Using many years of experience in wedding venue styling, I have compiled my Top 5 tips for the decoration of your wedding reception venue.
1. Use what you've got
Do not fight against what is already there. Good wedding venue styling invloves evaluating your surroundings and working with them. If you plan on an outdoor reception, you can work with nature; decorations can be kept to a minimum as your setting will be already provided. Those who have hired a historic building or hotel ballroom, must pick out dicor to highlight the finest features of the room. This may be a unique ceiling or feature fire.
Alternatively, there might be no windows and therefore no natural light (a common drawback with ballrooms). It would be wise to use lots of lighting in your decor, using spotlights, chandeliers, candles or fairy lights.
Consider the space where you will have your reception, does it have lovely views, original ceiling beams, lavish wall or floor coverings? What can you work with? Then ask yourself what aspects are working against you and need to be covered up, disguised or totally concealed.
2. Lighting is Crucial
It is doubtful that the guests who attend your event Venues in champaign will remark that 'the lighting was superb,' but it is one of those background elements that will effect the overall mood. The number one rule of wedding venue styling is that great lighting is the key to a winning event. It can transform a room, even making the walls appear to be a different colour.
There are many ways to use lighting to create the right ambiance in your wedding venue styling. For instance candles are great for creating a warm, romantic feeling but many wedding planners fail to consider that they may not provide enough light, your guests need to be able to see where they are.
Ensure you show-off significant areas such as the head table or cake table using spot lights. This ensures the focus is always on the areas of the room that are well decorated and of course, the bride.
String lights and lanterns are great for outdoor events. They are beautiful when hung from trees or a gazebo. The glow is not over powering, just ideal for dancing late into the evening.
3. Include Personal Touches
In my experience, wedding venue styling that is most successful has a personal touch. As well as expressing your personality through the decor, the most unforgettable events will include personal touches from the happy couple. Here are some of the best ideas. Post pictures and photos around the venue - it is a great talking point and you can include any family members who may have passed on. Include a short biography of every person sitting at the top table, how you know them, a funny story etc. This way people who have not met them before will feel more involved when it comes to the speeches. Create your own personalised motif or monogram on a PC. You can then add this motif into different elements of your wedding such as invitations and menus. Your guests will appreciate personalised name place settings too.
4. Wedding Chair Covers are a Must
You have most likely already thought about the flowers and the table decorations but wedding chair covers should not be an afterthought, disregarded or left until the last minute. You might think that chair covers aren't a key part of your wedding venue styling but when you have many chairs in a room, the colour and uniformity becomes imperative.
Chair covers are a wonderful way of creating a polished look and coloured sashes or bows will match in with your chosen colour scheme. Given the mountain of chairs that are necessary at a wedding, superbly decorated chairs can turn an otherwise ordinary room into a setting of luxury and style.
5. Concentrate on Key Areas
You do not need to decorate everything. There are certain key areas at a reception where you must concentrate your attention. By concentrating on these areas you will not only save money but you will avoid over-doing it.
There areas where people will group such the entrance hall or bar. The most significant areas are perhaps the dining tables as this is where your guests will spend most of their time. Then there are focal points such as the head table, dance floor and cake table. You will probably have a place in mind for pictures or group shots; this too should be an integral part of your wedding venue styling.