I recently read a great article on Martha Stewart Weddings that dealt with an oh-so-common dilemma that many couples face when planning their wedding. Ugly wedding venues! Yes, ugly wedding venues do exist, but they aren’t totally ugly overall (or no one would ever consider having their wedding there). Instead venue has an obvious eyesore ! You know, that ugly paisley carpeting, the fire extinguisher behind the cake table, the ceiling stain. Sometimes it’s part of the architecture that doesn’t seem to fit right (like the rogue pillar mentioned in the article).
One way to conceal ugly wedding eyesores is to go all out and cover the entire perimeter of the room in pipe and drape. Pretty? Absolutely. Costly? Well, yeah, it can be. Also, you may end up covering elements of the venue that drew you to it in the first place.
The remedy for ugly wedding venues is in fixing a venue’s “eyesore,” which usually falls under one of three categories, 1) Cover Up, 2) Redirect, and 3) Won’t Be Noticed.
3 Tips for Dealing with Ugly Wedding Venues
1) Cover Up A Wedding Eyesore
Draping/Backdrops
As I mentioned earlier, doing pipe and drape around the entire room can get costly. But it will totally transform even the plainest, ugliest room into something beautiful.
But, draping can be strategically placed, covering those areas that need to be covered, and be more economical.
Not into draping? There are other backdrop options such as hedges, trellises, and wooden palettes. Check out your local party rental store for ideas.
[ctt template=”1″ link=”fb9vc” via=”yes” ]What to do about a pesky #wedding venue eyesore. #WeddingEyesore #WeddingVenue [/ctt]Lighting
One of the easiest, and least costly fixes for ugly wedding venues is with lighting. Uplighting can be used for the whole room, or to highlight specific areas, like behind the head table and the cake table. This wash of color can also disguise problem areas.
Decorative Items
Or try placing some other type of decor in front of the eyesore, such as a potted plant or lighted marquee lights.
2) Redirect Their Eyes Away From The Wedding Eyesore
Redirection is a powerful tool used by magicians to get their audience to look at what they want them to see, and not even notice what they don’t. You can do the same for your wedding reception.
Lighting
The use of lighting, this time with pinspots, highlights what you want to stand out, so while your guests are looking at the pretty centerpieces or that gorgeous cake, they aren’t aware of the fire extinguisher on the other wall.
Fun Activities
When your guests are actively taking part in something, such as a photo booth or games, they aren’t thinking about what’s on that other wall, or what’s on the floor. They are enjoying the moment picking out fun props and striking silly poses. They’re trying to think up a fun question for the Shoe Game. They’re anxiously waiting their turn at the wedding pinata (yes, that’s a thing).
3) The Wedding Eyesore That Really Won’t Be Noticed
Before you decide to go all out to cover up those eyesores, take a moment and think about how the room will really look on your wedding day. When you are just visiting the venue, you are seeing the room undecorated, uncovered tables, no decorations, no people, and all the lights are turned on.
On your wedding day, the tables are going to be set up and will have pretty linens and centerpieces, and chairs set at each table. People will also fill the room. And the lights will be turned down (many venues have dimmer switches these days).
Many of those eyesores will “disappear,” and no one will even notice unless they are told where to look.
Really. A bride I worked with several years ago had a bit eyesore dilemma. The carpeting in the banquet room was awful – I mean ugly with a capital “U”. The pattern was not appealing at all.
But – the bride was seeing this carpeting in a room in the middle of the day, lights on, no tables.
On the wedding day, once the tables were set and decorated, lights dimmed and candles lit, and the guests were milling about enjoying the reception, no one – and I mean NO ONE – noticed that ghastly carpeting.
Do you have any other ideas on how to combat the dreaded wedding venue eyesore? Let us know in the comments below.
BTW – You can check out the original Martha Stewart Weddings article here.
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
Have questions or need help with your wedding plans?
Weddings From The Heart can help. Contact me today at jean@weddingsfromtheheart.net or by phone or text at 937-581-3647!