If your wedding venue has low ceilings, take advantage of this feature and hang up some drapes. Correctly placed and lighted, drapes can give your wedding an elegant and intimate feeling.

The Venue

Drapes work best with medium to low ceilings. You need to be able to access the ceiling for the drapes to work. If the ceilings in your reception venue are extremely high, this technique may not work.

You will need to use drapery hooks to hang up the fabric. Check and see if your venue (such as Halls of St. George) already has hooks in the ceiling, or if you are able to put up hooks yourself. Not every venue may allow you to hang up drapery ceiling hooks, so be sure that you check before you go forward with this idea.

The Fabric

You can go to your local fabric store and purchase the fabric for your wedding drapes. You may also be able to rent them from a local wedding or drape business.

If you are picking out the fabric on your own, here are a few lightweight fabrics you should consider:

• Sheer fabric is the way to go if you really want to create an elegant look. It reflects light well. 
• Targalet fabric is a crushed silk fabric. This crushed looked its a little more depth than other fabrics.
• Muslin fabric has a very fresh, clean look to it,

Colors

If you want to create a very elegant and formal look, it is best to go with a white or champagne colored fabric.

If you want to create a more fun and playful vibe, you can go with a brighter color, such as yellow, blue or purple that fits in with your wedding color palette.

Hanging The Drapes

You will want to start hanging the drapes in the middle of the ceiling. You will need to install a drapery hook, and attach the fabric to the hook. From there, you will want to take the other end of the fabric and attach it where the wall and ceiling meets.

The fabric should be long enough to create an arching shape. It should not be pulled tight. When all the drapes are hanging up, it will look like you are inside of an elegant tent, or if you have a little bit of an imagination, inside of a cloud.

Finishing Touches

To create a really elegant look, you may also want to hang up some twinkling lights. This will create softer light for your reception and will add to the ambiance.

With all the work you put into your ceiling, you can make the rest of your reception a little simpler. Use table clothes that complement the color of your ceiling, and throw in a little color with some simple table decorations.