Five Tips for Setting Up Your Wedding Decor

To ensure your wedding decor is set up the way you envision it, you need a clear picture of what you want. Your wedding decor sets the stage for the entire wedding experience. Whether you envision every single detail or just have a general feeling of what you want, get clear on it and then communicate it to whoever is doing the setup for you. You can’t have your wedding decor setup the way you want if you can’t communicate your vision.

5 Tips for Your Wedding Decor Setup from Banff wedding planner Naturally Chic

Five Tips to Ensure Your Wedding Decor is Set Up the Way You Want

Whether you’re setting up the decor for yourself or have helpers setting it up for you (or a professional wedding coordinator), these 5 tips will help ensure that everything is set up the way you envision it!

1. Practice setting up on your wedding decor. Set out all the decor you have for a single area (e.g. the cake table, the card table etc.). Working on one vignette at a time, practice setting up your decor. To ensure accuracy, get the measurements of tables, consoles, mantles, or anything you will be utilizing for set up on the actual wedding day.

2. Take a photograph of how you want your decor setup to look. Once you’ve practiced setting up your decor and are satisfied with how it looks, take a photo of the decor. You can print up the photo and tape it onto your wedding bins. This visual representation of your setup will make it super easy for others to duplicate your setup.

3. Use a “Decor Setup Checklist”. Make a decor checklist detailing every single piece of decor that you have. It’s helpful if you divide your checklist into the various setups (e.g. ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner reception, etc.). Once you have the different setup areas, you can break the list down even further (e.g. ceremony – ceremony altar, ceremony aisle, aisle, signing table guest chairs etc.). List all the decor that you have for each area. Print up copies of the checklist and distribute it to your helpers.

4. Carefully pack and label your decor. Use your decor checklist when packing your decor items to ensure that you have packed everything. It is a good idea to try and pack items that you will be using in one area in the same bin(s). For example, if you’re having a sweets table, try and pack everything for the sweets table in one or two bins. You don’t want to sort through every bin you have to find the items you need. Label your bin for the specific area (e.g. sweets table). You can even list all the contents of each bin on the label so that nothing gets misplaced.

5. Designate a trust-worthy point person for setup. Whether this person is a friend or your wedding coordinator, you want one person who understands your wedding vision. Ideally, it’s best to sit down with this person in person and go over every single detail of the setup. You can show them your setup photos and your decor checklist. Then, if any of your other helpers have questions on the wedding day, they can go to the point person for clarification.

Bonus Tip

Discuss your wedding decor setup with your venue coordinator. Let them know what you have planned for your decor. Be sure to ask what time you can get into the room to set up your decor and any setup restrictions that they have. For example,

does the venue require time to “flip” the room from your ceremony setup to your dinner reception (knowing this can help you determine how much time you will have for setup and how many helpers you’ll need for the time available)? You can also ensure you have all the right tools for the job (e.g. if your venue doesn’t allow nail holes in the wall, ask them what is acceptable and bring that instead).

Once you have all your decor organized and have communicated your decor vision to the key people involved with your setup, you should be good to go! It’s time to relax and enjoy your wedding day!

Wedding Planner: Naturally Chic

Naturally Chic is a Canmore-based, mountain wedding specialist known for their natural aesthetic and innovative wedding design. They focus on creating meaningful experiences that are a reflection of the couples they work with. Contact hello@naturallychic.ca or call 1.403.679.1409 for more information on your Banff mountain wedding.