Ideas for Decorating a Summer Wedding and Reception

Summer is the second most popular season in which to be married - and why not? The weather is beautiful, many people are on vacation and there are so many easy ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception that it's a perfect time to get married. Hosting a wedding in the summer means you can take advantage of beautiful gardens in bloom for an outdoor wedding, or have that barefoot beach wedding you've always imagined.

Summer flowers range from dramatic gladiolus to simple field flowers - enough variety to suit any bride's taste. Ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception can be drawn from the beach and ocean or the garden, from the wildflower fields or from summer holidays.

Holiday ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception? If you're getting married around the Fourth of July, why not draw your inspiration from the Red, White and Blue? You can decorate your reception table centerpieces with little American flags, sprinkle white tablecloths with blue confetti stars and match it all up with bright red napkins. You can even take a cue from the Chinese wedding customs, and present each of your guests with colorfully wrapped wedding firecrackers to distract the demons when the happy couple leaves for their honeymoon.

You can look to the beach for ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception, too - and there are so many different ideas and themes that you'll have a hard time choosing. If you're a fan of fun and frolic with a shovels, and toss inflatable seahorses and beach balls around as a colorful accent

If you prefer something a little more elegant as far as decorating a summer wedding and reception, you can find sea shell themed wedding favors, guest books and invitations. There are island florists in Hawaii and the Caribbean islands from whom you can purchase giant conch shells to use as your reception table centerpieces. Tuck a piece of florist's foam inside the open lip and arrange plumeria, beach plums and frothy baby's breath to spill from the shell in a Neptune's Cornucopia. So if you were wondering how to decorate wedding reception tables with a shell theme, there you go.

If you decide to rent a harbor or river party boat for the wedding, you can take your ideas for decorating your summer wedding and reception from a more nautical theme. Twining a miniature ship's anchor with ivy and roses is one idea for crafting nautical wedding table decorations. Match them up with place card holders in the shape of lighthouses or ship's wheels. Make liberal use of nautical rope for decorating - coiling it in corners or using a braided edging around the head table as a base for a floral swag.

Gardens and gazebos are another popular venue for summer weddings and receptions. Ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception held in a garden include using the blooming flowers as a natural background. Choose flowers that grow in the garden for your your reception table centerpieces - just cut and fill vases for the simplest and most elegant reception table centerpieces of all. Twine the branches of trees with satin ribbons that are left to trail and flutter, or string them with miniature Christmas tree lights to sparkle and twinkle after dark.

When you're looking for ideas for decorating a summer wedding and reception, you'll find inspiration almost everywhere you look. Keep your eye out for flowers that you particularly love or wedding favors that echo the things you love best about the beach. Your wedding will reflect you and what you like - and that's the way it should be on your special day.