Decorating the venue for the wedding reception is usually a given, but deciding whether or not to plump for Church wedding decorations and flowers is an entirely different matter. Before making the final decision there are a number of factors that should be considered, some a little less obvious than others. This article takes a look at each one in turn and provides some ideas and suggestions for Church wedding decorations you may like to use.
Church Rules on Decoration
Each Church will have its own rules and regulations which need to be abided by. The one that will be most publicised to couples concerns the throwing of confetti, although other rules surrounding what Church wedding decorations can be used and where decorations can be placed are normally not far behind. With this in mind, and before you do anything else, speak to your vicar/priest and get a good understanding of the local rules on Church wedding decorations and then, and only then, begin your decor planning.
Events in the Church
Churches often hold more than one ‘event’ each week, ranging from Harvest Festivals to other couple’s weddings. Each event could mean that the Church will either be decorated already, or that it will need to be free from decoration for an upcoming event. In the majority of cases, churches will not be cramming the diary full each day and require such a quick turnaround that you are not allowed to add your own Church wedding decorations and flowers, but on odd cases this will happen, so it's well worth double-checking up front.
If you are tying the knot around the time of a major Church event, you could benefit from some beautiful decorations and floral arrangements at very little cost to yourselves. There are various festivals that take place across the calendar year and, for a small contribution to the Church, you may be even able to influence the colour scheme and choice of flowers. Speak to your Church minister as early as possible to see if you can benefit from decorations that will already be displayed.
Natural Look & Feel of the Church
A Church itself is a fantastic building, with ornate carved pews and effigies, beautiful stained glass windows and stunning architecture. With this in mind, many would argue that a Church building itself provides sufficient decoaration on its own. A trip to see the Church when it is set up for a wedding is well advised as you will be able to judge for yourselves just how impressive, or unimpressive, its natural beauty is and whether there is any need for you to splash out on Church wedding decorations and flowers of your own.
Cost of Church Wedding Decorations
As with everything for the big day, money comes into play. Your budget will be undoubtedly tight and only you will know how much you are able to spend on Church wedding decorations and flowers. Depending upon how elaborate you want things to be, costs could rise well into three figures, perhaps more, but in the majority of cases you can get away with a lot less. If you are undecided as to whether or not to push ahead with Church wedding decorations and/or flowers, you should spend some time thinking about whether the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Choosing the Decor
If you do decide to go ahead with Church wedding decorations and/or flowers, then the next thing is to determine what to opt for. The most important piece of advice is to not go over the top, and with this in mind:
Be sympathetic to your surroundings: More is less - a few bits here and there can look far more effective than a Church swimming in decor.
Be stylish: Even if money is tight, don’t just plump for what is cheap. Your wedding will have a colour scheme and perhaps even a theme, so decorate in accordance with that.
Be subtle: The Church wedding decorations should act as a backdrop to your impending marriage, not a focal point.
Organza bows on pews, a pair of candles in ornate stands at the top of the aisle and topiary trees at the entrance are some effective Church wedding decorations that generally look superb. Balloons, banners and streamers should typically be avoided and instead look to add colour using floral arrangements in corners and alcoves
.
Overall, your Church wedding decorations should be classy and refined - just remember that you and your partner are the true stars of the show, and not the decor and flowers!
Recommended Reading
For those of you wanting to find out more, we've a whole host of other articles on wedding ceremonies on our site packed full of expert information and helpful advice, not to mention our online wedding directory that's filled with venue decorators, approved wedding premises, musicians, photographers and more.
For friendly tips and helpful advice take a look at our wedding ceremonies forum, or why not check out the 'related articles' and 'pages & websites you may like' below.
