To decorate or not to decorate? That is the question. We've got people who keep their reception table decor minimal, we've got people who go all out, and we've got people who would like things to look nice but please-god-don't-make-me-DIY-for-hours.

No matter where you fall on the table decor spectrum, you really should check out Carmen and Grant's idea. I'll let Carmen explain:

We had always envisioned having potjie pots (metal pots used to make potjie, which is a South African stew) as centrepieces... Our starter was a biltong and mushroom soup, and the main course was a lamb potjie served in the pots at the centre of the tables. -Carmen

What if you're not serving a traditional stew for dinner? No worries. I can see something like this working with anything from nachos to edible arrangements to towers of sandwiches. The trick, really, is to have some kind of eye-catching serving display at each table that you either already have food set out on or servers will bring food to during the dinner hour.

Or, you know, just set out some tea.