Wedding Decoration Ideas for a Memorable Reception

Deciding how to decorate your wedding reception is a huge decision. After all, your wedding reception often encompasses a variety of events, from traditions like the bouquet toss to guest receiving lines, to From unique, themed wedding decorations to DIY wedding decorations, the possibilities are truly endless when you’re planning how to decorate your wedding reception. Most importantly, you need to have a vision for your wedding. You should know what wedding style you want to adopt and what colors, decorations, and flowers you want to include. (If you are feeling at a loss when it comes to your wedding style, spend some time scrolling on Pinterest for inspiration!) Here are just a few ideas you can consider to make your wedding reception even more memorable and special.

DIY Decorations

DIY wedding decorations are always a popular hit for crafty and budget-conscious brides. Not only are DIY projects more affordable, but they can also bring a personalized touch to your wedding reception. You can always choose your DIY projects according to your wedding vision and DIY skills/expertise to make your experience easier and more enjoyable. DIY projects often make for cheap wedding decorations, but that doesn’t mean they have to look cheap. You can make stunning DIY decorations that look like they’ve been professionally made.

Wood Flower Decor Kits

If you want to have beautiful flowers at your reception, try using a wood flower decor kit. There are many different decorations you can make using these kits including bouquets, centerpieces, wedding favors, and more. These kits will have all the supplies you need to easily create a stunning, romantic decoration. Plus, wood flowers don’t need to be watered and will stay beautiful for years. So, you can create your wood flower decorations beforehand instead of waiting to arrange your fresh flowers at the last minute.

Custom Signage

You can save a lot of money by making your own custom signs for your wedding. After all, you might have a lot of signs you need such as a seating chart, schedule, table numbers, name places, and more. Chalkboards can help you to make beautiful, affordable, and reusable signs. You can also stain or paint pieces of wood to use for wedding signs. If you’re having a tropical, outdoor wedding, you can even make your DIY wedding signs out of reclaimed driftwood. Pieces of driftwood can be strung together to create a beachy schedule sign that will be stylish and helpful. A DIY, hand-lettered wedding sign has a certain sense of charm and romance that you’ll love to see at your reception.

Unique Guest Book Ideas

Another easy and purposeful DIY project that you can make is a unique guest book. Instead of putting together and ordering a traditional photobook for your guest book, try a more unique idea. For example, you can set up a polaroid station and let your guests take a polaroid picture that they can sign and add to a picture book or wall. If you love to travel, you could set out a big, vintage globe or a collection of postcards that your guests can sign. You could even repurpose a welcome sign by allowing your guests to sign it as they leave. These unique guest books can also serve as unique decor pieces that will bring your reception style together.

DIY Centerpieces

You can quickly and easily put together beautiful centerpieces for your wedding reception by collecting lots of small, beautiful pieces that will work well together. For example, you can start off by putting down a swag of fabric or a slice of rustic wood. Then, use vintage glassware as bud vases with some small, pretty blossoms. Small sprigs of greenery or fairy lights can add a magical touch to your affordable and beautiful centerpieces. You can add framed pictures or polaroids for a personal touch. Try testing out your centerpiece arrangements at home to find the style that you love.

Outdoor Decorations

If your reception is going to be held outdoors, you need to be thinking of outdoor wedding decorations that will look beautiful and withstand any possible weather conditions. For example, make sure your whimsical lighting is installed in a stable and weather-proof way. You should also choose floral decorations that aren’t going to easily fall apart with a gust of wind. For this reason, many brides choose to set up tents or pavilions if they know there is a chance of inclement weather on their wedding day. These are some gorgeous ideas for outdoor wedding decorations. However, don’t miss the chance to use the natural beauty of your outdoor venue as part of your decorations. Take advantage of the beauty of the natural setting and add to it with free-flowing flowers, natural wood elements, and more.

Floral Decorations

Flowers are always a huge part of a wedding reception. They add a whimsical, romantic touch that simply can’t be beaten. Don’t forget floral decorations when you’re looking at your reception venue and planning your decorations. Choose certain parts of the venue that you’d like to spruce up with floral arrangements or swags of greenery. As a more affordable option, you could use your bridesmaid bouquets or ceremony decorations to make repurposed table centerpieces for your reception. Hanging ceremony chair flowers or aisle installations could also be repurposed to decorate your dance floor or reception seating. A flower arch is also a classic and gorgeous decoration that you can repurpose from your ceremony and use as part of your receiving line. Recently, many brides have also been decorating their venues from above with unique ceiling floral installations. Overhead clouds of fluffy baby’s breath and romantic hydrangeas create a magical, showstopping look that your guests will love.

Pro tip: If you have really bold, unique wedding colors and are worried about finding flowers that will match, use wood flowers instead of fresh flowers! Wood flowers can be dyed to match any color and have hundreds of special color combinations to choose from. Your personalized wedding vision will come to life when you use flowers that match your colors perfectly.

2023 Decoration Trends

While the saying “less is more” has been deemed true in years past, 2023 weddings will be showcasing lots of maximalist styles and decoration trends. From glitzy, old-Hollywood touches to retro disco styles to vibrant colors and Barbicore, all of the most dramatic decorations you can think of will be “in.” Neon phrase signs are also very popular, and there are many creators that can help you to make a custom size with a phrase or name of your choice. If you aren’t into the vibrant colors and glamorous textures of these maximalist styles, don’t worry. The western rustic decor style will also be rising in popularity. This trend builds off of the neutral, nature-inspired, boho decor style that has been so popular over the past few years. However, the western rustic decor style leans more fully into old western inspiration with fringe, macrame, raw wood elements, terracotta tones, boho rugs, and more. If you’re getting married this year, don’t forget to look into these 2023 wedding reception decoration trends.

So, if you’re trying to plan a wedding reception that will be stunning, memorable, and iconic, remember the tips in this article! Using ideas that match your wedding vision and desired aesthetic will help you to achieve the wedding decor style of your dreams. If you need more wedding decoration ideas, check out this article from the Knot.