and smooth fabric types

Plan for Time of Day
Lighting is going to be a key element for choosing the perfect linen selection. If you are planning an evening event, then your lighting will likely be lower and you will want a lighter fabric in your venue. If you are having a day time event with natural lighting, you have a lot more flexibility in the color range of fabrics you use. Always check your fabrics in the lighting that they will actually be seen in. A fabric that looks fantastic in sunlight may look yellowed or bluish in your artificial event lighting.

Work With Color and Pattern
You will find that most of the time, you are spending money on the fabric type and not the color. That being said, most clients do better when they choose a colorful linen only as an accent. It is important not to overwhelm the space with too much pattern. A nice, textured tablecloth in a relatively neutral color can make a great base, while color and pattern is added through napkins, table arrangements and other small details. If the table linens get too loud with pattern or color, the tablescape might get lost.
At the end of the day, you want to really enjoy your event. Make sure you get the right professional planner to keep your wants and needs in mind with every little detail along the way.