How to Decorate a Church for a Wedding?

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If you choose to get married in a church, then the church wedding decorations will probably play an important part in your overall wedding decorations scheme

If you choose to get married in a church, then the church wedding decorations will probably play an important part in your overall wedding decorations scheme.  However, unless you have the money and freedom to completely remodel the building, you may need to carefully consider how to blend your intended decorations with the existing décor of the church.  Fortunately, most churches have a conservative décor that serves as a nice backdrop for the fresher, more colorful and dramatic decorations of a wedding.

Before you choose wedding decorations:  

    * Talk with church administrator(s) to find out what, if any, their rules are for wedding decorations.
    * Decide on a budget for the church wedding decorations.
    * If you’ve hired a wedding planner, or are working with a décor specialist or someone else who is helping you with decorations, meet with them at the church to discuss your ideas and priorities, and how they will fit in with your wedding colors or theme.  Setting your decorating priorities will be particularly important if you are working within a tight budget!

Church Wedding Decorations

If you are having difficulty deciding on your decorating priorities, think of the church as a giant wedding ring, with the altar as the diamond, and the rest of the church as the setting for that diamond.  The focus of the ceremony will be on you and the rest of the wedding party at the altar, so you can’t go wrong if all or most of your decorations are there.  Any other decorations will be secondary, and the further they are from the altar, the further down the priority list they should be.  This is just one way of prioritizing, of course, but it can help clarify things a bit!

Decorating options:

    * Standing displays - small, medium, large?  How many?  These can get quite elaborate.  Some florists or wedding decorators can even sell or rent large latticework walls or candleholders that can be decorated with flowers or swags of fabric.  You may also be able to rent live potted plants from some florists or greenhouses.
    * Other floral displays can be on the pews, at the church windows, inside or outside the church entrance, or anywhere else you think needs some prettying up.
    * Pew bows or ribbons can be used to decorate pews or other areas.  You may want to have some especially pretty “pew markers” for the front rows of pews that are reserved for your special guests.
    * Choose décor to suit the season - every season of the year can lend a gorgeous touch to your decorations.  Wedding magazines and internet guides usually have great ideas about integrating seasonal colors and plants into weddings.
    * Aisle runners - an aisle runner is a great way to provide more visual focus on you and the wedding party, especially if the church floor is distracting - which it may be if it is elaborately decorated (like mosaic tile) or run-down looking.
    * Or keep it simple!  If your wedding church is already beautiful - say, with elaborate artwork, carved wood, or stained glass windows, for example - your wedding decorations may simply be lost in the visual glory that is the church.  If this is the case, you may be better off by providing some simple accents like a removable monogrammed decal, bows on the pews, or maybe nothing at all!

Like all other aspects of wedding planning, decorating the church can be an elaborate or a simple affair.  Once you know what is allowed by the church administrators, then what matters most is that it be done in accordance with your taste, personality, and budget.  It’s your wedding!
Related wedding planning ideas: wedding planning ideas, wedding church decoration, wedding themes