Decorating for a wedding reception?

Question

I'm getting married on June 7 of this year. We have picked a rustic lodge for it's space and availability. However, we really want a romantic feel to it to the wedding. There are MANY dead animals on the walls that we are not able to take off. We've come up with ideas such as drapping fabric and using plants to cover them up...but we think it might get a little expense and we're on a tight budget. Any ideas?

Answer 1

I guess you could go with the idea about the fabric, but I am not sure how that is going to look...especially if some of these dead animals have antlers that might bulge out. Maybe the ones that are lower to the ground you can try to casually cover up, but my best advice would be to try and not to draw attention to it...and honestly unless the fabric is done correctly it might not come out looking right. Maybe just try to focus on making the centerpieces nice and bright and the rest of the room dim...keep the light and the focus away from the walls where the animals are hanging. Draw people's eye somewhere else. Maybe you could do centerpieces with a lot of candles, like these: http://www.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/z10031303.jpg

http://www.limelightfloral.com/images2/candle_centerpiece.jpg

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/0/05/Floating_wedding_candles.jpg

http://www.cheap-wedding-solutions.com/images/center4.jpg

Answer 2

Don't bother trying to cover them up - there is an OLD building that is now used as a restaurant now and they have kept that old rustic animal head thing and then put lace curtains and candles on the tables. It has the feel of a pioneer woman making a silk purse out of a sows ear. I just love the place and what you really focus on is just how warm and charming the table settings are amid the drafty log walls and windows.

Answer 3

I'd leave them alone.

Anything you do to cover them will only draw more attention to them. Do your best to bring people's focus down. Use really pretty centerpieces, lower the lights and use a good bit of candle light. You might also consider having a fabric backdrop staged in one area for pictures. If people head over there to take snapshots it will cut down on the number of pictures you have with a deer head in the background. The lighting can also help avoid this.

Answer 4

If it's like a lot of lodges I've seen, the ceilings are high, and the animals are mounted about halfway up the walls. I wouldn't suggest trying to hide them, but rather distract the guests from them by making everything at eye level spectacular--spend your money on centerpieces for the tables, maybe a table runner or overlay for some color and lots and lots of candles.

Answer 5

Cheap paper streamers draped from the ceiling to the side-walls then hanging down.

Yes, it will cost something, but it should do two things: 1 - draw attention as a decoration and 2 - disguise the dead animals on the walls.

Answer 6

I dont have a lot of ideas for this place, but I'm picturing a dead deer with a red rose in his mouth.

Answer 7

find a dif. place. my sister tried to do exactly what you are talking about and it ended up looking like lumps on the wall, and very odd. The things she covered were not evenly spaced on the wall and everything looked lopsided. Good luck!

Answer 8

I think you are on the right track with the fabric.. you could use flat bed sheets you can usally find pretty cheap or maybe renting wall partitions and LOTS OF BALLOONS.

Answer 9

I am not sure what you can do to cover them up, but make sure you are actually allowed to hang things off of them. Some places dont allow you to even hang things up, all free standing.

Answer 10

I think clusters of balloons and ribbon would be cheap and very cute. They have pearl metallic looking balloons that you could use and then add ribbon in your wedding colors.