Our Top 5 Italian wedding day decor tips

styling tips

Sep 12

Whilst we would love to say that the decor at weddings just falls into its beautiful place seamlessly; unfortunately the pretty side of wedding planning still needs to be strategically thought out. Before you can even get those creative juices flowing, let’s run through our top tips in planning wedding decor.

1. Set a suitable budget

Don't be fooled into thinking that decor decisions come way down the planning line. The big-hitters of planning, like the venue, planner and catering will take up a huge chunk of your budget but you still need to assign the right amount for decor at the start, to avoid running out of budget or risk overspending.

LL Tip: We recommend you factor in approx €8,000. If it sounds a lot, then do have a read of our articles on Cost of Flowers and Cost of Lighting on our website to get the full picture.

2. Which parts of the day need more decor?

Imagine your wedding ceremony, with a backdrop of Tuscan hills, or perhaps the legendary Amalfi coastline or a stunning serene lake in Como. For this part of your day, your wow factor is the scenery, the atmosphere will be built on your surroundings, so heavy decor will not be necessary here.

In another part of your day, like the dinner, decor will play a huge part in creating a mood. You and your guests will spend a lot of time round the table, which will also coincide with day becoming night. Your vibe will be the lighting, which brings a glow to your evening and your flowers will add personality to your tables.

LL Tip: Make your budget work hard for you by utilising the natural beauty of your wedding location as your 'free' decor and then ramp up decor in areas which need warmth and detail.

3. Lighting

Lighting is expensive but there are clever ways to still achieve the wow factor and that happy, hazy glow.

Whilst fairylights draped in a curtain style over your table definitely will add so much drama to your dinner, photographers and videographers actually find over-lighting a huge problem.

LL Tip: The weddings we have loved this summer have used soft, warming festoon lighting. And, as retro as it sounds, a disco ball! Simple and effective, creating such a beautiful starry sky atmosphere.

4. Break the rules

Don't just have a Pinterest wedding - that is someone else's wedding day! Work out your style and have fun with it.

Don't feel like you need to have a 'wedding colour' or theme. We love when there is a more formal colour palette at the ceremony but then couples have fun at the reception, mixing their favourite colours to add personality and fun. We aren't telling you to go nuts with every colour of the rainbow - unless that's your vibe! But, play around and use this as an opportunity to add distinctiveness to your celebration.

LL Tip: Side-step the pressure of having favours and remember that you are spoiling your guests throughout your wedding day with epic food, drink and various events.

5. Reuse and recycle

Ask suppliers and your venue if they have any decorations or material left over from previous weddings. Candles which have been lit once can be reused to create a wonderful display at the foot of stairs; pottery and ceramics chosen for one wedding might have been left and be in perfect condition to be used again.

This is not to be cheap, but a way to be conscious of your environmental impact in a rather wasteful industry. With the added bonus of saving yourself some money!

6. Bonus Tip

Keep it seasonal - by keeping to seasonal and locally sourced decor (like flowers) means low transport costs - maximising your budget.

Keep it suited to the venue - maximise the various venue spaces to create atmosphere and different vibes.

Keep it suited to the couple - what do you envision, what represents you, what will your guests remember about your wedding?

We will be covering this in more detail in a masterclass tutorial as part of our membership - The Club.