Most couples want to put some kind of unique spin on their wedding venue décor. For one couple that might mean asking a florist to make up unique centrepieces, for others it's a DIY extravaganza, with everything from personalised name cards to a self-built photobooth.
But regardless of whether you're going for minimum effort or maximum impact, you probably have at least a few questions about how to set up your wedding, especially if you don't have a wedding planner.
If you've ever seen cool signage, festoon lights or fun wedding favours among our real weddings, and wondered about the logistics behind making them happen, then you need to keep reading. Who sets the tables? When do the centrepieces go out? Can you get into the room the night before? And what do you do with all the stuff the next day? We've got the low-down on all these questions about how to set up your wedding, and more, below.
1. Talk To Your Venue
Before you start worrying about what time to drop off your bunting, and who will place the cake topper on the cake, have a chat with your venue. Some venue co-ordinators and their teams will look after everything, while others are less hands-on; most are somewhere in-between. Tell your venue about what you have in mind, and go into detail, however basic or bananas you think your ideas might be. Read this post for a steer on what you can realistically expect your wedding co-ordinator to do, and what requires a wedding planner.
Questions to ask your venue about the decor and venue set up:
- When will we have access to the room?
- What time will the tables be set-up and ready to decorate?
- When can we drop our décor items off, and who will be there to take them?
- Will anyone be helping with set-up, and if so, when and how can we instruct them in what we want?
- Are we allowed to hang decorations or lights on the walls or ceiling?
- What are we allowed/not allowed to use to hang these things?
- Will you deal directly with suppliers like florists, bakers or rental companies?
- Do we need to hire professionals for certain tasks (eg: hanging lights or ceiling décor)?
- Are there rules about the take-down and how long you can store our items?
- Will there be events in our room the day before or after our wedding?
2. Call In The Professionals
You might not think you need to hire a wedding planner simply to hang a few decorations on the day and dress the tables, but there are lots of professionals who specialise in just that.
Wedding stylists, day-of planners and florists can all work on venue set up and decoration on the day of your wedding. Not only is this service often more affordable than you might think, but the execution will be fast and flawless, you'll have use of the professionals props and set-up tools, and most importantly, you'll have zero stress about the venue set-up on the morning of your wedding. Professionals tend to liaise directly with the venue too, so you don't have to do a thing.
We'd definitely recommend hiring a stylist, or a florist or planner who styles, if you have a tight turn-around with your venue, want to change up the room a lot between the ceremony and reception, or are planning décor that's in any way ambitious. Find out more about the roles of different professionals on your wedding day here.
3. Do a Mock-Up of Your Tables and Take Photos
Whether you're planning to do the venue set up yourself, or you're handing it over to someone else, try to do a dry run beforehand to see how it's all going to look. This won't be as easy to do without rental props or fresh flowers, but if you have most of the elements together, do your best to set up a sample table and take photos of how it should look, with shots of the centrepieces or runners and the individual place settings.
We suggest putting the décor items in clear plastic boxes - a different one for each table or decor element, with the photo of how you want them to look on the front. This will make setting up on the day quick and painless!
4. Choose the Right Helpers (And Leave Clear Instructions)
Whether it's your venue or a friend who is helping to set up your wedding, leave a step-by-step guide to what goes where, and as we mentioned, photos are definitely advisable.
If you're calling in the troops to help, or handing over the venue set up entirely to a friend or family member (this is a great job to delegate!), it's also pretty important to choose the right person. While your creative pal might have a flair for décor, you don't want them to take over and decorate your wedding to their tastes.
Alas, we've heard a few horror stories of friends who took it upon themselves to change things up, much to the couple's dismay. The best person to help with decorating is someone who'll follow your instructions by the letter. Ask someone who isn't otherwise involved in the wedding, better still who isn't even a guest, so they're not rushing to make it to the ceremony on time.
5. Have a Good Tool Kit
We've written a whole post on what's in a professional wedding stylist's kit, so make sure you have all the essentials ready to go before you get to your venue. Setting up your wedding décor can be stressful enough without having a mad scramble for white tac or fishing line.
6. Leave More Time Than You Think
We cannot stress this enough: however long you might think it will take to set up your venue and style your wedding, double it, triple it, maybe even quadruple check it if you're planning to do it yourself.
Finicky things like hanging festoon lights, blowing up balloons, or tying lots of bows, in particular, can end up taking a lot longer than you think.
Couples sometimes have notions of getting to the venue at 8am for the set up then heading off at 10am for hair and makeup. Try to get into the venue the day before, just in case there's a problem, so you have time to solve it, or to call in help.
7. Do What You Can In Advance
Do as much prep as you can in advance. Whether it's folding ceremony programs, tying twine on napkins, or sticking tea lights in lanterns, all those little bits take time, so if there's anything you can prep in the days and weeks before the wedding, do it!
8. Have a Next-Day Plan
Taking down your wedding décor with a hangover is not something most couples want to contemplate before they've even walked down the aisle, but, however you decide to do things, it's important to have a plan of action. Talk to your venue about what will happen with all your décor and any items left behind after the wedding, where they will be stored, and how long you have to collect them.
Some venues may be quite strict about taking down lights, or collecting the remaining décor, so before you jet off on honeymoon, make sure you've delegated someone to do any remaining collections or dismantling.
