How to make the most of your wedding venue

Congratulations - you’ve chosen your wedding venue! Now it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll style it - that includes your reception table decor, ceremony area aesthetic and creating a cohesive feel that runs throughout your day. We have 4 things for you to consider in your wedding venue styling that we think you really need to know.

Design Rules

First things first, as with every element of your wedding day you need to consider what you truly like. To us, there’s nothing worse than attending a wedding as a guest and thinking we could swap the couple getting married for another couple and nothing would change - that’s a big red flag you’ve missed an opportunity to include your guests in so many elements by making your wedding feel like yours.

Think about whether you prefer minimalism or maximalism - these are two broad concepts that will help you choose your floral and decor style. For example, you might be someone who would huge overspilling table centrepieces or you might prefer a minimalist take on centrepieces with stems at different heights. Minimalism and maximalism doesn’t mean ‘cheaper’ and ‘more expensive’ respectively - your floral and decor budget can garner something showstopping whether it reflects modern minimalism or fabulous decadence. Have a think about what you’re drawn to - are you drawn to busy maximalist prints, or more streamlined design? Can you cope with a house full of clutter and having your attention dragged everywhere, or do you prefer a cleaner, calmer approach? These are key factors we discuss with our clients during our first design meeting, it helps us predict what you’ll be drawn to.

Refined Style

Our second tip is to NOT try and fill every empty space in your venue with decor and styling. To create a wedding venue aesthetic that looks thought-out and put-together, create vignettes around the space - that’s a fancy interiors word for small, styled break-out areas. Create vignettes at key points throughout your day, for example the guest book table; you could style the table with decorative items of different heights and with fabric in keeping with your table setting colours. This is a great way to carry your theme or colour scheme through your venue without overwhelming yourself, your guests and everybody’s senses!

Backdrops

Another styling option you could consider is a styled backdrop. These are a great idea as your guests are naturally looking for great, aesthetically-pleasing photo opportunities nowadays! If you can provide them with an Insta-worthy photo spot, you’ll have a group of very happy guests sharing your wedding day far and wide. If you don’t have the budget to buy or create a whole new styled backdrop, you can think about moving items you already have. You can move your ceremony flowers through to your tables for the wedding breakfast, and then in the evening move centrepieces onto plinths to create your styled backdrop! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive - something simple framing a nice space or doorway can go down a treat.

Work with a pro

Our final tip is that if you’re someone who is really into how things look, consider getting a wedding designer to set up for you on the morning. A professional can help you spend where you’ll get most impact, and save on items that we know aren’t worth it. We take all the stress out of the run up & styling on the day - leaving you to get ready and concentrate on your wedding morning.

Rachel below is our wonderful junior designer!