Image by Cassandra Daye Photography. See more of this styled shoot here
Designing your wedding can feel a little overwhelming, especially when your venue is a blank slate. There are so many different decor elements that go into your special day and we know it can be hard to remember them all. That’s why we decided a checklist was in order to help you nail every detail. No matter what you choose to include or omit, this wedding decor checklist will help you stay on top of your wedding planning game.
Wedding Decor Checklist
Image by Memorybox Photography. See more of this real wedding here
Wedding Ceremony Decor
While your wedding ceremony is arguably one of the most important aspects of your wedding, it’s also one of the shortest. This means that your guests aren’t going to be spending a lot of time here–aka no need to blow your budget on ceremony decor. The most important aspects are the chairs. Your guests need a place to sit, after all. From there, you want to think about the backdrop, aisle runners, and more:
- Welcome sign
- Seating
- Program display
- Order of events sign
- Aisle markers
- Aisle runner
- Ceremony backdrop
- Vow books
- Ceremony table
Cocktail Hour Decor
While you may think that most of the socializing occur during the reception, it actually takes place during cocktail hour. Between dinner, dancing, and drinks, the reception is usually jam-packed with events. This is why allocating money to your cocktail hour decor is a wise choice. Focus on the bar, the snack table, and lawn games.
- Bar decor and menu
- Signature drink signage
- Guest book table
- Cocktail tables
- Lawn games
Image by Inner Images + Shelby Chanté. See more of this real wedding here
Wedding Table Decorations
It’s no secret that your reception is where your guests will spend most of their time, so it’s arguably the most important place when it comes to design. This is especially true for the dinner table. Personalize it with centerpieces, unique chargers, elegant linens, or mismatched glassware.
- Centerpieces
- Florals
- Table runner
- Table numbers
- Escort cards
- Menus
- Placemats
- Chargers
- Salad plate
- Dinner plate
- Silverware
- Napkins
- Water glass
- Wine glass
- Chair back decor
- Candles
Image by Rowanberry Lavender. See more of this real wedding here
Wedding Reception Decor
Last, but certainly not least, is your wedding reception as a whole. As we mentioned earlier, this is going to be the place where guests spend their evenings, so this is where it makes the most sense to splurge on decor. It’s also the place where you can flex those creative muscles and personalize the decor to who you are. From monogram lighting to epic seating charts and everything in between, this is the perfect time to express yourself.
- Guest book (or guest book alternative)
- Gift table + decor
- Cardholder + sign
- Menu sign
- Escort card display
- Dessert table + decor
- Cake stand + topper
- Dessert displays
- Dessert backdrop
- Drink station display
- Reception lighting
- Hanging decor
- Wedding favor display
- Photo booth
- Lounge area
Keep this Wedding Decor Checklist Handy by Pinning it
If you need more help in crafting the wedding of your dreams, check out our list of planner & designer recommendations. Looking for more checklists to prepare for your big day? Our wedding planning checklist is perfect for you!
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Fantastic Photos!
This is wonderful advise for brides! It makes everything so simple!
That triangle arch with the oriental rug up the stairs – heart eyes for days.
A great and handy tool and in my opinion a must have for every bride and groom
Excellent wedding decor checklist. This is useful advice. You can decorate your Dinner table using these tips.
Do you have a printable version of the Wedding Decor checklist? My daughter’s wedding is coming up in September and it would be very helpful to have. Thank you for your wonderful ideas.
Incredible wedding style agenda. This is helpful guidance. You can brighten your Dinner table utilizing these tips.
Amazing Photos! Love them!
Amazingly helpful!!!
Thanks so much for this!!! I am getting married this summer and this helps me to plan. :-)
Implausible photos collection. It gives some ideas on wedding decor.
Definitely pinning this for later!
Thank you so much for sharing this post with us, It’s great :)
Great article. I was planning to make a checklist for my daughter’s wedding and you helped me a lot by sharing this article. So thanks
Awesome article, very helpful checklist to ease the chaos that goes with planning a wedding
Exactly what I needed to get organized – THANK YOU!
Helping my best friend with her wedding wish I saw this with my wedding. This helps alot thank you
Excellent wedding decor checklist. Reception Decor list is very fantastic and I liked it very much .Thanks for Sharing the List .
Perfect wedding decor checklist.
best wedding decor checklist.
Thanks for mentioning having table runners and garlands for a stylish wedding. My sister needs help choosing her decor for her wedding in the spring. She should find a theme first and go from there and focus on flowers.
Thank you for this very useful guide!
Nice article. I have enjoyed while reading it. Must be beneficial when i will plan for wedding.
Thanks for sharing this great information, i would appreciate if you share this type of information regularly.
Nice article. Enjoyed reading this article, thanks for posting this. Would like to read more…
One of the best blog i have read about wedding decor. Keep up the great work.
Very nice and useful content on this site. Thank you for this information
Thanks for sharing this great information, i would appreciate if you share this type of information regularly.
Thanks for explaining that you need centerpieces on the tables at your reception. I’m hoping that I can hire a wedding decor company to help me get the decorations for my reception. Our theme is a garden party, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right things.
Thank you so much for writing this post! working for a Houston Wedding Venue, we get these questions often. I will be happy to save this resource for our Brides and Grooms to see!