Unique Ideas for Decorating for Both Indoor and Outdoor Wedd

Brides are always looking for fresh ideas for wedding decorations that are simple, inexpensive and, as a benefit, can be used again at the reception or later in their home. Here are some ideas to consider.

Decorating Ideas for the Exterior of the Wedding Locale

• Remember the exterior of the locale needs decorating as well as the interior. Something as simple as laying a red carpet runner down the outside stairs of the church, or placing inexpensive terra-cotta pots filled with colorful flowers on each church stair leading up to the doors. The pots can be reused at the reception.
• For an outdoor wedding if it is at a family locale, have a skillful gardener shape the bushes and hedges into angels, cupids or hearts. Alternatively, shape potted bushes for a less permanent option.
• Another cost-effective idea for outdoor weddings is to take inexpensive bushel baskets, paint them apple green and fill them with white hydrangeas that can be hand grown quickly.

Easy Aisle and Pew Decorations

• A nice idea is to run floral garlands between the entrances of the pews or chairs so that guests will enter the pew from the other side and not from the main aisle, reserving that for the wedding party and the bride and groom.
• Alternatively, string rows of tiny silver bells or other beaded garlands. All of these garlands can be reused to decorate the head table and gift table.
• To nicely light the aisles, place battery tea candles (for safety reasons) in small glass containers on the floor at the end of each pew or row of seating. This is particularly nice for an evening wedding.
• An easy way to hang decorations on pews or church doors is to purchase over the door hooks (normally the same width as a pew) or wreath hangers available from any hardware store. Just wrap the metal part of the hook in a matching fabric.
• For an outdoor wedding, use tall pyramid shaped trellises, covered in ivy and flowers, as pillars at the start of the aisle and on either side of the officiant. There are also trellises shaped as hearts
• Again, for an outdoor wedding, a simple way to distinguish the aisle is to scatter it with flower petals and place decorative garden stones along the edges.

Other Wedding Decor

• A great way to create an ambiance for a wedding is to have a beautiful scent fill the church. Have scented sticks or candles burning or place large pots of lavender around the church or locale.
• Consider placing a large framed engagement photo (24” x 30”) of the bride and groom on an easel near the door of the church. This way guests know they are at the right wedding and it is a great use for engagement photos.
• Many people put disposable cameras on the tables at the reception for guests to get candid shots, but a great idea is to leave some in the pews to get some candid shots of the ceremony as well.
• For an outdoor evening ceremony hang tea light lanterns on tree limbs, dangling by invisible fish wire. There are round, glass hanging candle holders at shopwildthings.com. Again, use battery operated candles for safety reasons. suite101