Coming up with good wedding reception decoration ideas can be daunting, no matter what your budget.  There are so many options these days.  Some require a lot of advanced planning and technical skill, while others come prepackaged and ready made; requiring nothing more than removal from their packaging and putting in place.  Planning your wedding reception decoration ideas will not take care of itself, unfortunately, but if you follow these tips the planning will go much more smoothly.

The first and most important consideration when planning your wedding reception decoration ideas is to consider the style and mood that you want to convey at the reception.  Are you casual, or sophisticated?  Contemporary or romantic?  Deciding these important factors up front will help you target specific decorations that convey the overall theme and style of your wedding.

Casual wedding receptions will often have decorations that are less extravagant than their more formal counterparts.  But that is no reason to think they have to be tacky or look cheap!  You may find that you can create a quite elegant look with the materials you find at your local arts and crafts store, in fact I have found some people’s homemade casual wedding reception decoration ideas to be even nicer and more stylish than the expensive varieties you find online and at the specialty wedding shops.

Are you a traditional romantic bride, or more of a contemporary trendsetter?  Traditional wedding reception decoration ideas will typically center around lots of flowers and candles, evoking the ceremonial nature of the event and nurturing deep feelings of love and promise.  However, these days many people are turning to a more contemporary look, with modern looking helium balloon arrangements and sparkling ice sculptures.  These types of decorations will bring a more festive atmosphere to the party, with a more lighthearted mood and a focus on celebration and joy.

An important consideration before you begin listing your wedding reception decoration ideas is your budget.  (Aren’t you already getting sick of that word!)  Unfortunately, budgets are a fact of life and you will almost certainly have to make some compromises.  Your reception will use approximately 50% of your total wedding budget, and the decorations will make up between 5% and 10% of that number.  So, plan accordingly!  There is no use spending hours lining up vendors for your table centerpieces and chair covers if you will end up having to make them yourself.

A few things that can have a big impact on your budget:  Live flowers and plants versus artificial, paying a professional decorator or florist versus creating the decorations yourself, and as you might expect, your willingness to negotiate.  Like many things in life, the prices for wedding services vary greatly and are never set in stone.  Interview several vendors for each service and pit them against each other to compete for your business.  If a price seems unreasonably high (or low) chances are you are not getting the full story.  Ask lots of questions and don’t be shy about asking for a discount.

Early in the process you will want to take some good photographs of the reception site.  Also, if you can, take a tape measure and some graph paper with you and get an accurate layout of the space.  This will help you immensely down the road when you begin planning the specific details and placement of your tables, chairs, and decorations.  Having this information at your fingertips will save you a lot of frustrating guesswork and ensure that everything fits where it is supposed to on your big day.

Coming up with great wedding reception decoration ideas does not have to be a cumbersome task, in fact with the right planning it can be a great deal of fun!  As you have seen, it is most important to come up with an idea of the mood and style you want the decorations to convey.  Once you have a style in mind, you need to clarify whether you want a traditional, romantic setting or a contemporary and festive party atmosphere.  Using these tips will help you develop some fantastic décor while staying within a reasonable budget for your wedding reception.

Wedding Reception Decorating Ideas

In our last article you saw how important it was to decide on a style and theme for your wedding reception decorating ideas, while managing the process within a reasonable budget.  Once you have decided an overall look and style, it is time to actually plan where and how the decorations will be displayed.  This article takes a look at some of the more common wedding reception decorating ideas and where you should focus your efforts.

Below are some important places to focus your wedding reception decorating ideas.

Entrance to the Reception Area

Often you will want to place a small table at the entrance of the reception with your guest book, signing pen, and some nice fresh flowers or topiaries.  Some other ideas to decorate this table might include a framed photo of the bride and groom, or even a large matted photo on an easel.  The matting can serve as a guest book instead of the traditional book format.  Another creative idea for your guests to sign in might be a scroll instead of a book.  If your reception has an overall theme, a large item that symbolizes the theme can be placed right at the entrance to give your guests an idea what lies inside.  For outdoor reception areas, place some festive torches at the entrance to act as a gateway.  Other gateway ideas might be potted trees, or large arrangements of balloons marking the entrance.

The Gift Table

The gift table should include any symbols of your wedding’s theme, but will not require too much additional decoration because the gifts will add a lot of color and variety themselves.  For monetary gifts and cards, be sure to have a nicely decorated box or fabric bag.  The table does not necessarily need to be a table, either.  Consider creative ideas that would go well with your theme, such as a small hammock for a tropical themed wedding reception.

Walls and Ceilings

When looking for wedding reception decorating ideas related to the walls and ceilings, the sky is truly the limit.  Certainly if you have a themed reception you will want a variety of decorations and objects that symbolize your theme.  For example, a Mexican fiesta themed wedding might include sombreros and blankets covering the walls.  You might consider traditional blankets or tapestries from your native country, or inflatable pool toys for a pool themed party.

Chairs

In many cases you will be renting metal folding chairs for your reception.  In that case it is pretty important to come up with some good wedding reception decorating ideas for your guest seating.  Often the rental company will supply ivory or white fabric chair covers for you, which will be considerably less expensive and time consuming than having to sew your own.  One creative idea is to fill a clear helium balloon with confetti or even a silk rose and tie one to the back of each chair.  Your guests can then take it home with them as a party favor.

Buffet Table

There are a number of ways to dress up the buffet table, and doing so is one of the best wedding reception decorating ideas.  Consider placing nice potted trees on either side or behind the table.  If there is room, candles are a nice addition to the table itself.  Skirt the table with a tablecloth that reaches all the way to the floor, which will give it a more solid and finished look.  One great idea is to place a fountain in the middle of the buffet table.  Whether regular water, or champagne or chocolate, the sound of the fountain will add a soothing and elegant feel to the reception.

As you can see, it is not difficult to come up with good wedding reception decorating ideas.  If you have selected an overall theme for the reception, then you are already half way there and many of the decorations will pick themselves for you.  For traditional weddings there are an abundance of tasteful and sophisticated options including colored and decorative candles and stylish cut flower displays.  The key is to develop a reasonable budget and ensure you are properly balancing your spending on the things that matter most.