Wedding Reception Ideas

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We're all about the wedding details—cakes, flowers, monogrammed invites, and more. Most importantly, though, we absolutely love incredible lighting. For us, lighting is the single most important décor element at any wedding, and while this element may sound more functional than fun, that's definitely not the case. The bulbs and candles you select (whether they're simple votives or over-the-top chandeliers) are what will ultimately light your perfect venue, make your photos pop, and keep the party going after the sun goes down.

When planning your event, take a moment to think about your priorities and create a lighting plan around them. For instance, if you're a foodie bride who envisions a wine-fueled night under the stars, consider hanging string lights above the reception area or placing a long line of taper candles down the middle of each table. Both would spotlight the night's main show (the food) and keep your guests in their seats way past the final course.

Wedding Decoration Ideas You'll Totally Love

How amazing is this photo? We love how the ceiling of lights defines the dinner space, while also creating the look of a starry sky (even in daylight).

This photo proves why string lights are a great choice for any wedding reception. The dainty lights above work especially well because they're easily strung through an existing trellis of greenery.

An assortment of lanterns has the ability to create a unique, open-air dinner setting. You can choose to stick to neutrals (á la the above photo) or opt for lanterns that match the theme of your wedding.

Fabulous Ideas For A Wedding Reception In Winter

At this Austin real wedding, the couple chose to create a ceiling with greenery, string lights, and white draping. The result? An ultra-modern design that exudes casual elegance.

You will always make a statement with an eye-catching light fixture. As pictured above, the antique bronze chandelier is perfect for those who want their wedding reception to feel like an at-home dinner party.

We can't get enough of this light-filled scene. The balance of taper candles, banquet tables, and bistro lights make for a perfect dinner setup.

Unique Wedding Reception Ideas To Wow Your Guests

These cool chandelier orbs are perfect for both a Restoration Hardware showroom and a modern wedding reception. Nonetheless, we absolutely love them filled with greenery against a sleek white backdrop.

This might sound obvious, but you should use lighting to show off your beautiful venue details. Here, golden spot lights are used along the perimeter of the dinner space to highlight the lovely stone walls.

Don't forget to illuminate the outside of your space, especially if you're pitching a tent in the middle of a dark field. Here, Tara Guérard Soirée lined the edges of this white-draped tent, with pillar candles in tall glass vases.

Wedding Reception Ideas For 2023

At this multi-day Italian real wedding, floral designer Vincenzo Dascanio brought the outside indoors with this incredible greeny ceiling fixture. Talk about a statement-making moment!

Don't forget to light up the tricky areas where your guests will gather after dark, like staircases and paths to the bathrooms and bar. That being said, we can

Now here's a unique idea: Set up your tables around a well-lit tree. We're obsessed with how this light setting draws your eyes to the center of the room for a memorable and unique design.

Stunning Fairy Lights Wedding Reception Ideas

If chandeliers are your thing, think outside the box by hanging them at your outdoor venue. We love this unexpected take at an Amalfi Coast real wedding.

When you spend months curating the perfect venue, it's best to use candles of varying heights that show off your handiwork. In this photo, these tall pillar vases and mini votives do just the trick.

Trees are a great way to display your lights, as further highlighted in the above photo. We especially love the atypical tree design, which effortlessly works well with the caged hanging lights.

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At this elegant backyard bash, a cluster of Moroccan-inspired lanterns kept the open-air tent well lit into the night. Plus, the silver hue added a metallic accent up above, which was coordinated with the marble-inspired table settings.

Talk about a statement installation. Here, an unexpected mix of antique chandeliers and flowing greenery make for one serious photo op moment.

This photo is yet another reminder of how to use lighting to highlight your space. The dozens of candles accentuate the natural beauty of the ceremony site and are a wonderful complement to the white florals.

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Tall candelabras do double duty in that they add light and height to your tabletops. At this wedding, white candles, mixed with white linen tablecloths, allow the gold accents (and candlelight) to be the focal point.

When it comes to dance floors, don't underestimate the power of a retro disco ball. After all, let's be honest, who doesn't want to be in the middle of this dance floor?As anyone who’s ever been engaged knows, after the fizz of Champagne-induced bliss wears off, the stress begins. Amid the chorus of felicitations. you’ll be faced with the barrage of inevitable questions from prying friends and family members: Where and when are you getting hitched? And even once those questions are settled, you’ll be tasked with myriad decisions on how the hell to decorate the joint, from big-picture details like color schemes and table configurations to stuff as minute as hem-stitched napkins and the font size of those place cards. At this point, the only thing you’re wanting to have and to hold is your sanity and an intact credit score.

The trick, according to top New York wedding planner Fallon Carter, is to start early in your planning process. “I always tell our clients to find a venue that has enough ambience so you have to bring in very minimal decor, ” she tells ELLE DECOR, “and all you are bringing in is helping to elevate the space.” Carter, who once hiked up a mountain in Peru in pursuit of the perfect local flora, also recommends leveraging what’s already there for an effortless wedding look. “I am trying to be authentic to the space we are in. I also have a sustainability focus so don’t want to bring in too many things.”

Stunning Wedding Reception Decoration Ideas To Steal

We could turn you loose to the wilds of Pinterest for additional inspiration. Instead, we’ve tapped Fallon and three more of the most coveted names in wedding planning to provide some unique and utterly gorgeous wedding decor ideas to enjoy your big day in style.

At this outdoor California garden wedding, guests—at the trill of a trumpet fanfare—were led to this gorgeous alfresco spread from New York and Charleston, South Carolina–based event designer Augusta Cole. The

Planner styled the table with freshly plucked sherbet shades with more silvery hues of celadon (as seen in the Ginori chargers from Theoni Rentals) and zinc-colored chairs to play off stone found in the classical landscape. “Our floral punch was rich with cheerful sorbet and melon tone dahlias, garden roses, Japanese ranunculus, and stone fruits, ” says Cole, who worked with florist Kathleen Deery to pull off the look. Candlelight and the setting sun, meanwhile, sparkled among clear glassware and candle hurricanes.

Wedding Reception Decoration Ideas For Small Spaces

We’ve all been to events where a dramatic centerpiece—beautiful as it may be—blocks the view of the guest across from us. At this wedding hosted in a historic Charleston, South Carolina, home,

–approved event planner G. Blake Sams of Gregory Blake Sams Events moved the most lush centerpiece to a rattan corner pedestal. “We filled rattan Medici pedestals from Atelier Vime Editions with florals and greenery to add scale and warmth, ” Sams tells us. “We also recommend designing low and layered tablescapes to allow conversation to flow easily.”

Approved wedding planner Fallon Carter. “If you’re working in a space with tons of greenery, balance your color.” In the case of this reception set in an apple orchard, Carter and her team contrasted the fresh green surroundings with a soft palette of white, cream, and soft pinks. Apple pies and bowls of apples bring additional country charm to the setting. “The table looks as if it’s always been there, ” Carter adds.

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Event planner Bryan Rafanelli knows a thing or two about pulling off events of presidential proportions: Not only has he created holiday decorations for the Obamas, but he also designed Naomi Biden’s recent White House nuptials. For this glamorous wedding, at the Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel in Montecito, California, he set up an epic, flower-framed aisle oriented toward the ocean. “We also wanted the ceremony to be laid out in the round so that the couple could feel their friends’ and families’ love surrounding them, ” Rafanelli tells ELLE DECOR.

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