Tips for styling your wedding venue

Q – My wife-to-be and I are getting married in a few weeks and have left most of the planning until the last minute! I’m panicking about how to decorate our venue. Do you have any suggestions?

"Leaving things until the last minute is not always a bad thing. I love a short time scale as there is something brilliantly decisive about it. You don’t have years to chop and change with trends and outside influence. You have to be punchy and back to basics about what you need and what you can secure in time.

"When it comes to the styling side of things, it’s best to pour yourself a cup of tea or glass of wine and start with the fundamentals. Work out what you want to communicate to your guests through the styling. What colours, textures and features show who you are and what you’re about? Then work out what is viable at short notice in terms of DIY vs bringing a professional in.

"If a styling company can step in last minute, then great - you may have found an easy answer for how to get things done. If not, look to purchase items and perhaps re-sell them post-event. Handmake what you can. Use chalkboards and pens if you don’t have time to order printed stationery. A few key things in the right places can make any event look styled, so why not buy a few things that might work in your house afterwards and use them at the wedding? Such as coloured candles or hanging paper lanterns.

"At Megan and Claude, we love a statement piece. A nice sideboard instead of a standard table for your cake, or perhaps a tall plant or two to flank the doorways. These things can be brought home and loved long after your event.

"Always remember that sometimes less is more and that, if you’ve booked an attractive reception space, you may not need to panic about doing much at all. It’s easy to get carried away with the amount of variety and choice available."

Beth Stretton 
Venue stylist 
www.meganandclaude.co.uk