The Ultimate Wedding Decor Checklist

So, you’ve set the date and found the perfect wedding venue – congratulations, but that’s really only the beginning.

Planning a wedding involves a lot of moving parts – and none more important than your venue dressing so, in this article, we’re saying I Do to the ultimate wedding decor checklist. 

Don’t fall foul of venue rules

Planning your wedding decor checklist is super exciting and you’ll no doubt have lots of great ideas but before you start raiding Etsy, you need to know the rules of your venue.

While some venues operate on an anything-goes basis, others have strict rules (particularly if the building is listed or protected).

Similarly, if you’re getting married in a church or other religious venue there will normally be some fairly rigid guidelines regarding your wedding decor checklist. It’s incredibly important to check this thoroughly before you start your decor shopping to avoid ending up with a cupboard full of stuff that you won’t be able to use. 

Nipping high costs in the bud

Floral arrangements are, of course, a staple of wedding decor – but they can also be extremely expensive. For this reason, it’s important to shop around to get the best deal. Armed with your wedding decor checklist, check out a number of different online and bricks and mortar suppliers to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

Perfect placement

Many people choose to have flowers throughout their wedding, including: 

• The Altar
• The registration table
• At the ends of the pews or rows of seating
• The reception tables (including, of course, the top table)
• Throughout the reception room – including a floral arch for the newly-weds arrival

Your floral arrangements are chosen to suit both your theme and your budget and these can vary from large showy arrangements of super-expensive roses and lilies to more modest displays of more affordable flowers such as tulips or carnations.

Arranging your arrangements

If you are ordering your flowers from a florist or broker, you will usually need to arrange with your florist for somebody to come to your venue to arrange the floral displays.

If this proves inconvenient or too expensive, you may want to ask a member of your wedding party, for example, a bridesmaid, to take care of this for you as the flowers will usually be delivered a couple of hours before your ceremony.

All in the planning

If you’re hiring a wedding planner, he or she will take care of these details – however, it’s essential that you co-ordinate properly with your planner to make sure that he or she knows exactly what you want from your wedding decor checklist.

Counting the cost

While all of this is great, this little lot will set you back around £1,100 – which is a fair chunk of change whichever way you look at it.

If your budget is tight, don’t be afraid to cut costs by combining your fresh flowers with artificial ones – these days, you can get some incredibly realistic faux flowers which will help you to stretch your budget further.

Top tip – If you are ordering flowers which you intend to arrange at the venue yourself, avoid using the word “wedding”. It’s common knowledge unfortunately that, the moment the “W” word is used, the cost will skyrocket.

A sign of things to come

Signage is a pivotal part of your ceremony if you don’t want your guests wandering about aimlessly or playing musical chairs. Your signage and stationery checklist will include: 

• Wedding sign – to be placed at the door of your ceremony room and reception room (super important if your venue is holding more than one wedding that day)
• Seating chart – When planning your wedding, you will need to create a seating chart for your guests to ensure that everybody is seated with somebody that they know (and, more importantly, that you don’t have any arch enemies on the same table). Your seating chart should be placed inside the reception room so that guests can check to see which table they are on
• Name cards – These are placed by each table setting so that guests know where to sit. Many people choose to include the menu on the reverse side of the card. You can also add some creative engagement favors alongside them.
• Guest book – While not obligatory, a lot of couples like to have guests sign a book as a lasting memory of the day

Your venue may include some of these items as part of your wedding package, however, wedding signs are usually not included. Don’t worry though, you can have these made relatively cheaply on sites such as Etsy.

Lovely Linens

If you’re holding a wedding reception (or wedding breakfast as it’s known), you will no doubt require linens. In most cases, your venue will supply the following – however, options will often be limited and so, if the choices available don’t match your theme, you may need to negotiate with the venue or supply your own: 

Wedding linen checklist

• Tablecloths
• Napkins
• Chair covers
• Chair sashes

If you need to source any of your linens yourself, this can be quite expensive however, your first port of call should be wedding and bridal forums and social media groups as, often, couples will resell their wedding items after their happy day.

Sale or rent?

Alternatively, it is usually possible to rent linens which can be a fairly cost effective option – as long as your guests are well behaved and don’t damage them, in which case you may find yourself facing a hefty penalty charge.

Front and centre for your wedding decor checklist

Now that you’ve got our linens laid out, there’s a good chance that you’ll want to finish your tables with a centre-piece. These come in all shapes and sizes – from the discreet candle cluster to eye-popping pieces such as miniature trees and chandeliers.

When choosing a centrepiece, size matters.

While your centre-piece should be the focal point of your table, you don’t want it to be so big or wide that your guests have to become contortionists in order to have a conversation with the person sitting opposite them.

The perfect height

Keeping your centre-pieces at a height below eye level is a good rule of thumb to create a statement piece which still allows guests to interact. 

A look at lighting

Although your venue will, of course, have lights, a significant number of couples like to provide extra – particularly for the evening reception.

What kind of lighting ?

Such lighting can include disco lights and extra spotlights if the venue is especially dark in places. Some couples also enjoy having bespoke lighting features for the wedding such as “Mr & Mrs” or other slogans in neon.

Memorial Table

Sadly, for many couples, there will be an empty space in their hearts – and on their tables – during their wedding. A great many couples decide to include a memorial table for their lost loved ones.

Making memories

Often, this is as simple as asking the venue to make a small table available during the ceremony and during the reception on which you can display photographs of those guests who sadly cannot be there for your special day.

Special Decor

Everybody wants their wedding to be unique as far as is possible and, as such, retailers do a roaring trade in special features which can include:

Types of special decor

• Floral or neon arches
• Disco balls
• Photograph displays

While these may not be to everybody’s taste, they can add an element of fun to the proceedings as well as a unique touch which is important to a lot of couples.

Special decor and staying within the rules

Again, it is essential that you first check with your venue to make sure that these special features are permitted. Once you have permission, it’s worth shopping around for these items as they can be expensive new but bargains can be had by buying second-hand or renting in order to keep your wedding decor checklist items as inexpensive as possible.

Safety first

If buying or renting electrical items such as neon features, always buy from a reputable company to avoid your wedding going up in smoke!

Thinking about themes

When it comes to choosing a colour scheme for your wedding, you’ll probably have one or two ideas in mind already. As great as this is, you may come unstuck if your theme clashes wildly with the decor of your venue.

Venue comes first

Your venue will almost certainly be the biggest decision that you will make for your wedding – and the biggest cost. For this reason, its’ a really good idea to first choose your venue (a decision which will involve balancing location, facilities and cost) before committing to a colour theme.

A timely reminder

Once you’ve chosen your perfect venue, visit at least once or twice and take photographs of each room or area that will be used for your wedding. You will then be able to make a more informed decision when it comes to the colours on your wedding decor checklist.

For the reasons listed above, your choice of venue should always be prioritised over your choice of colours so, as disappointing as it may be, you may find that you have to alter your colour scheme a little (or a lot).

Handling your decor with decorum

Now that you’ve made it to the end of this article, we’re sure you’ll agree that there’s an awful lot to think about when it comes to your wedding decor checklist. Don’t despair though – first figure out what your venue will (and will not) be provided as this will help to whittle your list down a little. Next, ask friends and family to lend a hand with the planning to help lighten your load.

Set up a shared spreadsheet or document to make it easy for everyone involved to see at a glance what’s been done and what’s still outstanding on your wedding decor checklist.

One of the best ways to make your wedding go smoothly is to give yourself plenty of time – not only will this help you to ensure that you have everything covered but it will also help you to spread your budget more effectively – meaning that you won’t be starting your married life off broke.