I could probably create a whole new category on decorating buffet tables. I really like buffet tables, as a decorator — odd, I know, but the bigger table gives you more canvas to work with, so to speak, and it doesn’t to be as exacting as, say, draping a sweetheart table or a head table. That’s just my opinion, of course. Recently, my undercover wedding attender was at a wedding that made some genius decorating choices at the La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes Estates.

It seems natural to me to use food to decorate a buffet table. You don’t have to worry about flower water leaking onto the table, or any possibly tainted flowers falling onto a plate or anything like that. Uncut artichokes resemble flowers, so that was a pretty awesome choice to decorate the buffet table. I wouldn’t have chosen shiitake mushrooms myself, but seeing it here, it doesn’t seem so bad. With the moss, it sort of simulates a garden — you know, picking your food out of a garden? I also like the choice of asparagus and an herb I can’t identify in a vase, like flowers — inspired!

Here’s a close up. I also like the touch of the candles, but I would worry about lighting them and having people sleeves hang over them as they serve themselves from the buffet tables. Safety first!

Whoever decorated the buffet tables  (could have been the florist, but also could have been the caterer) did a lovely job with the wineglass portion. White mushrooms accompanied the shiitake mushrooms here.

I’m not sure what goes on this portion of the table, but this portion got the fruit treatment. They put lemons, oranges and green apples on top bunches of lemon leaf. I love that not just the outside of the fruit was used — the decorator cut a few lemons and oranges in half, which was also inspired, since the inside of fruit is also colorful.