Décor
Get inspired by stunning décor ideas for your wedding ceremony and reception, including table settings, centerpieces, lighting, and more.
Wedding décor turns a venue into the setting you pictured, through table settings, centerpieces, lighting, flowers, and signs. It is easy to overspend, so decide which details guests will notice most and put your budget there.
The guides in this section cover popular styles, choosing décor that fits your venue, and weighing DIY against hiring a professional. Measure your space and plan the layout early, so you only buy what you need.
The Most Popular Wedding Decoration Styles (And How to Choose the Right One for You)
Spend Where Guests Will Look
Guests spend most of the evening looking at three things: the table in front of them, the ceiling or sky above it, and whatever sits behind the couple. Put the budget there first. A single strong feature, such as a backdrop for the ceremony or a long run of candles down the center of each table, reads better than ten small touches spread thin.
Start by asking what the venue already gives you. A room with good bones, such as exposed brick, tall windows or a garden, needs less added to it. A blank hall needs more, and the cost is mostly lighting, because bare walls and bright overhead light flatten any decoration you add.
Lighting Before Flowers
Warm, low light does more for a room than a large flower order. String lights, candles and a few well-placed uplights hide a plain ceiling and make a table look finished. Check the venue's rules on open flame first. Many venues ban real candles and allow battery ones, which look close enough from a few feet away.
Scale And Seasons
Measure the tables before you pick centerpieces. A tall arrangement blocks the conversation across a round table, while a low one disappears on a long banquet table. Flowers that are in season where you're marrying cost less and last longer in the heat, and a supplier can tell you what's growing nearby in your month.
If the ceremony is outdoors, plan decoration around wind and sun as well as looks. Lightweight signs blow over and paper decorations curl in damp air. Our wedding weather pages show how many wet and hot days to expect in a given month, which is worth checking before you commit to an outdoor setup.
Who Sets It Up
Decide early who will place and clear everything on the day. A florist or planner usually does it as part of the order. If friends are doing it, give them a written layout and a start time, and don't ask anyone who's in the wedding party to carry boxes at four o'clock. For style ideas to react to, the guide to popular decoration styles is a good place to pin down what you actually like.