Decorating Your Wedding Ceremony
Wedding ceremonies can be held anywhere within the jurisdiction of the Marriage Officer. Many choose a church of their denomination. Some prefer to use the Town Hall and this is considered a ‘Civil Wedding’. Today, many choose the ambience of a garden or a beach. It really does not matter where the ceremony is held, as long as it’s what the couple wants and is in keeping with the requirements of their specific marriage officer, so that the wedding is legal. It would be quite unsettling to find out afterward that your wedding was not considered legal due to negligence.
Today I will discuss decorations for a church. If you choose to use a church, there are many decorating accessories available. You can purchase them already made, or you and your friends can create then. For a church, it is usually the aisle and the altar that are the focal points.
At the entrance to the church, having floral arrangements on either side of the aisle give a welcoming look to the normally barren look of a church foyer. You could also decide to use greenery. Tall, bushy, green, leafy plants can be very attractive and lush. As you look up the aisle leading to the altar, the ends of the pews (benches) can boring and plain.
Making Pew decorations is very simple. Firstly, create a little sketch of the design you want. This way, when all the helpers get together, you will all be following the same design. It is important to remember, that the decorations do not have to be exactly perfect. Your guests will not inspect them. The overall first look as the guests walk up the middle, or look up the aisle will be impressive. These decorations can be tied to the end of the bench or taped. You can also purchase ‘Pew hooks’ if you must.
Lengths of tulle or chiffon fabric, white or your chosen colors, can be used to make rosettes or just tied into large fluffy bows. Let the hanging piece fall almost to the floor level. Get satin ribbons, in the colors of the wedding theme and or bridesmaids’ dresses, and hang multiple pieces from the rosettes. You can also purchase in any craft shop, glass or plastic beads, which can be strung through the ribbons to add some sparkle. Alternatively, you can purchase very thin wire, and string the beads on the wire, and create your own shapes by twisting the wire and adding beads as you designed. If it’s a small wedding and you are not using all the rows or seats, then you can simply decorate alternating benches so that it gives the illusion of the pew ends on each row.
If you absolutely lack the ability to make these decorations, just drape yards of the soft fabric up the aisle, from pew to pew, using tape or clips and ribbons to hold the fabric in place. This will give a soft, flowing look, and the ribbons will add contrast and elegance to the drapes. If you choose to do this, then you must have ushers to show the guests up the sides of the church as opposed to the middle aisle.
As the aisle leads up to the altar, you want to have the altar area (some churches have rules) decorated with either floral arrangements or lush green plants. You can also attach small, twinkling lights on the plants, and this will truly illuminate your ceremony!
