Rustic outdoor venues such as country barns and gardens are the ideal backdrop for shabby chic-inspired decor. Shabby chic style is well-known for mixing timeworn, vintage pieces with luxury accents, such as as gold and silver, and soft, airy fabrics. The casually elegant design will give an outdoor venue a warm, welcoming and more refined look.
While some shabby chic pieces are pricey, especially when bought at a specialty boutique, you can find just as beautiful and wedding venue-worthy items as garage and estate sales, as well as flea markets and even in your friends' attics. If you're crafty, you can also make a lot of the decorations yourself. You shouldn't have a problem transforming an outdoor venue into a romantic vintage hideaway on any budget.
Following are some tips for decorating your open-air reception space, such as a place like DEER MOUNTAIN EVENTS, with a charming shabby chic touch:
Furniture and Textiles
The first thing you need to consider when planning an outdoor wedding is furniture, as some venues may not come with it. If you need to furnish the space yourself, rent rustic-looking tables made with reclaimed barn wood to set the stage for a shabby chic style. Mismatched wooden chairs will also add to the appeal.
When it comes to seating arrangements in a garden setting, look for white wicker pieces, such as chairs, love seats and side tables for holding drinks and snacks. Set them up in small groupings to encourage easy conversation among guests.
Decorate the bridal party and guest tables with cotton tablecloths or runners featuring large cabbage rose patterns, or pick white or cream-colored lace table covers instead. Cover table and wicker chairs with comfortable cushions with contrasting floral patterns; keep the look cohesive with similar-colored designs.
Table Centerpieces
Table centerpieces should also incorporate a balanced mix of casual and refined. As one idea, fill silver or gold vases featuring timeworn patinas, or antique milk glass vases, with vibrant wildflower bouquets.
Other shabby chic-themed centerpiece options include vintage birdcages filled with the couple's favorite books or a mixture of pastel-hued pillar candles, glass apothecary jars filled with vintage marbles or buttons, or wrought iron lanterns.
Place mason jars filled with mini flower bouquets by the guests' place settings to act as both table decor and party favors.
Lighting Elements
To keep with the romantic shabby chic theme, go for subdued lighting elements that will cast a warm glow over the event space. You can wrap strings of white mini lights around barn rafters and beams, or garden bushes and trees.
Small glass candle holders filled with LED tealights can be scattered across guest tables for soft illumination.
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