How can I decorate my wedding reception?

From elegant candelabras to rustic vintage crates, there are so many ideas to choose from. Transform your venue with these 25 show-stopping wedding decoration ideas, whether you choose a blank canvas, characterful conversion or a stately home!

1. Fairytale chandeliers

What better way to illuminate a golden stone barn than with a chandelier made up of tiny, flickering fairy lights? This statement glowing lighting makes weddings utterly unforgettable and feel as close to a fairytale as they do to reality.

2. Blossom trees

When you’re getting married in a country house, you’re often already blessed with high ceilings, grand interiors and lots of space. This wedding at Iscoyd Park made the most of both the ceremony and reception rooms by introducing tall blossom trees, drawing the eye upwards and adding a romantic, fairytale finishing touch.

3. Rustic stacked crates

Take inspiration from rustic interiors stores and create a crate display! Stack up a selection of mismatched wooden boxes and fill them with personal touches – from bespoke storybooks to letters, flowers and signs. Why not investigate whether your barn venue has some original crates from its agricultural past that you could use?

4. Starlit ceilings

Possibly one of our favourite wedding decoration ideas, particularly for winter weddings. It’s important that your venue is equally as brilliant by night as it is by day, given that your celebrations might well extend into the early hours. 

5. Canopy of colour

Turn the ceiling into a kaleidoscope of colour to emphasize your venue’s airy interiors. Here, Gary and Nicole used bright additions to make Ufton Court their own, suspending countless lanterns and honeycombs from the vaulted ceiling, as well as hanging pom poms to form a DIY backdrop for their dessert table. These make great features in marquees, too.

6. Silver candelabra

Echoing the glistening glass chandeliers that make Danesfield House so stunning, Anouska and Greig added shiny silver candelabra to their tables to complement their venue’s existing style. Finished with elegant roses, softening gypsophila and garlands of crystal beads, they enhanced the glittering effect of the chandeliers above. And the result? A wedding reception that was chic, stylish and super luxurious.

7. Stylish ceilings

Whether your venue is ultra-modern like the Cavalli Wine and Stud Farm, South Africa, pictured here, or a blank canvas back in the UK, drapes are a simple way to lavish a decadent feel upon any space. Lighter coloured fabrics will retain a breezy feel, while a statement chandelier ramps up the glamour. In large spaces like tipis, try out coloured options, too.

8. Greenery garlands

Take advantage of your venue’s existing features as Kayli and Matt did at Gate Street Barn. They dressed the cart wheel lights with trailing flowers and foliage wreaths to create whimsical suspended centrepieces. Decorations like these work especially well when the same space is used for both ceremony and reception, giving you the entire day to enjoy them.

9. Flower frames

How many brides haven’t saved at least one flower arch to their wedding Pinterest board? Whether you tie the knot inside or out, frame the moment in flowers for a dreamy look, exactly as this couple did at Sheene Mill. You can use artificial blooms for an option that is gentler on your budget, or re-use the archway as a DIY photobooth later in the evening.

10. Bunting wedding decoration ideas

A feature of many country weddings, bunting is one of the best decorations to use to bring a theme together.  It’s a great addition if you want 360-degree style, or to make the most of your venue’s lofty features. At Swallows Nest Barn in Warwickshire, the 19th-century exposed beams, high ceilings and traditional brickwork are well worth celebrating.

11. Over-sized letters

Over-sized letters are wonderfully versatile, working equally well in city centre, country house and rustic venues, like The Great Barn, pictured here. Choose wooden finishes for a country look, or worn metal with exposed Edison bulbs for a more industrial style. They’re also great for decorating the dance floor, defining the area and inviting guests over.

12. Laden tables

This wedding decoration idea doubles up as dinner, and we’re sure it’s one your guests will love. Why not make a feature out of your evening feast, like this one at Dedham Vale Vineyard, by displaying cheeses, chutneys, crackers and cakes in a sumptuous spread, complemented by pretty linens and wooden serving boards. Fresh figs, grapes and even honey can add a decadent dash of colour to the display…

13. Flower walls

For another take on feature flowers, how about embracing your inner Kim Kardashian with a flower wall? But, as Denise and Nick demonstrate beautifully at The May Fair, these needn’t always be densely packed petals or outdoor feature walls. You could let vines, rose stems and trailing delphiniums create a picturesque backdrop for your top table.

