How to Decorate a Large Wedding Venue

Large wedding venues can be intimate spaces.

Space planning is key to decorating large wedding venues. Make sure your decorative elements are in the right scale to the space. Otherwise they will drown in the vast emptiness. Make every corner functional and fill nooks and crannies with appropriate decor to maximize the space. Huge wedding venues can be overwhelming but with careful planning and design execution can provide an intimacy essential to a wedding celebration.

Instructions

1. Designate specific functional areas to define each corner of the large room and maximize the space. Create a floor plan so you'll know where to position the head or couple's table, the dance floor, the DJ's booth, a stage for performers, the cake table, cocktail tables and all the other guest tables. Add a bar area and a couple of lounge spaces to create little, more intimate nooks for guests to hang out.

2. Drape sheer fabrics from the ceiling. Large spaces with high ceilings need some kind of optical illusion to make the ceilings seem a little lower and make the space more intimate. Hang twinkle lights together with the fabrics or use paper lanterns, globe flowers or other decor to hang throughout the space to fill the void and create a more lavish setting.

3. Use intelligent lights to fill up the whole space with various colors and shapes. Intelligent lighting is also known as automated or mechanically controlled stage lighting which produces different shapes, colors and movement to create different moods in the space and fill an otherwise seemingly empty, huge venue, without having to put up too many decorations. Tell your supplier to light corners, plants and other decor as well, to make them come alive and add drama.

4. Fill the room with large, luscious blooms in a range of floral arrangements. Flowers can instantly fill and transform any space into a beautiful, elegant wedding venue. Add taller plants or trees to fill unused spaces and add greenery and life to the place.

5. Place an assortment of luminaries throughout the room. The dancing flames from votive candles in clear or colored glass holders lend the room a warmth and create a sense of intimacy in the space and among guests.

References

• Weddingbozeman.com: Decorating Your Wedding Venue
• Stumps: Basics of Decorating Large Venues

Resources

• The Wedding Decorator: Decorating the ceiling with fabric
• 84 West Studios: Wedding Lighting Decor