My talented friend and fellow wedding planner Beth Helmstetter said it best when she said “don’t celebrate the ugly” when it comes to design and style for your wedding. Meaning, every venue is going to have something that is not pretty, but you should NOT draw attention to it.
I once had a bride who was stressing out because the ballroom where her reception was being held had a stairwell with low wall around it close to the center of the room. She was really concerned about it and was thinking about piping and draping or decorating it somehow with candles and flowers. I tried to put her at ease during the planning by telling her that when she views the room when it is empty, of course all she is going to see is that stairwell, but when it is full with tables, beautiful linens, flowers, candles, and good lighting, she won’t even notice the stairwell–unless she draws attention to it.
Thankfully, she decided not to mask the stairwell but to let it be. Her reception was beautiful and the guests raved about the towering and lavish flowers on the tables!
