Wedding Info Centres
Decorating a Wedding Chapel


The decoration of a wedding chapel takes several issues into consideration, not including the religious denomination and the specific guidelines of the establishment. Many wedding chapels do not allow photographers behind the pulpit or flash photography; others dont allow flowers on the stairs to the altar or in front of emergency exits. Based on the information received, you are now free to decorate.

A Secular Wedding Chapel

If you are using a non-denominational wedding chapel, perhaps owned by a town or historical society, you may take a few liberties as long as the wedding chapel is left exactly the way it started. For instance, if there are pictures or furniture of a religious nature (i.e. a baptismal bowl or image of a religious figure), do not remove them, if at all possible. Instead, cover them tastefully with a white sheet or place flowers in or around the baptismal fixture, demonstrating your respect for the item, but indicating you are not using it for the purpose it was intended.

A Religious Wedding Chapel

A religious wedding chapel is sacred, and great pains should be taken to keep it as such. Gaudy decorations, crepe paper streamers, or otherwise cute decorations do not belong here. A simple white cord or ribbon, possibly attached with a flower or bow, is enough to reserve rows for family members, etc. Tasteful floral displays, as long as they are not disruptive to worship or flow of foot traffic, will be a pleasing addition to your decorations. If you are of mixed faiths (i.e. Jewish and Christian), do not order flowers with religious symbols.

A Nice Touch

Decorating the wedding chapel should not be an issue that causes a great deal of stress. Floral arrangements at the chapel should be carried to the reception. Never leave items in the wedding chapel clean up is your responsibility. If you are looking to add some classy touches for your guests, consider adding a small pin or decoration to each program, and having them on the chairs when guests sit down. Another very elegant addition would be to have a rose on each chair, or to have your ushers offer a rose to each girl, female teen, and adult woman.

Leave the Wedding Chapel as You Found It

There is no excuse for leaving the wedding chapel without ensuring that everything has been cleaned up, carried out, put away, replaced, or otherwise undisturbed. People should be assigned the task well in advance, so people arent running around trying to grab things before they leave for the reception. Certainly this is not something the bride and groom should be concerned with, delegate. Unless there is a wedding party anxiously waiting to come in, everything should be left exactly the way it was when you arrived. If someone has left something valuable behind, go back immediately.

Instead of expensive wedding shoes, consider dressing up your ensemble with a pair of embroidered or textured silk stockings; theyll show when your gown is lifted to retrieve the garter, and will be much more noticeable.

Maui Wedding Coordinators
Dont get too carried away with embellishments; the USPS doesnt like bulky, lumpy envelopes. Sometimes they are even stacked up to mimic the look of a traditional wedding cake. Consider a wedding centerpiece made with fake weapons, which are available anywhere including a party supply store. The stress of planning your wedding ceremony may be leaving your skin in poor shape.

One wedding gift that is both eye-catching and practical is the gift basket.
Eating whole turkey legs without cutlery may seem authentic, but it is definitely not a good wedding idea (nor a very sanitary one, for that matter). The best advice is to blissfully ignore the looks or respond graciously if the onlookers throw out well-wishes or congratulations. If your dress is traditional white, white wedding shoes are obviously best and there are countless styles available. Instead of wedding cake, you could have the wedding couples favorite desserts, sort of his and her desserts.