11 Ways to Make Your Wedding Venue STAND OUT

1. Add fabric to your room to soften the space (or cover up any not-so-pretty wallpaper or ceiling tiles). Look at this fabric draped over the dance floor with a crystal chandelier we hung — and the fabric backdrop behind the head table and dessert table!

2. Have a fun (and amazingly wide variety) of desserts for people to try. This couple ordered 1200 mini desserts for 320 guests. They even incorporated some Greek desserts into the mix because of family heritage, made by Grandma herself. The variety was amazing and people were talking about weeks after the event! They had desserts like cake pops, rice krispie bars, chocolate-dipped Oreos, cupcakes, baklava (naturally), cheesecake bites, strawberry shortcake shooters, and tons more. Check out this Pinterest board for more fun dessert ideas!

3. Make each guest’s place setting really stand out at your reception. Consider details like custom-folded napkins, chargers, dinner menu card, a thank you insert (like shown here), fun party favors, name place cards, and more. The more special people feel, the more memorable your reception will be. 

4. Use textured linens at your tables to highlight which ones should really make a statement. To add sequin linens to every guest table would be AMAZING, but often expensive (and not to mention, sequins tend to snag lovely gowns that women might be wearing while seated at a sequined table). Maybe opt for a lace overlay, a flutter linen or even a nice table runner to save some real money. Adding texture and color go a long way at a wedding reception and can really bring out your wedding colors! Take a look at these colors and textures added to Alexi and Andrew’s reception (some sequined lace and gold sequin).

5. Have a family photo table, or an “In Memory” or “Generations of Love” table. Family members LOVE to reminisce about past loved ones. They love old photos and they especially love seeing wedding photos from generations ago. It might take some time to round up old photos like that, but it’s worth it. Pack them very safely when transporting them to and from the wedding venue. One of the very special touches of Alexis and Andrew’s day was the way they incorporated Andrew’s mother into the day. She was unable to attend for medical reasons, but they still had a lantern engraved with a beautiful saying, a photo of her at the ceremony and reception, and Alexis even used a piece of her wedding dress to wrap around her bouquet with a locket charm so that her new mother-in-law could be a part of their special day. If you want to add an In Loving Memory section onto your program, read this for advice on wording!

6. Use fresh flowers. There’s just something about the look and smell of using fresh flowers everywhere at your wedding reception! Give them away as parting gifts to your guests as the night goes on. (That’s part of Hitch Studio’s job too!) Your guests will LOVE a fresh bouquet of arranged flowers as a gift from your wedding. Plus, what are you going to do with 30 centerpiece arrangements?! It will really make your wedding reception memorable if guests get to take a fresh bouquet home with them! (Not having fresh flower at EVERY table? Maybe just send them home with host/hostesses, aunts, grandmothers and mothers?)

7. Add chair covers and sashes to your banquet chairs! You can usually accomplish this for $3-$5.5o per chair and Hitch Studio puts them all on, ties the sashes perfectly, and takes them all off at the end of the evening so you don’t have to stress about it! We also offer 10 different ways to tie your sash if you’re not into the 80’s prom large bow.  🙂  Love the chairs already? Opt for wood tables. Love the tables but don’t want banquet chairs? Rent chiviari chairs to update the look of a venue. There are lots of styles of chairs to choose from. And we already mentioned linens to dress up an older-style table. 

8. Add lights to your ceiling. These bistro lights really soften the glow of a room and make it super romantic. Check with the venue first to make sure you can hang lights from their ceiling grid, and check with the DJ to make sure their lighting plan will complement yours. If you decide to hire Hitch Studio for your wedding, everything in our rental inventory is FREE. Completely free, including the bistro lights. We have a reasonable fee to hang them for you, but they’re yours if you want them! (Not to mention the lanterns, candles, wood boxes, vases, trays, and more that are all included. See the full Hitch Studio decor collection here!) We have three levels of service and everything in our inventory is FREE at any level. We just want your wedding to be as beautiful and stress free as it can be.

9. Have a head table backdrop that’s a highlight of your room. Consider a king’s table, sweetheart table and more instead of traditional in-line head table layout. But hey, we love them all! Add bistro lights behind it for added wow. Why do we suggest a backdrop even behind a sweetheart table? Because lots of photos will be taken there. During speeches and even clinking of the glass kissable moments, I would highly recommend a beautiful backdrop behind you. It also covers up any “exit” signs or other not-so-beautiful room decor behind you for photos. 

10. Send your guests home with a parting gift they’ll remember. This couple had Hitch make them custom favor boxes to hold any treats the guests wanted to take home! We’ve set up displays of honey at some weddings (“Love is sweet” or “Sweet beginnings”) or displays of homemade jars of jam (“Spread the love”). We’ve seen bottle openers shaped like keys, bags of treats, homemade caramels from a secret family recipe, custom sugar cookies, chocolates, koozies, and more. Alexis and Andrew also had welcome bags with custom coffee mugs, and other gifts from their hometown right here in Brookings, South Dakota. Take a peek at this Pinterest board for more wedding favor ideas.

11. Change the height of your centerpieces to really add a nice dynamic and variety to your room. If the ceilings of your venue are really tall, consider having some show-stoppingly large centerpieces. If the venue is small and intimate, I would still recommend a variety of centerpieces to keep each table special. Guests will love to walk around and look at them all!

If you’re looking for more ways to make your wedding memorable, check out these past blogs (questions to ask and things to remember)! Or simply contact Hitch Studio today and ask about our pricing options, decorating options, and more. We’re here to make sure you save time, have less stress, and enjoy every minute of your big day! (Moms and family included!)

Contact Hitch Studio and set up a meeting with Renee Bauman or Taylor Livingston today. We can’t wait to hear more!