Photo: Valorie Darling

Whatever your wedding style may be, there’s one thing that every couple needs at their wedding reception:

Plenty of seats for your wedding party and guests!

Haven’t given much thought to what kind of seating you’ll provide?

Don’t worry — no matter what type of chairs you’re working with, there are lots of different ways to decorate them to enhance your wedding day vision.

Whether you’re having an outdoor wedding or holding your reception indoors, here are seven DIY wedding chair decorations to consider for your big day.

1. Decorate Reception Chairs With Flowers

From floral swags to single stems, there are plenty of ways to decorate your reception chairs with flowers.

For a perfectly coordinated look, match your chair flowers with those in your centerpieces, wedding bouquets, or the flower arrangements lining your wedding aisle.

Simply drape a floral garland across the top of each chair, or attach a single stem.

Attaching flowers with a piece of burlap or twine works perfectly if you’re having a rustic wedding or a casual celebration; satin ribbons are a great option for a more classic look!

Want your florist to create floral chair decorations for you?

Let them know far in advance of the big day. The more wedding flower arrangements you need, the longer it will take your florist to put them all together (and the more money you’ll need to set aside for flowers in your wedding budget).

2. Add Seat Cushions

Removable seat cushions are an excellent way to add color (and comfort) to a plain, wood chair.

Don’t have a wedding planner to handle the decorating for you?

Recruit a few members of the wedding party to help you get the job done!

All you have to do is loop a few ties onto the back of the chair spokes, and you’re done.

To make your sweetheart table extra special, consider hanging wedding chair signs (such as “Mr.” and “Mrs.” or monograms) on the back of the bride and groom’s chairs.

You can also DIY paper or wooden signs to identify seats for other important attendees, such as your parents, grandparents, maid of honor, or best man.

3. Greenery

Photo: Lindsay Connors

Decorating reception chairs with greenery is perfect for any rustic, cottagecore, or boho wedding.

From tropical palms to eucalyptus leaves mixed with baby’s breath, adding green swags to your chairs is a stylish (and easy) way to add some natural beauty to your wedding reception.

Planning to DIY your reception chair decorations on your own?

In addition to greenery swags, you can also decorate your chairs with green wreaths. On the big day, all you’ll have to do is loop them onto the chair back with a piece of ribbon or a strip of fabric and a Velcro closure. So easy!

4. Instead of Decorations, Opt for Colorful Chairs

When shopping for wedding venues, take note of the type of chairs they have on hand.

Upholstered chairs with tufted cushions are ideal if you’re having a chic, modern celebration or a wedding that exudes glitz and glamor.

Metal chairs with open-back spindles are perfect if you’re going for an industrial vibe or a classic look.

Plain wooden chairs are an excellent choice if you want your wedding to have a natural, rustic feel.

If your venue provides beautifully upholstered chairs in a pretty color, embrace it. There’s no need to cover up a gorgeous chair with decorations of any sort.

Should your venue provide chairs that you don’t love or that don’t fit with your wedding theme, don’t worry — there is another option:

Disguise them with wedding chair covers!

Chair covers come in all sorts of colors and patterns, so it’s easy to find ones that will work with your wedding style, whatever that style may be.

5. Add Throw Pillows

Photo: Jana Williams

Adding a single throw pillow to the back of each chair is a super effective way to bring color, pattern, texture, and comfort to your reception seats.

Plus, if you’re handling the decorating yourself, tossing a pillow onto each seat is the single easiest way to decorate a chair.

Lace pillows are perfect for a casual wedding or country wedding.

Burlap or linen pillows work great for a rustic reception.

Velvet pillows offer a more luxurious look and make an excellent choice for a winter wedding.

Vintage-inspired pillows in a pretty floral print are an ideal choice for a garden party.

The options are endless!

6. Drape With Fabric

Another easy way to DIY wedding chairs is to turn strips or yards of fabric into chair sashes.

There are several interesting ways to make this work.

One way is to drape a piece of fabric over the top of the chair, gather it in the center, and tie it into a knot or a bow in the back.

If your chairs have horizontal or vertical slats, another option is to weave a piece of fabric through the spokes.

Stiffer fabrics, such as organza and tulle, are easy to tie into fun knots and bows.

Coordinate your chair fabric with your wedding colors, bridesmaid dresses, or table linens for an absolutely gorgeous look!

Check out our collection of bridesmaid dresses:

Shop our bridesmaid dresses by color!

7. Drape With Pearls

Having a vintage 1920s wedding theme or a Parisian-inspired celebration?

Draping strands of pearls across the back of your wedding chairs is an easy and chic way to decorate them.

To achieve this look, buy long, already looped strands of faux pearls. Place them over the corners of the chair back and let them drape in the center.

You don’t even have to put them on every chair; decorating every other chair with pearls is more than sufficient! 

There’s One More Option: Skip the Chair Decorations Altogether

There is no rule that you have to decorate your wedding chairs, so if you love the chairs that your venue provides or don’t want to add to your decoration budget, it’s perfectly fine to skip the chair decor altogether.

If you’re embracing the minimalist wedding trend, there is no need to decorate your reception chairs or add any excess party decorations at all.

For the minimalist, less is always more!

Conclusion

 

There are so many wedding chair decor ideas to choose from that finding the one that works for your wedding is super easy.

So have fun with it!

Chair decorations might seem like an insignificant detail, but they can definitely add some extra style to your reception space! 

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