Bright Settings Blog

Memorial Day Picnic

Ella Beyer — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:00:52 +0000

My mother has six sisters, and all of my aunts had several children. My mother and father had four, so our family reunions are attended by a fair amount of people. We always have a Memorial Day picnic, and aunts, uncles, cousins and grandchildren come from all over the country for it. One of my aunts owns a t-shirt printing shop, and she always provides everyone with a personalized t-shirt that lists the name of the family, the date and year of the picnic and includes a cute graphic.

The picnic is always held in my hometown. I was born and raised here, and my parents and grandparents have lived here all of their lives. I was recently married in the apple orchard behind the farmhouse that my grandparents bought in 1959. The wedding took place in the spring when all of the trees were in full blossom, and it was a beautiful ceremony. I loved the idea of getting married in the place where my grandparents had started their lives together. Since I’m the oldest out of all of my cousins and siblings, I was the first to get married, but we’ve got several more family weddings coming up soon, and they will all take place in the orchard.

Our Memorial Day family picnics have always been held in the meadow next to the orchard by my grandparents’ place. Early last spring, my grandparents went on a cruise to Mexico, and their house caught on fire while they were gone. Most of the house survived without much damage, but my grandmother’s cherished sewing room was destroyed. She also used this room to store her linen collection that she inherited from her great-grandmother. It was all lovely stuff, and we always used it on the tables when we had our annual Memorial Day picnic.

This year, I’m in charge of planning and organizing the picnic. The farmhouse is in the process of being restored after the fire, and I’ve bought new linens as well as other items to use for the picnic. The linens that belonged to my ancestor will be missed, but I’ll be starting a new tradition with the ones that I recently bought. I’m expecting our first child in the fall, and I found out three days ago that it will be a girl. I’ll be passing these linens down to her when the time comes. I know that someday she’ll be in charge of the Memorial Day picnic and that she’ll be married in the apple orchard.

Unique Wedding Table Arrangements

Mary Meester — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:32 +0000

Most brides desire to have a memorable wedding reception that manages to be trendy and traditional at the same time. This can understandably be difficult to attain. While I was planning my wedding, I troubled over the best way to make guests feel comfortable and welcome, yet give them an event that they would remember for years to come. My now-husband and I both wanted a traditional reception, but felt that in choosing to do so, the event would seem stale and mundane.

I have been to some weddings over the years with over-the-top receptions that definitely stood out. One reception took place in a barn, and guests were made to sit and eat on bales of hay. Another reception was held in an art gallery where guests were served pie and hot coffee rather than cake and champagne. Yet another reception actually took place during the wedding, with guests being served food and drink while the couple took their vows.

These weddings were certainly memorable, but they didn’t offer the traditional touches that many brides feel are so important on that special day. However, when I thought back to other receptions I had attended over the years, I could scarcely remember any of them. In the end, we decided that the smallest touches would be the ones that would make our wedding stand out, starting with the wedding table arrangements.

Table linens for receptions are often white or ivory. However, the use of other colored linens is rising in popularity and can really transform a small space into something lovely. Even more outstanding is to have tablecloths screen printed with the date of the wedding and the name of the couple. We loved this idea, as it both provided us with unique decor and also started a long-standing tradition. Each year on our anniversary, we can unfold one of the screen printed tablecloths and have our meal as we remember that special day.

Another way we chose to have unique reception tables was to forego the typical centerpieces for more unique choices. Rather than using a carefully hand-crafted floral bouquets, we purchased miniature rose bushes. After the wedding, we gave each of our mothers their own rose bushes and planted the rest in our new yard. Because of the choices we made while planning our wedding, we not only created a reception that our guests would always remember, but also managed to allow our wedding day to stay with us every day.

Mother’s Day Picnic

Mary Meester — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:48 +0000

Mother’s Day offers opportunities for each and every one of us to demonstrate affection for the woman who cares so much for us each and every day of the year. While presents on Mother’s Day are always appreciated, what most moms want is the gift of time spent with their sons and daughters.

