Transform your reception room

One of the best things about planning a wedding is putting your own stamp on the day, and that includes your reception venue. Whether you’ve chosen a simple village hall or an ornate historic mansion, you’ll want to adapt it to fit with your style and theme, and add some special details to give guests that sense of excitement. But where do you start? And how do you cover up any bits you don’t like?

Where to start
Once you’ve chosen your venue, start to think about the colours you’d like to use throughout your day. Create a moodboard by cutting out pictures of flowers, cakes, centrepieces, table setups and lighting ideas from old magazines. Stick them around a photo of your reception room to get a feel for what works with the space.

Getting practical
After you’ve had some fun being creative, it’s time to get practical. “Go through your ideas and thoughts with the venue coordinator,” says Stacey-Marie Chalk who runs Cherry Topped Bespoke Weddings. “There may be restrictions on what you can do, and they will have experience of what does and doesn’t work in the room.”

Problem areas
If your reception room poses a particular problem – such as having a carpet that doesn’t match your chosen colour scheme – there are some simple decorating ideas that can help transform the room.

“Don’t despair if you’ve fallen in love with a venue but the décor doesn’t match your scheme,” says Kirsten Butler, who runs styling service The Little Wedding Helper. “If the carpet really is an awful colour, draw your guests’ eyes away from the floor and up. Use tall centrepieces with bold colours, along with bunting, paper pom poms or hanging birdcages to create a ceiling of colour that moves the focus upwards.
"Curtains can also be a problem – don’t be afraid to ask if they can be taken down, or have them pulled right back so that very little of the colour is visible.”

Styling on a budget
If your venue is very large, you might be worried about how you’ll afford to fill the space with enough flowers and decorations to make it feel ‘full’. “Strings of fairy lights are a cheap and cheerful decoration to add to fireplaces, bay trees and entrances,” advises Stacie-Marie. “They can make a big room feel cosy and add a bit of wow-factor.

“Ribbon can also be bought very cheaply in colours to match your wedding. Tie onto door handles, and backs of chairs for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, and even try laying it across the wedding breakfast tables instead of hiring expensive table runners. This can also help to tie in the colours of your wedding day in a consistent and elegant way.”

Getting personal

Even if your reception room poses none of these problems, you’ll want to make it feel like it’s your own for the day. The most memorable weddings are often those that give a real sense of ‘you’, with quirky or fun touches to make guests smile.

Vintage props are great for creating your own little personalised area, for example. “Set up an old table with a vintage typewriter, photos of you or of your parents on their wedding day, and a guest book for people to leave you notes,” suggests Kirsten. “What makes a good room great is not only about décor – it’s about you as a couple!”