Using many years of experience in wedding venue styling, I have put together my Top 5 tips for decorating your wedding reception venue.

1. Work with what you've got

Do not fight against what is already there. Good wedding venue styling invloves assessing your surroundings and working with them. If you plan on an outside reception, you can work with nature; decorations can be kept to a minimum as your backdrop will be already provided. Those who have hired a historic property or hotel ballroom, must pick decorations that will highlight the finest features of the room. This may be a distinctive ceiling or feature fire.

On the other hand, there may be no windows and consequently no natural light (a common problem with ballrooms). It would be sensible to make use of lots of lighting in your decor, using spot lights, chandeliers, candles or fairy lights.

Consider the space where you will have your reception, does it have lovely views, original ceiling beams, luxury wall or floor coverings? What can you work with? Then ask yourself what features are working against you and need to be covered up, disguised or completely concealed.

2. Lighting is Important

It is doubtful that the guests who attend your event will remark that 'the lighting was amazing,' but it is one of those background elements that will effect the overall mood. The 1st rule of wedding venue styling is that good lighting is the key to a successful event. It can transform a space, even making the walls appear to be a different colour.

There are a number of ways to use lighting to create the right ambiance in your wedding venue styling. For example candles are great for creating a warm, romantic ambiance but many wedding planners fail to consider that they may not provide enough light, your guests need to be able to see where they are.

Make sure you highlight focal areas such as the head table or cake table using spotlights. This ensures the focus is always on the areas of the room that are well decorated and of course, the bride.

String lights and lanterns are great for outdoor events. They are stunning when hung from trees or a pergola. The glow is not overbearing, just perfect for dancing late into the evening.

3. Include Individual Touches

In my experience, wedding venue styling that is most successful has a personal touch. As well as expressing your personality through the decor, the most memorable events will include personal touches from the bride and groom. Here are some of the best ideas. Post pictures and photos around the venue - it is a great talking point and you can include any family members who may have passed on. Include a short biography of everybody sitting at the top table, where you met them, a funny story etc. This way people who haven't met them before will feel more involved when it comes to the speeches. Design your own personalised motif or monogram on a computer. You can then add this design into different elements of your wedding such as programs and menus. Your guests will appreciate personalised name place settings too.

4. Wedding Chair Covers are a Must

You have probably already thought about the flowers and the table decorations but wedding chair covers should not be an afterthought, disregarded or left until the last minute. You may think that chair covers are not a key part of your wedding venue styling but when you have a lot of chairs in a room, the colour and uniformity becomes important.

Chair covers are a brilliant way of creating a polished look and coloured sashes or bows will match in with your chosen colour scheme. Given the mass of chairs that are required at a wedding, beautifully decorated chairs can transform an otherwise ordinary room into a setting of sumptuousness and sophistication.

5. Concentrate on Key Areas

You don't need to decorate everything. There are particular key areas at a reception where you must concentrate your attention. By concentrating on these areas you will not only save money but you will avoid over-doing it.

There areas where people will congregate such the entrance hall or bar. The most vital areas are perhaps the dining tables as this is where your guests will spend most of their time. Then there are focal points such as the head table, dance floor and cake table. You'll probably have a place in mind for photos or group shots; this too should be an integral part of your wedding venue styling.