Wedding receptions are very much the other highlight for any wedding, after the ceremony. Sometimes the reception is even more anticipated than the ceremony as it is just a dignified name for a party hosted by the newly-weds.
And for wedding reception decorations, you can decide between the conservative and the flamboyant, traditional and contemporary – types of décor vary with the different personalities of the couples. To decide on the type of décor for your reception, you have to take into account a few important factors like venue, space, theme, budget, accessibility of materials, weather/climate and type of guests. All these play a part in deciding the kind of decoration you can and should use for your party.
Where you hold your reception is likely to determine the amount of decoration needed. A hotel ballroom will require very different décor from an alfresco backdrop, because you can afford to be more adventurous with your ideas in a casual surrounding. Space is another important factor – needless to say, the bigger the space, the more décor and creativity are needed.
Your theme is also the deciding factor for the type of decoration you may intend to use. An Outer Space theme, for example, will definitely require more silver tinsel and glitter than candles, while a Tropical theme will require no glitter but lots of palms. And how much décor you can afford to have will all depend on how much you want to spend on them. As always, the bigger the budget, the more generous you can be with your materials and the more materials you will have to play with.
One of the biggest difficulties in deciding on reception décor is how easy or difficult it would be to obtain that particular material. If it is too difficult to get 5-foot glittered stars or 1-foot palm trees, you may have to change your décor altogether and make do with some other prop. If you do have to order your materials online, this is something you will have to consider doing about 2 months in advance, depending on how perishable the item is.
Your weather or climate where you are holding the reception is important. A Tropical theme for a reception in Ottawa in December may be the most difficult thing to carry out, especially when you would find it very tough to look for palm trees and despite central heating, your guests may just be a little cold in their cotton tropical shirts. Likewise, an Ice Age theme in sunny Bali may just see your centerpieces melting, even before the party is halfway through. And boosting up with air-conditioning will just freeze your guests.
An unlikely factor on the reception decoration is the type of guests you will be having. If the bulk of your guest list is young, energetic, adventurous or unconventional, you can be allowed to be more daring in your décor. Using bold art centerpieces and semi-naked sculptures may not be deemed unwarranted. However, if most of your guests are elderly and belong to a more “exclusive” crowd, you may wish to rein in your enthusiasm a little and be slightly more old-school in your approach.
Whether you decide to be more traditional or contemporary is a personal choice. Traditional decorations use a lot of the colors white, off-white and ivory – white and its relations being the color of joy and new beginnings. Traditional types of décor focus mainly on drapes, candles, floral arrangements on main and side tables, and entranceway. More contemporary types of ornamentation use multi-colored table runners, chair covers, unique candle-holders and sometimes, the unlikely statuette in the middle of the table. Contemporary styles and types of décor drift further away from the conventional look of a typical wedding. These are also usually more difficult and expensive to achieve. Use contemporary décor wisely as too much may alienate your guests – it would be like they were in a foreign place and not at your reception.
In some societies, you may find that you will be expected to have a traditional, cultural wedding and reception. If this is your case, then choosing some contemporary pieces to add on to these traditional must-haves may be your ticket to stamping your personality into the event. You may wish to have 2 separate and very different types of reception to cater to different guests.
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