Learn how to decorate each part of your wedding venue and how to make the most of your wedding flowers.
Entrance
Wow your guests from the moment they arrive at your church or civil ceremony venue with large displays at the entrance. Bay trees are a cost-effective way to flank the doorway as these can be moved to your reception venue later on, and perhaps given as gifts at the end of the night. Large urn displays are also high-impact and don’t necessarily have to blow the budget. Flowers such as Gypsophila or Hydrangea are a good way to bulk out these kind of arrangements and, again, these can be moved around your venue, from the entrance to either side of the top table for example.
Aisle
Don’t forget to pretty-up the aisle! Decorating the ceremony space with blooms that match the shades in your bouquet will heighten the impact when you make your big entrance. Think simple arrangements tied to chairs with ribbon, hurricane lanterns filled with candles and flowers, or even scattered rose petals for a romantic feel. Pew ends and other displays, can easily be transported to your reception area to make the most of your florists hard work.
Register table
There will no doubt be lots of photographs of you and your new hubby signing the marriage register, so make sure the table is decorated beautifully. Again, these decorations can be moved around later on, so don’t worry about costs mounting up. One idea is to use two reception table centres at either side of the table – something to think about when choosing the style of centre piece you want. Alternatively, your florist could create a floral garland, which would be perfect for decorating the top table later on (if you’re having a traditional long table) or a mantle piece in the reception venue. For a less fussy look, why not try small tealight holders filled with clusters of handpicked flowers or rose heads?
Table centres
There are a number of ways you may choose to decorate your tables, depending on what type of venue and theme you’ve chosen. For country-style weddings in a barn or marquee, you might like to consider jugs, urns or tea-cups as containers for your flowers. Simple pots with fresh herbs or home-grown plants also make beautiful rustic displays. For long tables, collections of glass bottles and jars placed down the centre are perfect for holding flowers, and create a pretty vintage feel. Birdcages are also firm favourite at the moment for creating that vintage look, too, and can easily be decorated with your chosen blooms.
For more of a glamorous big day, why not try tall martini glasses or candelabra entwined with flowers? Ivy for example, would look gorgeous wrapped around the stems of candelabra at an autumn or winter wedding.
Top tip – opt for either tall or short table centres, rather than anything in between. Displays at eye level will stop your guests from being able to see each other!
If you need any more inspiration for your wedding flowers or decoration, check out the inspirational gallery below and join our friendly forum today to get chatting to other real brides.
