Choosing an outdoor wedding leaves plenty of flexibility in your décor options. Your garden wedding decorations can be floral, bold, colorful, minimalist, woodsy or vintage. For the perfect backyard celebration, pick decorations that highlight the beautiful garden venue you’ve chosen for your ceremony and reception.
Define Your Space
One of the benefits of hosting a garden wedding is having a blank slate to design and decorate. However, you’ll need to define the space to create unique areas for your ceremony, dinner and dance floor.
Walkways
Use walkways to guide guests to your ceremony location, reception space, lawn games and bonfire. Whether your garden wedding will take advantage of existing paths or create the feeling of a trail using lighting or planters, start to divide up your space with walkways.
Arches
As your guests follow paths through your outdoor venue, mark destinations with arches that invite guests into your ceremony or reception. Arches can be decorated with flowing fabric, garlands of greenery, bouquets, wreaths, strings of lights or any other distinct décor that highlights your garden wedding’s picturesque location.
Aisle Markers
Let your ceremony take shape around the aisle your wedding party and the bride will enter down. Rustic boxes, metallic planters, ribbons and lights are all sophisticated yet simple garden wedding decoration ideas.
One way to truly take advantage of the lack of “floor plan” in the garden is to stray from the traditional ceremony seating arrangement. Instead of a single aisle with the vows taking place in front of two sections of seating, opt for a more creative layout. Place seating on three sides of the vows, curve seating towards the couple, offer pillows for kids to lounge on in one section or use benches instead of chairs.
Lighting
There are dozens of ways to divide a garden into distinct spaces with lights. Mark paths that will be used after dark (to the bonfire, restrooms and parking lot) with string lights. Welcome guests to the dance floor with lanterns on all four corners. Draw attention to the sweetheart table with a chandelier.
Cozy Seating
Do you have a few awkward spaces leftover after determining where your ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing will be? Create a few areas where you and your guests can take a break from the party. Adirondack chairs or rustic benches accented with flowers or vintage decorations are the perfect way to fill space.
Point Guests in the Right Direction
Signage is an especially important part of your garden wedding decorations. Use welcome signs to let guests know they’re in the right place and point them in the direction of the ceremony. Instead of printing programs (that may blow away in even a slight breeze), share the day’s schedule and ceremony details on signage. Make your seating assignment or escort cards into a work of art.
Let the Garden’s Beauty Take Center Stage
Highlight the natural beauty of your venue in your garden wedding décor. Stick with simple table décor, such as candles and sparse floral centerpieces. Use floral accents in your walkways, aisle markers and other décor. Add decorations, such as candles in jars, frames, pennants or swags of fabric, to trees.
Consider letting the beauty of the garden inspire your wedding favors as well. Seed packets and potted plants both make adorable thank yous for your guests.
Glam Up the Garden
Not every garden wedding needs to be rustic. Use décor to add glamour to your backyard ceremony and reception.
Metallics
Add sparkle and shine with metallic accents throughout your décor. Use metallic chairs for your ceremony and dinner seating. Hang metallic frames throughout your venue from trees, along walls and between distinct spaces.
Chandeliers
Use chandeliers for lighting instead of lanterns or Edison bulbs to dress up a garden wedding venue. A single show-stopping chandelier or a collection of smaller lights looks great above the dance floor. A chandelier can also be used to highlight the spot where you and your fiancé will exchange vows.
Monochromatic Décor
A single color, such as cream, blush or deep blue infuses glamour into garden wedding decorations when paired with greenery. Floral arrangements, fabric swags and bridesmaids’ dresses can all help carry your single color throughout the space.
