When you’re deciding on a venue for your wedding, it can be hard to picture what it will look like on the big day. How are you going to decorate your venue to show some personality and get people in the partying mood?

Venue transformation is all about your personal tastes. Stop listening to what other people are telling you about how it should look. In the end, your wedding reception or corporate event shouldn’t reflect someone else’s personality. It should reflect yours.

Wedding planning alone is already a highly stressful and time-consuming project, so you might not think you have time to personalise everything. The truth is, you can make your party unique and fun every step of the way!

Planning your big day is going to take some hard work, but don’t worry, because we’re here to make the whole process easier.

Check out our 5 inspirational ways to make your celebration truly your own, and throw a party that people will be talking about for years to come!

5 Steps to an Inspirational Venue Transformation

1. Light Up the Room!

The mood lighting in your venue might just be the most influential part of how people remember your event. It sets the mood for the evening, whether you’re going for thoughtful and sophisticated, energetic and fun, or anything in between!

Suspended Lights

If your venue has high ceilings, you can use hanging strings of lights to create an artificial ceiling that creates a cozy atmosphere for the room.

It also keeps certain areas of the room from being darker than others, which keeps your guests in the corners from feeling left in the shadows, and hopefully gets people moving to the dance floor.

Uplighting

Uplighting is the process of placing coloured lights in your centerpieces, along the walls, or on specific decorations to make specific pieces more bright and colourful.

Want to add a little life to the standard boring white walls? Get some colourful lights that match your theme and splash some flavor on your shindig.

Candles

Candles are a good option if you want something more romantic and elegant, but be aware that flame candles can be blown out quite easily.

If you don’t mind the look of electric candles, they could be a better alternative without losing that sense of romance.

Paper Lanterns

Paper Lanterns are a safer option than candles if you’re worried about fire hazards. They maintain the simple elegance of candles but are more practical if your event is outdoors.

For bonus points, decorate the inside of your venue with candles and the outside with colourful paper lanterns!

2. Embrace Your Theme

I’m just going to get this out of the way. If you’re planning a wedding, your theme is NOT “wedding.” If you really want it to be unique and interesting, it should probably be something other than “love” too. Ideally, most of the decor at your event should serve a specific theme.

For example, if you go with a theme like “the beach” or “island getaway,” you can incorporate aspects of the ocean and white sandy beaches into every facet of your event. Try using a jar of sand and shells in the table centerpiece, or designs of aquatic life on the dishware and napkins.

Don’t forget to include your colour scheme in decorating for a theme! You don’t have to throw out your wedding colours if you’ve already decided on them, but you should try to blend in colours that fit your theme.

Avoid colors that clash with each other, and remember that it all comes down to your own personal preference.

If you don’t like a color combination, even if it fits with your theme, then don’t use it. Your big day isn’t about following rules, it’s about being true to yourself.

3. Venue Transformation is the Little Things…

The little details at your event are what will stick out to your guests during the event, and what they’ll remember months later. You would be surprised at how the smallest details can contribute in the biggest ways to a venue transformation.

Use a projector to project your initials or a heartfelt short message onto the wall behind the main table, or aim pinspot lights at the cake or other decorations that you want eyes to be drawn to.

Something as simple as how you have your napkins folded can make a huge difference in how your guests see the event. Simple folded napkins next to each plate suggest a casual, relaxed setting, while origami napkins might suggest luxury, creativity, and formality.

4. Hang Things That Make People Want to Look Up!

Hanging drapes on walls or ceilings can affect your venue transformation in a big way and they’re another great way to incorporate your color scheme into the decor.

You can also hang extra lights, chandeliers, flowers, paper lanterns, disco balls or anything else you see that just screams, “You!”

Keep in mind that some venues will not allow you to hang things from the ceilings, so make sure to check with management before you start making elaborate plans to decorate the ceiling.

5. Vignettes!

Vignettes are small, stylish displays of grouped decor elements that can really personalize your venue and impress your guests.

For example, you can set up a couples photo album on a piece of antique furniture surrounded by framed family photos, vintage props, and floral decorations.

But vignettes don’t have to be interactive. If your theme is related to music, you could put up a glass case with instruments or some of your favorite vinyl records on display!

Summary

Take advantage of lighting to set the mood and enhance your color scheme. Stick with a creative theme to pull the whole room together with small, but important details.

If you can, hang decorations from the ceiling to give the room more personality. Finally, take advantage of small, stylish vignettes to create focal points of personality in your venue.

Remember, this celebration is about you, so it should reflect you. Don’t end up with generic, uninspired decor for your celebration.

Use our helpful guide to transform your venue, impress your guests, and make your event truly your own!