The Best Wedding Decorations

Buying Guide for Wedding Decorations

Why buy wedding decorations? 

While all weddings are beautiful, they can sometimes feel a bit generic. It’s important to have a few elements you and your partner chose to make the day feel like yours. Plus, most wedding decorations are affordable, easy to hang or display, and can give your wedding a little oomph. 

What should you consider when buying wedding decorations?

• Theme: Here’s the thing–most wedding decor is beautiful, but to avoid having your reception look like the party store exploded all over it, keep in mind your general theme or aesthetic. From art-deco to boho glam, shabby chic, there are wedding decorations that can fit your vibe.
• What Your Venue Provides: Most reception halls offer basic rental packages or decor like votives and tablecloths. Weddings are expensive enough, so make sure you don’t have any cross-over. For instance, if they have a floral arch, you don’t need to snag a garland of your own.
• Ease of Display: Get clear with your venue on who is responsible for putting up which decorations. Weddings get complicated between your caterer, florist, and venue, so you don’t want any items that will get lost or stress you out on the day of. Look for items that come with all assembly parts, are easy to set up, and takedown, or can just be sat on a table for a gorgeous display.

Should you just DIY wedding decorations? 

While DIY weddings are increasingly popular, they can also take wedding stress to a whole new level, and the truth is, they don’t always save money. You might find yourself breaking even between the cost of materials, time spent, and cost of repairs and mistakes. Buying a few key pieces of wedding decorations can give your day the customized DIY feeling without all of the panic and paper cuts.

Our Picks for the Best Wedding Decorations

Pros: Evening weddings are easily enhanced by flickering candles. But something many people forget is that someone has to light every one of those candles, keep it lit and replace them as they burn out.  This 24-pack of LED candles does away with that need and can “burn” for 72 continuous hours. They’re also not going to send your party up into literal flames and are a great alternative to regular candles if you’ll have little ones at your party.

Cons: Consistency is often hard for LED products, so you may notice that some candles burn for slightly less time or have a dimmer appearance. To hide their appearance, you’ll need to opt for votive holders.

Bottom Line: If safety and reliability concern you or your venue doesn’t allow lit flames, these are fantastic solutions. They won’t blow out, burn fingers, or catch your dress on fire.

 

Pros: These fairy string lights can elevate the look of centerpiece decor, be draped along with the gift table, or just strung through your wedding arch if you’re having an evening ceremony. They add a touch of elegant whimsy and come in several variations, such as cool and warm white and multicolor. The other big bonus is that LED string lights can be reused for various events, from the engagement party to your big day and beyond.

Cons: Because these are electric string lights, you can’t trim and tailor them as you would with normal garland, so you’ll need to have a good sense of how much you need and where. Also, these are battery-powered, so if you don’t put fresh batteries in every time, you use them.

Bottom Line: With various hues that can fit any aesthetic, these sparkling LED lights can elevate any table or photo booth backdrop. It’s especially great that they don’t require a wall outlet to shine brightly.

 

Pros: Maybe your venue has a bare-bones arch, or you’re creating your own for the big day—this faux wisteria garland makes any ceremonial arch look lush, glamorous, and natural. It is offered in white, pink, lilac purple, and fuschia. You can also lay them with table runners as an affordable alternative to real floral garlands. Customers also remarked that these garlands are very easy to work with.

Cons: The flowers may fall off easily, so keep in mind that you may need to have reinforcements such as a hot glue gun as you craft.

Bottom Line: Weddings can never have too many flowers, but they can get costly quickly. This faux wisteria arch lends beautiful, workable flowers and foliage to enhance a wedding arch or table decor.

 

Pros: Consider this set a Pinterest wedding must-have. It comes with a darling “Just Married” banner, perfect for wedding portraits, booth backdrops, etc. It’s also paired with the three “Mr”, “&”, and “Mrs” wood statuettes that will look beautiful on the wedding party dinner table or gift table. Plus, it’s an excellent take-home decoration item to use in the couple’s home. The statuettes also come in several finishes, from plain white to glittery rose gold. This is an excellent buy for shabby chic and rustic farmhouse-themed weddings.

Cons: This seller does not offer any variations on the wood statuettes, so this is not an ideal buy for any same-sex marriages. Additionally, they are freestanding display pieces, so these aren’t great for tables that will be jostled a lot, such as a dining table.

Bottom Line: This is a great decor pairing that requires little to no planning ahead. Just set it and forget it, and enjoy taking them home as a memento of your special day.

 

Pros: These simple paper decorations add shimmering elegance to any wedding venue. They are ideal for venues with exposed wood beams or low ceilings with hanging capabilities, such as tents. They can also be reused for many of life’s significant events, such as a bachelorette party, baby shower, or holiday party.

Cons: The biggest problem with this garland is that setup can be a pain. Someone will likely have to get on a ladder, which is not something all venues offer, and you may not want to climb up a few dozen feet to make it happen.

Bottom Line: Shimmering gold glitter and metallic finishes on these paper dots help to bring a touch of glamour to any event and can add color beyond the typical whites and ivories of most receptions.

Final Thoughts

Even when your venue has most of the basics covered, adding a few personal touches to your wedding decor has a big impact. You can use wedding decorations to make a beautiful gift table, enhance a photo booth opportunity, and give a wow factor. Take time to select some of the best, high-impact wedding decorations to take your wedding day to the next level.