Arranging your wedding venue is one of the most difficult tasks when preparing for a wedding. You have to be careful in choosing what venue you will use, decorations, and many more. However, one important factor that you should not miss is that your venue must make you and your guests comfortable throughout the event. Below are some things that can help you in transforming your wedding venue into a cozy one.
#1 Choose the wedding venue wisely!
With the shift of plans that are happening these days because of the pandemic, a lot of weddings have been canceled or have downsized their guest lists. Instead of renting large halls and spaces for wedding venues, many couples choose small spaces to accommodate their guests. Choosing a small space for your wedding can contribute to creating an intimate vibe for your guest. This is good in making your attendees feel the coziness you want to achieve.
See: 7 USEFUL TIPS YOU CAN USE TO DOWNSIZE YOUR WEDDING GUEST LIST
Pro Tip: There are a lot of wedding venues you can choose from in New Jersey. For indoor venues, you can rent small studios or conference halls from your favorite restaurant as your wedding venue. Meanwhile, for the outdoor venues, you can use your backyard to give your guests a homey feeling. You can experiment with the landscapes around you for decorating purposes.
See: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE ON OUTDOOR WEDDING IDEAS
#2 The Color Palette Matters
The color palette that you choose will contribute to the coziness of your wedding venue. Warm colors are highly suggested when it comes to this matter. The use of dark and rich colors will make your wedding venue look smaller. Hues like burgundy, crimson, and gold for the furniture and ornamentations are a few color choices you can use for your venue.
Pro tip: For fabrics such as floor rugs, table runners, and draperies, it is best to choose patterns with light and dark color combination.
#3 Make use of Candles and Lights
The light from candles, fairy lights, and lanterns create a romantic and intimate feeling to your wedding venue. The use of these as a source of light has been very common these days as it said to be cost-efficient. These are usually added as ornamentation in table set-ups to emphasize flower arrangements and other decorations.
Pro tip: Use drop lights in warm color bulbs to emphasize key parts of your wedding venues. An alternative for this would be spotlighted.
#4 Serve Home-cooked Meals
One way to make your guests feel cozy is when you serve home-cooked food on their platters. For home-cooked recipes, you can browse through your old cooking magazines or make use of what is shared with you by your family's older generation.
Pro tip: New Jersey's signature tomato pies, eggnogs, and hot chocolate drinks are a few recommended food and drinks to add to your menu.
#5 Table Set-ups
An additional element to make your wedding venue cozy is the use of family-style dining. Traditional table set-up such as long farm tables and chairs are best-suited for this kind of set-up. In this way, your guests can feel that they are just dining in their own homes even when they are at your wedding. You can also use small tables to make your table set-up more intimate.
Pro tip: If you have an outdoor wedding venue, you can consider using a mixed-table setting. Low tables for floor seating set-up are usually used for this kind of venue to let your guest spread out and be comfortable during your wedding reception.
#6 Prepare Blankets and Throw Pillows
Prepare large blankets and throw pillows to be distributed to your guests. This is perfect to be paired with your mixed table set-up wherein your guest can snuggle and feel comfortable throughout the wedding.
Pro tip: This idea can help you save your costs in souvenirs. The blankets can serve as a souvenir that your guests can bring to their homes.
#7 Lounge Areas
Create a space where your guest can sit and relax. Lounge areas are best for this kind of purpose. You can use couches, ottomans, and other seating furniture wherein your guests can just enjoy chatting and mingling with each other.
Pro tip: For a more unique lounge area, you can use layered rugs on the floor to accommodate your young guests. They can use it for entertainment purposes.
Also Read: 6 TIPS IN ACHIEVING A COZY WEDDING RECEPTION
#8 More Food!
For your guest to enjoy your wedding night, prepare different food stations that offer a variety of food and drink choices. This will help in making your guests feel occupied and encourage interaction while jumping from one food station to another.
Pro tip: Consider serving savory food, desserts, warm drinks, and alcoholic drinks to your guests. You can also have S'mores and snack bars for your young guests to indulge in.
Planning for a perfect wedding venue can be very mind-boggling because you need to consider a lot of things. But always bear in mind to create a venue that will make you and your guests feel pleasant while making wonderful and significant memories on your wedding day.