Decorating ideas
It's usual to extend the overall colour scheme of the wedding - which has probably already been applied to bridesmaids' dresses, flowers, etc - to the venue decorations as well. While table linen is traditionally white for weddings, a colour theme may be subtly introduced in napkins or overlays. Richly embossed fabrics in neutral shades are also becoming popular. If hiring a marquee it should be draped for added elegance and plastic chairs covered with linen stretch covers decorated with bows, swathes of fabric, ribbons or bouquets. Consider decorating tent pegs as well.

Centrepieces could include dainty frosted vases with simple flowers, elegant wrought iron candelabras with cascades of flowers, or even a topiary tree in a terracotta pot. The centrepiece should either be fairly low or quite elevated, as the guests need to be able to see one another across the table! It's a good idea to buy a guest book, cover it to suit your theme, and have your chief bridesmaid pass it around during the reception. Alternatively, collect signatures of the wedding party on a 'wedding scroll' hung on an easel - it could later be framed as a keepsake. Carry this one step further and line the entranceway to your reception with easels displaying photographs of yourself and your groom as children and during your courtship.

In addition to choosing a colour scheme, you could choose a theme to apply to your reception décor: