20 Enchanting Wedding Decor Ideas for a Memorable Big Day

At this outdoor California garden wedding, guests—at the trill of a trumpet fanfare—were led to this gorgeous alfresco spread from New York and Charleston, South Carolina–based event designer Augusta Cole. The Vogue-endorsed planner styled the table with freshly plucked sherbet shades with more silvery hues of celadon (as seen in the Ginori chargers from Theoni Rentals) and zinc-colored chairs to play off stone found in the classical landscape. “Our floral punch was rich with cheerful sorbet and melon tone dahlias, garden roses, Japanese ranunculus, and stone fruits,” says Cole, who worked with florist Kathleen Deery to pull off the look. Candlelight and the setting sun, meanwhile, sparkled among clear glassware and candle hurricanes.

We’ve all been to events where a dramatic centerpiece—beautiful as it may be—blocks the view of the guest across from us. At this wedding hosted in a historic Charleston, South Carolina, home, Vogue and Brides–approved event planner G. Blake Sams of Gregory Blake Sams Events moved the most lush centerpiece to a rattan corner pedestal. “We filled rattan Medici pedestals from Atelier Vime Editions with florals and greenery to add scale and warmth,” Sams tells us. “We also recommend designing low and layered tablescapes to allow conversation to flow easily.”

“Understand the color and textures of where you are,” advises Harper’s Bazaar-approved wedding planner Fallon Carter. “If you’re working in a space with tons of greenery, balance your color.” In the case of this reception set in an apple orchard, Carter and her team contrasted the fresh green surroundings with a soft palette of white, cream, and soft pinks. Apple pies and bowls of apples bring additional country charm to the setting. “The table looks as if it’s always been there,” Carter adds.

To lend height and drama to your reception space, consider hanging light-as-air chandeliers above each table, like Augusta Cole did at the aforementioned California celebration. “The birdcage chandeliers added a layer of glow to the alfresco setting,” she says.

Looking to brighten things up? Make your friends and family part of the decor. At this wedding in Montecito, California, Rafanelli tells us, “we charged our guests with a bright vibrant color palette so that they provided most of the color the night of the wedding. Our guests became our pop of color!”

The ceremony, obviously, is the most important, not to mention sacred, aspect of your big day, which is why Cole made sure to make the aisle extra divine. “For this winter wedding we relied on layers of winter whites! At the ceremony, we were in a European-inspired Greek Orthodox church,” she explains. “To create a layer of ethereal magic, we added an aisle of wispy whites and poppies.” Here, she worked with florist Porcelain Vine for the inspired scene.

If there’s one thing Sams advises you to do on your nuptials, it’s to invest in quality table linens. That goes for the dinner tables themselves to smaller vignettes, like this elegant table-card display. “For this custom place-card table, we selected a beautiful velvet fabric from designer Rose Uniacke and Brunschwig & Fils Bouillon fringe,” Sams says. “The result was a gorgeous residential quality table linen.” Bonus: If you spring for fancy tablecloths, you can use them at your own dinner parties for years to come.

At the farm reception for the same wedding, Carter incorporated a vibrant floral fabric of the bride’s choosing on everything from table runners to pillows. The bright pinks, blues, and greens paired perfectly with the food and the alfresco setting. “Again, it’s playing with the natural color that was there,” Carter says. “I wanted to be a guest at this wedding—I loved it that much!”

In lieu of a generic sushi cart at this wedding reception, Rafanelli customized it with the couple’s name. “We branded the very cute sushi cart that the hotel had in-house as a subtle nod to the newly married couple,” he tells us. Details, details, details!

If you’re jumping the broom in the middle of summer, embrace the colors—and light—of the season. Here, Cole set the tables with punchy yellow linens in a fabric from Soane Britain, pink and yellow blooms courtesy of florist Bowen Studio, vintage tableware from Petunia Rose, and marbled menu cards from No One Alike. No surprise: “Our client is an interior designer,” Cole says.

Forget the winter blues: Try winter sages, olives, whites, and beige. To create this memorable wedding in South Carolina, Sams brought in heaps of seasonal greenery and flowers (here he relied on paper whites and magnolia branches), placing them in metal and clay urns to add height and textural details for adding “just the right amount of drama and scale to an event.”

The bride of this springtime wedding wore a Monique Lhuillier gown covered in delicate lily of the valley appliqué. Cole ran with the theme for the table setting, using a Schumacher fabric for the tablecloths, lily of the valley chargers from the Tabletop Company, and custom-embroidered napkins embellished with the sweet blooms. Adds Cole: “An eclectic mix of the best of spring white-and-green florals, green tapers, and faux-bois white containers danced down the long tables.”

Carter lined the church entrance for this Peruvian wedding with cascades of fresh flowers. All of the blooms were sourced locally. Carter and her team even dropped by the local market and found clay vessels and vases to decorate the reception tables. “Find the key pieces that are natural and authentic to the place where you are,” Carter says.

Soft textures and autumnal hues combine for a fantastical fall fantasy in this gorgeous scheme by Cole. The planner leaned into a palette of dusty terra-cotta and sage and incorporated rustic textures in the scalloped dishes from the Ark Elements and deckle-edge menus. “The florals [from Putnam Designs] felt as if they were straight from the fields with a unique mix of varietals and feathery textures,” Cole tells us.