Since Mother’s Day arrives in the bloom of spring, one of the best ways to let Mom know how much you care is to prepare and share a meal together in the great outdoors. To make Mom feel special and pampered, however, it’s a good idea to serve the meal on a special picnic table set just for her. Mom will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

It’s not necessary to spend hours slaving over the stove either. In fact, preparing most of the food beforehand lets everyone relax and enjoy Mom’s special day together. To keep the mood light and festive, set the table with a pretty tablecloth adorned with bunches of flowers placed in jam jars, and then carry out the food packed up in a picnic basket. Place a few well-chilled water bottles in the picnic basket to keep the food chilled. You’ll create the atmosphere of a spring picnic without Mom having to endure the discomfort of eating on the ground.

Rather than fixing an elaborate meal, choose foods that help keep the conversation flowing. Bite-sized vegetables served with a few dips are a good idea. Mom will get a kick out of sandwiches wrapped like presents in waxed paper. Place bows on the sandwiches to match the flowers, tablecloth and napkins, trim them with Mother’s Day stickers, and you’ll have all the table decorations you need. Fruits served in ice cream cones topped with whipped cream make a fun dessert.

This Mother’s Day, give Mom the gift that she wants most: time spent with you. With a little planning and preparation, you can surprise Mom with a festive meal outdoors that won’t take one minute away from the time that you spend with her.

10 Uses for Your Tablecloth

Jinnie Templin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:06:04 +0000

For April Fool’s Day, we wanted to give you 10 (unconventional) uses for your table linens.

1. Make a Cape

Take two corners of your tablecloth and drape the rest of it down your back and across your shoulders. Grab the corners and pull them together in front of you, across your chest. Tie the corners together loosely so the table linen hangs like a cape. If you’re using a lighter-weight table linen and you’re lucky, maybe it will flutter when you run around your home going about your daily business!

2. Wear a Toga

Whether you’re in to the rhetorical stylings of Aristotle or want to relive your college Animal House days (we’re sure you were never THAT outrageous…), you can use a tablecloth to make a toga. Just substitute WikiHow’s idea of a bed sheet with one of our tablecloths, and you’re set!

3. Do Magic Tricks

Have you ever seen someone pull a tablecloth out from a formally set table without knocking anything over? Yeah, well, me neither, but you could be the first! If you do succeed, send us a video, because we’d all love to witness your mastered talents! You could also consider making a rabbit disappear… or, if you order a large enough tablecloth, maybe you can make all of your work on your desk disappear. It’s gotta be worth a shot, right?

4. Become a Matador

Use our tablecloths to herd your guests to the table! Lucky for you, we have a variety of fabrics that come in an array of luscious reds!

5. Wrap a Present and be Eco-friendly

Green is the new black. Instead of wasting paper and killing the environment when you wrap your gifts, use a tablecloth or napkin, that way your friends and family can reuse the “paper”! Look at you! How clever and thoughtful!

6. Build a Fort

If you’ve never built a fort, either as a kid or with your own kids, you’re really missing out. The bigger the tablecloth is, the better. Just drape your table linens over lamps (make sure they’re off), tables, couches, chairs, and anything else you can find in your house.

7. Scoop Up Your Laundry

Have messy kids or a disorganized spouse? Use a tablecloth to scoop up all the dirty laundry on the floor. Just lay the tablecloth on the floor or bed and throw all of the dirty laundry into the center. Then, pick up each of the corners, scrunch the tops and sides together and transport the mound to the washing machine. Problem solved. It’s even more convenient if you have to wash the tablecloth anyway, too!

8. Put on a Play

Use the tablecloth as a call curtain. Not only will your guests be astounded by your resourcefulness, but they’ll also enjoy the entertainment.

9. Go Parachuting

Is the stress of your next big event driving you crazy enough to want to do something new and exciting? Use one of our tablecloths as a parachute, and save yourself the cost of hiring a professional teacher. *Note: We don’t actually recommend this. While we love our products, and we believe they’re reliable, THIS is not. *

10. Draw a Picture

Sometimes people mistake our table linens for paper anyway, so you might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Pieces of paper don’t usually come as big as our tablecloths so you’re really getting quite a unique deal. Whether you’re expressing your vast creativity or scribbling idly, waiting for a speaker to finish their presentation, using the tablecloth as a giant pad of paper is sure to entertain! Feel free to read our blog on laundering. You’ll need ideas for how to wash the tablecloth later, but we make no guarantees… especially if you’re using marker.

Happy April, everyone!

Table Talk

Jinnie Templin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:48:30 +0000

I’m a 20-something living in an English Basement apartment with a friend from college. Our home furnishings are a mash-up of our families’ hand-me-downs, Craigslist finds, and IKEA furniture. I spend my days researching, reading, and writing about tablecloths, table settings, seating arrangements, centerpieces, and it’s left me with a longing feeling.

When I was growing up, my family made a pretty good effort to eat dinner together, at the table, at least a few nights a week. We were all busy with various activities, but eating dinner together was something we all seemed to enjoy. It was the one time a day where we were all in the same place at the same time, and we had some pretty amazing (and some pretty ridiculous) conversations around our table. In fact, a lot of my memories of my family are from conversations we had around the dinner table.

Now that I’m older and living away from my family, I realize how much I miss those times. My “dinner table” in my apartment doubles as my desk, and we rarely eat off of it, unless you count scarfing down lunch in front of my e-mail. Meal times now are generally spent in front of the TV, vegging out after a long day of work. When I’m lucky enough to have company for dinner, we usually sit on the couch or stand in the kitchen.

You really don’t realize how much you appreciate something until it’s gone. Lucky for me, I had this particular realization very early in life, and it’s definitely something I’m going to change. When I get my own apartment or house and start a family, I’m going to make an effort to have family dinner around the table. I’ll promise to change my tablecloth and table linens for each new season, and I’ll respect my table as more than just a chunk of wood. My dinner table will be both a piece of art, and a gathering place for my family to converse and bond.

I think it’s good to have goals, and I’m definitely making a family-friendly dinner table one of mine.

Guests and Their Seat

Jinnie Templin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:00:57 +0000

Above, the Social Tables drag-and-drop seating chart app streamlines the arduous seating plan process, and saves you a ton of time.

For this post, we’ve teamed up with Social Tables, a web-based event planning platform that makes event planning less stressful by streamlining the arduous seating plan process. Julia and I wanted to combine efforts and give you the best tips we could think of for planning your wedding reception tables and seating. Check out the tips we’ve got for you!

For your seating plan:

1) Make it easy for guests to find their seat! There are many creative options for escort cards and place cards, but make sure they are easy to spot and easy to read. One of our favorites was seen at Amy Smart’s wedding and another for the wine lovers.

2) Give the guests some breathing room. It might be better to make the floral arrangements a little smaller so the guests see each other. Also, consider using a 5.5′ round instead of the standard 5′ to seat 8 guests and a 6′ round to seat 9 guests.

3) For the head table, traditionally the Groom is seated to the right of the Bride and guests are alternated female-male. Some couples are switching this up and making a “Sweetheart’s Table” with just the two of them instead. Also, make the head table stand out by adding different floral or a great backdrop.

4) Seat the elderly, pregnant or those with small children near the exit/bathrooms. Also, seating the elderly or hard of hearing near where the speeches will be is advisable.

5) Seat husbands and wives next to each other at a round table and across from each other at a rectangular table. Long-form tables are on the rise for trendy couples! Such as the elegant table shown above.

For your tablescape:

1. There’s nothing wrong with white, it is a wedding after all, but don’t be afraid to ask your venue if they have colored linens. Bold color combinations can really set your décor apart and leave a lasting impression on your guests. If you’re ordering your own linens, order sample swatches and mix and match until you find the right color combination.

2. Do something different with your napkins. There are hundreds of different folds (here are some to get your started) and countless positioning arrangements beyond the generic rectangular fold placed to the left of the plate. Experiment and pick a combination that fits your personality.

3. Think about how you want your tablecloths to hang, and order your tablecloths accordingly. If you’re trying to cover up a folding table, maybe you want the tablecloth to drop to the floor. If you’re using chairs with arms, a long hanging tablecloth may get in the way, so a shorter drop may be the best option.

4. Layered linens can add depth to your tablescape. Consider a combination of solids and sheers, placing a smaller square tablecloth on top of a low hanging round cloth, or laying a round tablecloth on top of a square or rectangular cloth. There are endless simple combinations of layers to take your tablescape from ordinary to extraordinary.

5. Table runners are often an overlooked linen, but they can really add organization to a table. Placing a table runner down the center of your tables will distinguish the two sides of the table, making place setting easier, as well as providing a set space for centerpieces. You can also choose to lay table runners across tables, so that guests sitting across from one another are “connected” by the runner. Depending on the width of the runner, choosing the latter option can serve as a placemat alternative.

Decorating for Spring

Jinnie Templin — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:00:08 +0000

Lent has officially begun. If you observe lent, we hope you didn’t decide to give up buying table linens, but if you did, we’ll still be here in April, ready to take your orders.

Easter and Passover both fall the second Sunday of April, which gives you about a month to get your plans together. Many families, mine included, use the Easter holiday as an excuse to gather the family and celebrate Spring. My family all lives in Pennsylvania, so sometimes the latter part is more of a wish than a celebration.

I have always loved Easter because it was a time to gather with family over a delicious meal. It also usually happens to fall right around my birthday, and when I was still in school, it coincided nicely with a relaxing week of freedom otherwise known as “Spring Break.” So, you may be able to see why I’m partial to the Easter holiday.

No matter which occasion you’re celebrating, the beginning of April calls for both bright and pastel colors. What’s your favorite part of Spring? Consider incorporating those colors into your decorations.

Love the smell of freshly mowed grass? Try bright green linens to remind yourself, your family, and your house guests that there’s a luscious few months of Spring ahead.

Does your favorite flower begin to bloom in the Spring? Yellow, orange, pink, purple, red—the options are endless! Maybe you can color-coordinate your linens and pick some of your favorite flowers to include as a centerpiece.

My mom has always been a fan of rainbows, which occur much more often starting in Spring. When I help her decorate for Easter, I always include an array of colored eggs around the house. I might not have a specific color scheme in mind, but rainbow can be a color scheme, too.

The beauty of Spring decorating is that it becomes a very personal experience. You don’t have a “required” color scheme like at Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can choose to decorate with whatever colors make you and your family happy. Say “Goodbye!” to the cold, bitter Winter, and welcome the warm sunshine and fresh life into your home.

What colors are you decorating with this Spring? Comment and let us know.

Our New SMS Service Offers Two Way Texting and Alerts

Jinnie Templin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:33:15 +0000

We’ve recently launched BRIGHT Texting and Alerts, our new SMS service. Now you can text us all your questions, comments or feedback at any time, from wherever you are.

To join, text “BRIGHT” to 66746.

After you sign up, you’ll have access to a couple of features.

You can text us. This is similar to the live chat feature on our site, only better. You can text us questions, comments or feedback at any time – not just when an operator is available. We’ll respond in a text message as soon as we can, right to your mobile phone.
You’ll also start receiving BRIGHT ALERTS. These text alerts contain updates, announcements, and real-time info about promotions, contests, and events. We won’t send you more than 4 alerts per month, but when we do send them, they’ll be messages about great deals and information to make your life easier and save you money.

We know you get a lot of e-mails these days, and it’s not always easy to keep track of who is running which promotions at any given time. But we do offer regular discounts, and we don’t want you to miss out on the savings and opportunities.

We’re hoping that in combination with what we have on our mobile site, you’ll now have access to all of the Bright information you need, right at your fingertips! Now we’re just a call, click, email, or TEXT away!