14. Trestle tables

Often seen in tipis when they’ve been hired in, many venues will also offer trestle tables as an alternative to round. They’re ideal for more informal weddings, and look ever so stylish when dressed with silk or hessian table runners and an eclectic collection of floral centrepieces – just look at this reception at Brixton East 1871, which has bags of style.

15. Twinkling fairy lights

One of the simplest, yet most effective wedding decoration ideas is fair lights. Wrap softly sparkling fairy lights around your venue’s beams, as they appear at Blake Hall, or drape them from the rafters above. For country houses, try clustering fairy lights around the fireplace or hanging nets of them behind the dance floor. There’s nothing like their romantic glow, ever so slightly out of focus, as a backdrop for your first dance photos…

16. Chiavari chairs

16. Chiavari chairs

A must for rustic weddings, you’ll find chiavari chairs cropping up in most barn venues, with either white painted, lime washed, stained or natural wood finishes. Peter and Nicole decorated the soft, pale wood seating at Bassmead Manor Barns with milk bottles, tied with twine and filled with gypsophila, to enhance their whimsical, country theme.

17. Table runners

While silk, sequins and hessian are all strong contenders for table runners, why not embrace 2017’s obsession with greenery and fashion one from foliage instead? Most florists will be happy to create them, with eucalyptus or ferns popular plant choices to do so. Florists can also use an abundance of blooms to form a table runner, but at a larger investment.

18. Outdoor wedding decoration ideas: Blooms everywhere

Why not make use of the stone urns and pedestals already at your venue, whether it’s a country house or a chateau, like Charlotte and Jamie’s. Spilling with fragrant roses, they’ll become a statement floral feature that you can echo in miniature on your reception tables for show-stopping style. Here, glass tabletop urns offer a contrastingly modern effect.

19. Gold colour schemes

Every element of your reception tables can be prettied up – including your plates and glasses! It can be as simple as hiring in decorative chargers to position your plates on top of, or opting for gold-rimmed glassware. The combined effect of these little touches adds up to an ultra glamorous aesthetic, perfect if you’re marrying in a grand venue like Hedsor House.

20. Seating plans with panache

Gone are the days when a seating plan was simply a framed poster. Now, they’re a focal point for couple’s creativity and the best ones reflect the couple’s wedding venue and theme of choice. Take this surfboard, for example, which was painted in blackboard paint before the seating plan was chalked on, perfect for the surf-loving couple’s tipi reception venue on a Devon beach!

21. Photo displays

Upcycle panels from room dividers that are no longer used to become personalised photo displays. You could use them for your seating plan, or simply to share the story of your romance and relationship so far. This photo display is painted to perfectly complement the neutral country colours in The Tithe Barn at Old Ditcham Farm, with fabric drapes adding a dreamy finishing touch.

22. Formal flowers

A sure-fire way to make your reception décor stand out is to go for height. As soon as your guests walk into the room, tall floral arrangements, like these at Wiston House, will catch their eyes to create a room-wide effect that lower, fishbowl style flowers struggle to match. Slender silver vases add a formal finish for country houses, while tall birdcages evoke an English garden style.

23. Decorative ladders

Whether transformed into a seating plan, a pretty place to display your bridesmaids’ posies or even the frame for your very own story, ladders can be dressed up in all manner of ways to add a sentimental and pretty touch to your reception. Their larger size also lends them to blank canvas venues, like Kirsty and Adrian’s at Celtic Camping, because they can help to zone different areas.

24. Feature furniture

One instance where less really can be more is when you design a focal point for your venue décor. Rather than half-heartedly decorating every inch of the room, why not create one stand-out element that will wow your guests and make a much bigger impression? Samantha and Thomas did exactly this at Kelham House, adding an old wooden dresser, overflowing with flowers, in Pinterest-worthy style.

25. Say it with signs

Signposts offer a practical and pretty option for wedding decoration ideas. Tall signposts with multiple arrows work brilliantly outdoors, guiding guests around your venue, but there’s a place for them inside, too. Katie hand-painted signs to dot throughout their venue, Shustoke Farm Barns, using the same font and colours throughout to tie in with the painted wine bottles and muted flowers.

Read More:

• The Best UK Winter Wedding Venues
• How to Plan a Wedding in 30 Days
• 110 Wedding Entertainment Ideas

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