Inspiration For Your Wedding Venue Decor

No matter where you get married, there are hundreds of ways to transform your wedding venue. From budget do-it-yourself options to professional styling. Take a look below for some exciting ideas and inspiration for your wedding venue decor...

Furniture hire and chair covers

It may not be your first thought, but hiring furniture can massively change the way that your wedding reception and outdoor spaces look. Make sure you discuss what options are available with your wedding venue beforehand - do they have round tables or long banquet tables? What kind of chairs do they provide as standard? If you're not a fan of the chairs that your venue provides, then there may be alternatives - you can either look into hiring traditional chair covers with coloured sashes or hire beautiful Chiavari chairs, which require no decoration. 

It's not just your wedding breakfast furniture you need to bear in mind, especially if you're marrying in a DIY marquee or tipi wedding venue. Do your guests have enough seating for the evening? You can easily hire vintage-style sofas and armchairs to create a stylish chill-out area for your guests. For a more relaxed outdoor feel, opt for picnic tables, blankets and cushions. Create styled areas for your cake, bar and guestbook by hiring vintage furniture.  Bar carts and barrels can also add extra rustic chic to your day. If you choose a wedding styling service, they can help arrange this for you. 

Drapes and curtains

If you're looking to make a big difference to the inside of your venue, then one of the quickest things you can do is use drapes, backdrops and curtains. Drapes can work wonders if the inside of your venue is less than inspiring, and they can completely transform village halls, conference centres and industrial barns. Alternatively, if you just want to highlight one specific area (such as the top table, dance floor or buffet area), then a few well-placed drapes and curtains can create a unique look. 

As well as classic white drapes, plenty of companies also hire out fairy-lit drapes, coloured and velvet drapes, and star cloths to create the illusion of a night sky. If you're in a marquee, you can even get gorgeous patterns marquee linings for the wall and ceiling to create a themed look. 

Lighting

More and more couples are paying attention to lighting when it comes to planning their wedding venue decor, as it can have a huge effect on the feel of your big day.

Fairy lights are a popular choice and can be wrapped around columns, hung from beams and placed in vases on tables to add a sparkling touch. For larger areas, consider a curtain (perfect for a top table or photobooth backdrop) or canopy to hang from the ceiling. For a more industrial effect, we love festoon lights (ideal for outside lighting) and statement Edison bulbs. 

If you're dreaming of a candlelit wedding, then it's always worth discussing this with your wedding venue coordinator first. Some venues ban open flames due to the fire risk, while others will allow taller candles but ban tea lights - if this is you, never fear! You can get realistic-looking fake candles that will flicker beautifully, without the risk or melting wax! If your venue allows candles, then you have plenty of options, from elegant candelabra to tea lights in jars, or church and pillar candles placed on ledges and in fireplaces. You can even hang tealights from centrepieces or in glass candleholders. 

For lighting with more impact, we recommend coloured uplighting. This can totally transform a space, and works beautifully for an evening reception. Combine with disco balls for a real party vibe, or match to your wedding colour scheme for a cohesive look. 

Another popular decor option is large light-up letters. These add to your lighting effects, but also create a real focus in a room, and look fantastic in photographs. Use them to spell out Mr & Mrs, LOVE, your initials, or BAR or DANCE specifically for the drinks or dancefloor. 

Hanging decor

A hugely popular way to decorate your wedding is with hanging decorations, as they can be a fun DIY and budget-friendly option, while still having a great overall impact on your decor. Bunting is one of our favourites and can be hand-made by yourself in the run-up to the big day. There are plenty of options to customise them too, from using rustic white lace or hessian to colourful fabrics that reflect your wedding theme, or patterned paper. You could even use crepe or fabric ribbons, or integrate glitter or metallics. 

Lanterns are another great option for hanging decor. They can add a stunning effect, and can be bought or hired in different shapes, sizes and colours. Our brides also love paper pompoms, fans and origami birds hanging from the ceilings. 

Another trend that we've been loving is hanging flowers or foliage. This can be done from beams, chandeliers or marquee rafters for a statement piece. Hanging floral decorations can be faux or real flowers, and add a pop of natural colour to any space. Why not chat with your wedding florist about their venue dressing options?

Centrepieces and table decor

Your table decorations are one of the easiest ways to make your wedding decor unique. There are plenty of ways you can customise your tables. You could hire coloured glassware, vintage mismatched china or golden cutlery to using sequin tablecloths.

Your flowers will have a big effect on your tables, they can easily be integrated into statement centrepieces. Birdcages filled with flowers, tall candelabra arrangements, or hanging blossom trees, for example. For a centrepiece that can double up as a favour, you could include potted flowers, herbs or succulents.

Your table decor is also a great way to incorporate your personalities as a couple. You could do this by including personal touches such as your favourite movie posters or album covers. Stacked vintage books for literature lovers or miniature animals to represent your pets are other ideas.

Flowers

When it comes to using flowers in your wedding venue decor, your budget will make a big difference. Your wedding florist should be able to give you a good idea of how you can decorate your venue given your budget, but luckily there are plenty of options - especially if you repurpose flowers used for the ceremony to add colour to the reception. For example, pew ends can be used in jam jars on tables. Also, bridesmaid bouquets can be placed in vases on the cake table, and church flowers on the top table.

For bigger statement decorations, we love the romantic look of floral arches. They're the perfect arrangement to tie the knot under. Flower walls can be used after the ceremony as a luxurious backdrop for photos.

Balloons

Once associated only with children's birthday parties, balloons for weddings are coming back in a big way! Giant balloons filled with confetti or fun tassel tails are a great way to create an impact with your decor. They're also a lot more purse-friendly than pricey flowers. We've also seen bridesmaids carrying balloons instead of flowers, and guests doing a balloon release for amazing photo opportunities. 

Feeling inspired? Look for your nearest wedding decoration suppliers online!