There is nothing more magnificent than entering your wedding reception to see all those wonderful decorations covering the whole room and turning it into a magical wonderland. But this doesn’t have to be in some reception chamber in a hotel or rented out hall, with a little creativity you could have your perfectly directed wedding reception in your own home.
If you are trying to save money or if you just want a lovely intimate, homely wedding reception then your own home is the best place. It’s somewhere you’re already comfortable with and your bed is just a few paces away at the end of the day.
How do you create that amazing reception feel?
Clean your house
A few days before the wedding you need to make sure that your house is completely cleaned. If you don’t want to have to do this yourself, then hiring a professional cleaner is a must. Guests are coming to your house for your wedding, they don’t want to come into a dusty, cluttered house. If you’re happy to do the pre-cleaning it may be wise to hire professionals to clean up the morning after; it’s not very romantic cleaning up dried sticky wine spots the day after your wedding.
Don’t wait until the last minutes to put up the decorations
You don’t want to spend your wedding day putting up decorations. So take a few days beforehand getting everything just the way you want it. That way you are not adding to the stress of your day. Plus walking into the room the morning of your wedding will be all that more magical if it all set up ready and waiting.
Cover the ceiling
Ceilings can draw the eye and most are drab and boring. Make yours extra special by either draping the ceiling with light fabrics or by hanging lanterns.
Use a feature in the room to make a focal point
Highlight a feature in the room to make it stand out. For example with a fireplace you could adorn the mantle with garlands and fill the fireplace itself with candles.
Add ribbons and covers to plain areas
If you have a bannister, numerous dining room chairs or up-lighters wrap ribbon around them to add a simple touch of elegance. With tables or counter tops, cover these with fabric that matches your theme or colours.
Dress up what you have
If you are one of those people that over the years has accumulated vases then this is the perfect opportunity to put them to good use. Fill clear ones with white Christmas lights and fill others with flowers and spread them all over the house.
Use music to set the atmosphere
As the guests are arriving, just like every wedding, you should consider ideas for having music playing in the background. Making sure it’s not too loud that it drowns out the voices of your guests in such an intimate setting.
Put up signs
Some guests may not know your house well so put up signs so that they know where everything is. You could make this as creative as you like, perhaps cork or chalk boards, with arrows pointing to bathrooms, drinks table, food and the exit. Signs are also a good idea for doors you don’t want opened. Feel free to let your guests know that some rooms are out of bounds; it is after all your home.
Display family photos
What a lovely way to celebrate your wedding day by creating a wall of photographs of your family and their wedding days. Decorative and a conversation starter for your guests.
Use food and drink as a decoration
As you may not have the table space for a sit down meal in your home, a great idea for food is to have a buffet style selection that people can help themselves to. Decorate work top surfaces with platters of food, bowls of various shapes and sizes filled with food of differing textures and colours. This could include a selection of wedding cupcakes as an alternative to a large wedding cake and would fall in line perfectly with the more relaxed atmosphere in your home.
Conclusion
There are many ways to decorate your home to create that fabulous wedding reception feel without having to spend a lot of money or going to too much effort. Using features that you love in your home and making them a focal point to draw your guests’ eye is a fantastic way to produce the atmosphere you are looking for.
Candles, lights and flowers are the easiest way to set the scene for a magnificent wedding reception, but don’t forget, as it’s your home you know which areas to highlight for the best effect.
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