What “real linens” means at a banquet.

If the venue’s brochure says “linens included,” ask one follow-up question: are they cloth or paper? Most venues count both as included. They are not the same thing in your photos.

We have this conversation often enough that we put it in writing. When we say linens are included in our packages, we mean cloth linens — table-length, in your choice of color, ironed and laid the morning of the event. Same with napkins. Same with the runners. There’s no upgrade tier for it. That’s the package.

What disposable looks like

Disposable linens are the paper or plastic-coated rectangles that ship folded. They photograph as a glossy plane. They show every crease. They tear when guests pull them across the table. The first time someone spills a glass of red wine on one, the wine wicks across the surface in a way cloth doesn’t.

Some venues use them because they’re cheaper per event. Some use them as the base package, with cloth available as an upcharge — usually a few dollars per place setting, which adds up to several hundred dollars on a hundred-and-fifty-person wedding. It’s a real cost, and it’s worth knowing whether it’s in the quote or on a separate line.

What to ask

1. Are linens cloth or paper? Cloth is what you want for photos.
2. Is the cloth length floor-length, mid-length, or to-the-floor? Floor-length is what most weddings expect; mid-length is more casual.
3. Are the napkins cloth too? Often, the table linens are cloth and the napkins are paper. Worth knowing in advance.
4. What’s the color palette, and is there a charge to coordinate beyond the standard whites and ivories?

Cloth photographs as fabric. Paper photographs as paper.

What we include

Floor-length cloth linens, cloth napkins, runners if you want them, in your color of choice. China and glassware to match. We set them, we change them between courses if you’ve got that kind of event, and we break them down at the end of the night. None of it is a line item.

It’s a small thing that becomes the thing every guest’s photo of the wedding has in the background. Worth asking about, at our venue or anywhere else you tour.

If you’re touring banquet halls in Lake County, here’s a longer list of questions to ask. And if you’d like to see our setup in person, book a tour.