How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Decor

Feature Image: Velvet Living

William Morris suggests disregarding any objects that we do not find useful or beautiful but, as anyone who has ever planned a wedding will know, choosing your wedding decorations means disregarding plenty of beautiful items and ideas for the sake of your theme.

Creating a cohesive and unique aesthetic is one of the most important — and exciting — aspects of planning a wedding, but aligning your vision with reality can be a challenge. Use your wedding decor as a vehicle for expressing your combined personalities, and make a clear plan before you dive into any big purchases.

With some careful thought, and a little creativity, your personalities will shine through any wedding space. 

Plan Around Your Theme

It is a blessing and a curse that there is such a wealth of inspiration and creativity guiding the wedding business. Secondguessing and brooding over your theme is natural when Pinterest boards, magazines, and social media accounts are forever pushing boundaries, surpassing expectations, and showing off weddings worthy of Hollywood features.

The trick is to use your theme as a filter; yes, that al fresco autumn wedding with a honey and copper colour scheme is spellbinding, but that line of creativity will do nothing for the pastel palette of your springtime affair. Marvel, compliment, and move on; it takes an iron-will, but the result will be worthwhile.

Marble Private

Staying true to your theme can actually help you keep to your budget. It’s easy to hunt down beautiful wedding decor, but the result will be visually inconsistent — and end up pushing your credit card to its limits. 

Begin your wedding decor search with a clear and well-calculated budget. If you are able, revisit your wedding venue and take some time to scope out the room; remind yourself of the table plan, and write down what you think you will need, and where it will go. 

Consider arranging a meeting with the venue manager and, if you have one, your wedding planner. Garner their tips for transforming the space; their past experience will prevent you from going too far — or not far enough — with the wedding decor. 

The Ceremony

Infusing your ceremony space with your own personal style is one of the most exciting tasks for any bride or groom. Your ceremony marks the very first moment of your new life together, and reflecting the magic of your vows through your wedding decor will bring the reality of your upcoming nuptials into sharp focus. 

The aisle will be demarcated by your guests’ seating, but simple touches such as a runner in your colour scheme and aisle markers, like candles or professional floral arrangements, will frame it perfectly. 

If your venue is more of a blank canvas, you may wish to design a backdrop and wedding arch at the head of the aisle. A few carefully placed wedding accessories make a world of difference.

If you are holding a religious ceremony, talk to your parish priest about their allowances for church wedding decorations, as there may be some strict rules about what you can and cannot use in the chapel. Fortunately, the stunning architecture and stained glass will do a lot of the work for you. 

Paula Rooney Ltd

The Reception

You and your guests will spend much of the day in your reception space, and turning a large, empty room into a living vision can be overwhelming for anyone who has not hosted a party of this size before. If you have a wedding planner, they will be able to draw out a clear plan from your ideas and inspiration, and liaise with the wedding venue with regards to arranging set-up.

Use your table plan as a guide; try to envisage where the dancefloor will be, where the wedding musician or band will perform, and where you are going to place any additional extras such as a photo booth, gift table, guestbook, and temporary bar. 

If you are hiring larger props, make sure that you have the space, or your guests will feel wedged between them all night. 

Think carefully about the small details, too. Your guests will love spotting the little touches you have made, just as much as they will appreciate the big details. 

Velvet Living

The Tables

Choosing your wedding table decorations is a wonderful experience; from the centrepieces to the cutlery, your guests will marvel at the thought and creativity that has gone into the design of your reception. 

Your Escord & Place Cards

Implement the design of your wedding stationery within your escort & place cards; this is a wonderful detail to make guests feel special and personally welcomed.

Marble Private

Your Wedding Table Centrepieces

Whether you are looking at extravagant professional floral arrangements to follow the design your bridal bouquet, or a single statement rose, your wedding centrepieces are another exciting way to express your style and theme. Candles, vintage objet d’art, fresh leatherleaf fern, and childhood photos of the bride and groom — let your personality shine through. 

Paula Rooney Ltd

Your Table-linen

If you are following a more rustic aesthetic, consider skipping the tablecloths altogether. If, however, the tables provided by your venue are a tad unremarkable, dressing them in your wedding colours, or with a beautiful pattern or runner to make the look unique. White hemstich napkins are always a winner.

Annie Dunne

Your Place Settings

It is very likely that you do not own enough crockery to cater to every one of your guests. Your wedding caterer may be able to secure your plates, bowls and cutlery on your behalf, or you may wish to hire it for yourself. 

Wedding Decoration Hire

Sourcing enough wedding decor to transform an entire space — particularly if that space is intended to hold one hundred to two hundred guests — can have a significant impact on your budget, and will leave you with boxes full of ornaments and crockery to bring home with you.

Wedding decoration hire is popular among brides and grooms who would rather bring home an abundance of good memories than an overabundance of mementos. The photographer will capture the magic of a beautifully appointed room and, when the honeymoon is over, you will not need to return to a living room filled with wedding decor.

If you’re ready to start thinking about the decor, take a look at our list of stunning wedding decor suppliers.