Reception Decor DIYs

One of the first things guests saw as they entered the Diamond Alumni Centre for our reception was the escort card display. Seating charts are a very popular way of directing guests to their assigned tables, but I wanted something casual that fit our colour scheme. Each of the different coloured cards were decorated with a DIY tissue paper flower. I painted an inexpensive bulletin board from IKEA, pinned on the escort cards in alphabetical order and set it up on an easel in the entrance lobby.

Creative table names are an excellent way to personalize your reception. They could be important places or dates in your relationship, or things that relate to your favourite hobbies or interests. J and I are big fans of The Simpsons so we named each table after a location in the show. For those (living under a rock) who don't follow the show, I included a brief description of the place and a quote. Some of our tables were The Kwik-E-Mart, Springfield Gorge, Itchy & Scratchy Land, Moe's Tavern, Duff Gardens and the Nucleat Power Plant.

Each guest table was decorated with a different apothecary jar planted with a terrarium. We placed the centerpieces on top of a 2" thick log round and surrounded them with votive candles and fabric flowers in different shades of blue. The stretch cotton chair covers with blue satin accents really brought the whole look together.

Dozens of those handmade blue fabric flowers made an appearance at the head table as a 14 foot-long garland. My DIY clay mushrooms were a cute woodland touch.

 

Instead of a traditional guest book filled with a list of names, we decided on a wish tree to collect messages from our guests in a creative way that fit our woodland theme perfectly. I printed up a sign using our Download and Print template and a cute little poem:

"Welcome! Thank you for sharing this special day with us. Please add to our Wish Tree.
Share your advice and best wishes
For the new Mr and Mrs
Write a joke, draw a picture, have some fun
And hand it on a branch when you're done"

This project had a lot of impact for a relatively small cost. I used a vase we already had, collected fallen branches from a local park and purchased ivory tags and different coloured Sharpie pens from Michaels craft store. You could jazz this up by attaching crystals or flowers (real, fabric or tissue paper) to the branches for added decoration.

The wish tree table also featured our version of the wedding slideshow: a digital picture frame loaded with pictures from our childhoods and throughout our relationship. We got photobombed by the Best Man's mother, who set up a framed picture of J and her son from 15 years ago!



The last stationery item at our reception was the card box. There are lots of options available for purchase, but I decided to whip one up. I cut a slot in the top of an empty cardboard box and wrapped it in paper that fit our colours. Double-sided tape is your friend here! A sign from the Download and Print template finished off the gift table.