You can opt-out of our texting system at any time. Text message “STOP” to 66746. For support, text message “HELP” to 66746, call 1-800-327-6025, or email us.

Message & Data Rates May Apply to each text message sent or received in Participant’s wireless plan. Contact your carrier for pricing plans and details. Service provided to most mobile carriers. Maximum 4 messages per month.

Bright Settings’ Privacy Policy

Celebrating Mardi Gras

Jinnie Templin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:09:46 +0000

Mardi Gras is coming up, and even if you’re not in New Orleans, you can still celebrate in style. Here’s how:

Purple and Green and Gold all over

The traditional color scheme of Mardi Gras is a combination of purple, green, and gold. According to Mardi Gras history, purple represents justice, green represents faith, and gold represents power. Keep this in mind when you’re decorating. These color combinations are bold and fun—everything the Mardi Gras holiday stands for!

Let them eat cake!

We might sell tablecloths, but we also spend a lot of time around the table. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day before Lent officially begins. That means, if you’re fasting for Lent, it’s your last chance to stock up on all those fatty, unhealthy foods until you raid someone’s Easter basket in April.

My favorite Mardi Gras food is King Cake. Not only do I enjoy a nice cake, but a King Cake has a prize hidden in it (the person who finds it is the “king” for the day!) When I was in grade school, this usually meant that if you were the lucky kid to find a trinket in your piece of cake, you won something bigger, like not having to do your homework for the night. Regardless, you really can’t go wrong with cake and trinkets, and if you’re celebrating with older kids (or adults who wish they were kids) or throwing a party, a King Cake is a great way to educate about the history of Mardi Gras, play a game, and eat some tasty cake!

In my experience, a lot of people give up chocolate for lent. If you’re one of the brave souls embarking on that journey, make sure you eat up all the Valentine’s Day candy!

It’s all about the beads!

Mardi Gras is known for its heavy use of beads and trinkets. Around this time of year, colorful beads can be found at many stores, and the simple ones are generally pretty inexpensive. They work great for integrating into decorations, but they also serve as a great addition to a costume!

In New Orleans, Mardi Gras is a huge weeklong celebration with lots of parades. With the parades come audacious costumes. Even if you’re not up for dressing up in an elaborate costume, you can still get into the Mardi Gras spirit with beads and masks.

This Fat Tuesday, you can expect to find me shoving my face full of King Cake and sporting a beautiful array of beads. Who knows, I may even spring for a mask!

Product Photo Contest

Jinnie Templin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:00:05 +0000

We’re holding a contest. Share your photos of our products in use, and you could win $200 towards your next Bright Settings order.

We sell and rent tablecloths and provide furniture to a lot of different people who use them for a variety of reasons. Some of you just need a new tablecloth to cover your dining room table, some of you are hosting a special event for family and friends, others need new folding tables and chairs for the community center, and some of you are trying to increase your business by using our digitally printed trade show tablecloths. Well, now we’d like to see whatever it is you’re doing. And we want our customers to see how people just like them are using our table linens and furniture.

If you want your shot at $200, all you have to do is:

1. Post a photo on our Facebook wall: http://www.facebook.com/BrightSettings

2. Include a brief caption explaining the photo. Where/when/why was it taken? How did you use the products?

3. Get your friends and family to “Like” the photo on our wall. Comments are encouraged!

4. The photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the contest at midnight on March 1, 2012 will win $200!

It’s as easy as that! If you don’t have Facebook, but you’d still like to participate in the contest, we’d be happy to post the photo with your name and caption, and invite you to encourage your friends and family that are on Facebook to “Like” your photo.

About the Photo:

Photos can be old or new, as long as they include at least one Bright Settings product. Whether you ordered from us 10 years ago, or just placed your order yesterday, we know you’ve got great ideas, and we invite you to share your images with us.
Photos do not have to be professional– we don’t care if you took it with your phone, or if your wedding photographer happened to snap a shot of your breath taking tablescapes, we just want to share how people are using our products.
We won’t use your photo without your permission, BUT if we like it, we may contact you to use it on our blog or website.