Are you or someone you know getting married soon and looking for inspiration to decorate your dream wedding? You've come to the right place! Creating a beautiful and atmospheric environment is crucial to making the big day extra memorable. In this blog post, we'll explore creative ideas and tips to give your wedding the perfect decor. So let's dive into the wonderful world of wedding decoration and create magic together!
"We're hosting a wedding party... we'll do it ourselves" If you think that way or if someone close to you says so, I would immediately wave a flag - more people are needed to help organize a wedding party. Getting married is a significant event, even if you imagine a simpler wedding or have few guests. It's a lifelong memory, and of course, you want everything to be just as you dreamed.
There is a lot to think about and take care of, and it can be overwhelming if you try to do everything yourself. When it's time to plan your own wedding, it may feel like your ideas and creativity run out, or that there are so many thoughts competing for attention that nothing gets written down. Therefore, it's good to ask friends and family for help, or why not hire an experienced wedding planner or stylist specializing in events? If you prefer to do it yourself, it's a good idea to plan, plan, and plan well in advance - did I mention planning? ;)
Starting to plan the wedding
This doesn't sound romantic at all, but the first step is to review the budget - how much can the wedding cost? When the budget is determined, you usually get guidance on what you can do and how you can create your dream wedding.
Just like in an interior design project, you need to get to know the bride and groom and interview them to create a shared vision of how they want their wedding day to feel, be experienced, and be immortalized. When they share and describe their dreams, you need to be attentive and able to read between the lines to capture their thoughts and create a theme for the wedding.
Similarly to creating a concept for an interior design project and working from it, you can create a concept board for the wedding. How to create a concept board and plan for an event is something you learn in our professional training programs. Deciding on a theme or combining multiple themes can facilitate planning because you then have a clear target and avoid getting sidetracked, which can make you lose focus and the common thread.
The Wedding Environment
Once the theme is determined, you can start looking for suitable venues that match the chosen theme. If it's a rustic wedding, there are beautiful countryside settings where you can rent event spaces on a farm. If it's a "Bling Bling" wedding, you can instead look at event spaces in hotels in larger cities. The theme doesn't have to be a specific style, but it's good to consider the colors, patterns, and materials you want to work with, so that there's a common thread throughout the planning - from the smallest details to the larger focal points.
Let the theme and style permeate everything from beginning to end - from the invitation sent well in advance to the last dance of the night. Small details like the font on the invitation, the color of the groom's socks, and the small gift box on the table - let everything be well thought out and harmonize with the larger elements, such as the colors of the bridal bouquet, table decorations, and the cake. Even the text for the last dance can be customized. When each puzzle piece falls into place, it creates a fantastic overall image - regardless of how many puzzle pieces there are...
Once the event venue is booked and the concept board is ready, you can move on to the next step, planning how the guests will be seated - the arrangement of tables, and whether you want round or square tables. Do the bride and groom want to sit at a long table, the traditional head table, or do they want to sit at their own "sweetheart table"? There are pros and cons to different approaches, but the most important thing is that the bride and groom feel comfortable and that it feels right for them.
Also, create different stations in the venue, such as a photography station with a suitable backdrop. This can be achieved by hanging fabrics on a pole or wallpapering a particle board. You can also create a flower wall with both artificial and real flowers. Prepare a station for the cake, cookies, snacks, or a "mix your own drink" buffet with glasses, decorations, and beverages. These stations not only reinforce the concept but also create places where guests can gather and create a festive atmosphere. Just as you consider flow and passage areas when designing an environment, you can use the same techniques when styling an event venue - how will the guests move around the venue, and where is the best place to position the guestbook so that guests can write undisturbed.
Time to decorate!
Once the table placement and table shapes are in place, it's time for what many of us long for the most - all of us who love interior design and can spend an entire weekend trying out different still life arrangements on the coffee table or consider table settings at dinner parties more important than the food we serve ;)
Here, both the number of guests and the budget play a significant role, but let your creativity flow. This is where we can create magic and make guests feel welcome. In addition to place cards, you can also write a brief description about the guests to encourage dialogue at the table. There are many different variations of place cards, but if you have time, you can create your own using small flowers, thin ribbons, and calligraphy pens, for example.
When it comes to the tables, you can use both tablecloths and runners, depending on the tables. The same applies to chairs. If you have beautiful chairs, you don't need to do anything, but if the chair style doesn't match the theme, you can use chair covers or tie a suitable piece of fabric around the back of the chair to create the right ambiance. Consider that guests should have enough space for plates, glasses, and cutlery when choosing decorations, so it doesn't feel cramped. If the tables are narrow, you can work with decorations in height, but be mindful that it shouldn't be too tall to disrupt communication around the table.
Depending on the size of the wedding, you can either buy decorations from thrift stores or rent decorations from various companies. Nowadays, you can find almost everything online from companies specializing in event decorations. Just like with photography backgrounds, you can also use a backdrop behind the bride and groom's table to frame and create a focal point for them. Just as when taking interior design photos, you need to consider every detail and proportion when styling this environment. Take pictures and look at them to assess if it feels balanced. The most important thing is for the bride and groom to shine and be noticed.
Last but not least - the lighting. Just as important as when decorating a room is working with different light levels and light points to create a pleasant atmosphere for the eyes to enjoy.
4 tips for decorating for a wedding
Develop a concept and theme for the wedding.
Hire a stylist who can assist with planning and create your dream wedding.
Start bookings and planning well in advance.
Make a list of what is most important to you as a couple.