Wedding Reception Decoration Ideas

Wedding receptions are basically just very large, very expensive parties for your friends and family members. Like any party, the decorations do matter. When you first step into your reception location, you may realize it's not a very festive spot, but it's up to you to turn things around and make the place beautiful.

The first rule of reception decorations is that you need to maintain a theme throughout. Usually that theme is the same one you've used throughout the rest of the wedding, such as the beach, hearts, winter, roses, or certain color combinations. By incorporating these themes into your decorations, you'll maintain a consistency that is visually appealing to your guests.

One idea is to replace the ordinary white table linens with something a little more unique. You could provide your own linens that have been dyed to match your wedding colors or purchase white tablecloths then decorate them with stencils and fabric paint. You may also want to pass on the provided napkins and instead purchase customized napkins in your wedding colors monogrammed with your initials. You could also sprinkle decorative confetti on the table tops. The confetti can be made with special hole punchers available at scrapbooking stores and colored paper or fabric.

You'll also need to include a centerpiece on every table. Generally, the centerpiece is the same for each table but you can always mix things up a little. For example, if you wanted to make potted flowers your centerpiece you could use a different flower on each table. Daisies, roses, and daffodils would all work very well. The pot itself could either be painted (perhaps with metallic or glitter paint) or covered in a nicer material, such as tulle or satin.

If you want another type of living centerpiece, add inexpensive fish to small fishbowls then decorate them with colored aquarium rocks. Not only can one of your guests have a lovely keepsake, but they'll have something to watch while waiting for the wedding party to arrive at the reception location.

Another centerpiece idea is to take crystal bowls, fill them with water, and float candles on the surface. You can even add food coloring to the water so it matches the colors of your wedding if you want. Other ideas include balloon sculptures, small statues, or even framed photographs of you as a couple.

To add flair to the rest of the reception location, decorate pills and banisters with garlands of flowers and place potted trees or large plants near entrances to add color. You can either purchase the plants or rent artificial ones from catering locations or even rent-to-own stores. Satin bows can be added to chairs or they can be covered in fabric, such as dyed cotton or satin.

For mood lighting, you can have lit candelabras as centerpieces on the tables. Another idea is to string strands of white lights around the ceiling or to hang Chinese lanterns around the area.

If you want to provide something that is both decorative and interactive, start early searching for small decorative bottles. Clean up the bottles and decorate them with ribbons, then fill them up with bubble solution. You can either have one bottle for every guest or larger bottles for every table. Decorate the cheap bubble wands with ribbon as well. During the dances, allow the guests to fill the room with bubbles for a fun and decorative look.

Wedding Invitations

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