Credits : Grace Beaudy-Grenier & À la folie! Events

Wedding décor: What you need to know when designing your wedding

Wedding décor often falls behind in a couple’s priority list when planning their wedding. However, the décor is a very important component of a wedding as it sets the mood and atmosphere of your event. Furthermore, it is a great opportunity for the couple to share their love story, personality and/or common interests with their guests. Whether you want to do it yourself or hire a wedding planner, there are four elements you want to pay attention to, when designing your wedding: the wedding theme, style, color palette and decorations.

1) The theme of your wedding décor.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s wedding theme. Credit: Unknown. Found on Google

This has to do with setting, mood, and ambiance but more precisely, it will give personality to your event. Think of a hobby, favorite place, or common interest your couple shares together. For most people, choosing a theme is not important, but it will help inspire with choosing your stationary, cake design and favors. You can find a theme by:

• Picking a location: choose a place that is unique to the both of you. It could be where you first met, or where he popped the question, or places like the beach, a yacht, a garden, a popular city, etc. Hence, your venue could direct you towards your wedding theme. For instance, if your venue is a barn you could have a country wedding theme. On the other hand, you could also bring your special location to your venue and have a “Chicago wedding theme” in a Montreal reception hall.
• Looking within: I couldn’t have said it more beautifully than Kate Swem on her blog: “Write down words and key aspects that define you as a couple”. Your wedding theme is perfect to show off your travel adventures, your love of movies or your cultural background. Remember that your wedding theme should reflect your personality, who you are and what you love.

However, if you think there’s no need for a theme infused wedding, then focus more on your style and what you would love to have at your wedding.

2) The style of your wedding décor.

Chic industrial style wedding ceremony. Credit: Unknown. Found on Google.

A wedding style is what gives the wedding its look and feel. It will help define the overall look of your décor. Most times, a wedding style can be thought of as an adjective. As Lauren points it out on her blog, “it connotes an aesthetic feel when you hear about it”.

• For example your wedding style could be rustic, vintage, modern, romantic, bohemian, classic, glamour, etc. Moreover, a wedding style could derive from your theme. For instance, a medieval wedding could serve both as your theme and as your style! Keep in mind that your wedding style will help you narrow down your choices and keep them cohesive. Hence, it’ll help you stay clear of the faux pas while designing your décor.
• You can choose one style or a combination of styles. However, if you choose to mix different styles together, find the right balance and keep all elements cohesive between them. Fortunately enough, many websites have quizzes that can help you define your wedding style.

3) The color palette.

Gentle laconic palette. Shades of purple and lavender blend harmoniously with the pastel beige and gray-white. Credit: Pinterest

The color palette is a key aspect of your wedding: it enhances your style and/or theme. It adds to the mood of your wedding and so much more. Here are some steps to take, when choosing a color palette:

• Don’t let go of your priorities: what have you always imagined your wedding to look like? For instance, you have imagined your wedding overflowing with pink and white peonies. Let this be your focal point, everything you want to have in the setting must not clash with these colors. They should blend in perfectly, making your desire to see pink and white tastefully displayed.
• Let the season guide you: Your wedding colors can be inspired by the season you want to have your wedding at. When planning your color palette, think about the shade you would want to use to highlight the season.
• What colors do you love most? Take a look at your closet, what color of clothes and accessories appeal to you most? What about the colors and shades that inspire your home decor, colors that you can live with for a long time. Let that be a starting point when choosing your wedding colors.
• Research! Research! Research! The importance of research cannot be overemphasized. Look at magazines, friends’ weddings, art galleries, the internet, etc. All of these are sources of inspiration that could give you ideas of how art and design may help you see your colors in a new way.
• Finally, relax: Your wedding is a party, and while it’s good to have priorities, you need to let your hair down and not be too strict on the color code. Your color palette should be seen as a guideline, not a rule. Don’t be pressured into using all the right hues, and making sure that the colors at your wedding blend just so. Think of how the settings, texture, and mood in addition to your colors, combine to give you just what you would love. Have fun while planning!

4) The wedding decorations.

Credit: Grace Beaudry-Grenier & À la folie! Events

Of course, you know that decorations go a long way to convey your wedding style and theme. You have to know how the sitting arrangements would be, the placement of the lighting, how much or fewer flowers are needed, etc.

Wedding décor faux pas

Lots of faux pas are being made by couples as they select their theme, style and decor choices. You can mostly avoid so many decor mistakes by engaging with the services of a professional wedding designer. An event designer knows everything there is to know about designing a stunning decor. For its part, a wedding planner has a lot of experience in working with the people designing weddings. Therefore, planners could have suggestions and resources about details that could be overlooked by you. However, if you insist on doing it yourself, you need to take note of these common decor faux pas and avoid them:

• Tacky color schemes or inconsistent themes. You’ve got to do your best in making sure that your chosen theme is carried out consistently. Same goes with your colors. Using too many color scheme or different themes might make your ceremony seem a bit too much and make it look sloppy. You should look out for balance in your wedding decor above all else.
• Floral arrangements. Depending on your style, if you plan to use floral arrangements, be careful not to use too many or too little flowers. Too many may swallow the attraction of other details, getting your guests attention to remain solely on the flowers. Too little would give out the vibe that you are skimping on the flowers because of a small budget. You want to avoid this by finding a way to creatively use smaller arrangements if you’re indeed on a small budget.
• Little details should not be forgotten because they are still important in the scheme of things. So, check out your sitting arrangements, signs, invitation cards, guest list, transportation, music, menu, etc.

If you think you cannot handle all these details, as pointed earlier, get a wedding professional. It will spare you the hassle. Just ensure you know what theme, style and colors you want prevalent for your event.