Pew decoration

Sagenhaft

We are getting married in a small chapel that sits on a large estate in the Appalachian mountains owned by my fiance's family. We have their full support for the wedding, so we have complete control over decorations for the site. The reception is going to be outdoors, next to the chapel. But after the ceremony, we wanted to create a lounge area for guests that is inside and away from the music without being too far away from the reception site. So we decided that after the ceremony, we are moving most of the pews behind a curtain, where they will be hidden, and converting the chapel into a lounge. We will have small tables decorated with twinkle lights, bean bag chairs, one or two pews against the wall for guests to sit on. We want the lounge to be decorated, modern, but also fairly simple.

The problem we have is decorating the pews. I know it's incredibly common for couples to use pomanders as pew decorations, but we really want something that can be easily and seamlessly moved right into the lounge area. There's really no place for us to put the pomanders after the ceremony, unless we hung them from the ceiling -- but that would take too much time. We want the transformation to be complete after the receiving line is over.

Can you think of anything we could use? Our theme is an 'enchanted garden', though this doesn't necessarily have to be integrated into the pew decorations. I'd really like to stay away from candles as much as possible for two reasons: 1) there will be a lot of kids there and 2) in a small church in the south packed with people in June it will be sweltering -- we don't need any extra heat! (By the way, it is a night wedding -- it doesn't start until 8:00 p.m., if that matters).

Sorry this is so long!

I <3 Seabass

There are some cute ideas for pew decor here. I think the 1st one on the top row would fit with your theme.

http://www.soulfulengagements.com/1/post/2010/01/fabulous-pew-dcor.html

aerinpegadrak

Do you really have to use pew decorations?  Guests only see them for about 30 seconds until they find their seats.  If you're trying to do a quick switch, the more you can streamline things, the easier it will be to finish in time.

Catwoman708

Pew clips are inexpensive and easy to use.  If you want to use floral decorations to go with your "garden" theme, you can get small "floral cages" to attach to them that are a small container of foam (wet oasis foam for fresh flowers, regular foam for silk flowers.  

The floral cages hang vertically on the pew clip, and are easily removed to lay flat (like as a centerpiece for the tables), so tranisitioning from pew decoration to centerpiece would be very quick and easy.  Otherwise, I'd suggest using seasonal potted flowers for decorations and centerpieces.  Like pots of daisies, mums, tulips, daffodils, lilies, azaeleas, or whatever is in season at your local plant nurseries.  Either in the foil wrapped pots, or plant them in cute containers.  They can be repurposed after the wedding as favors, door prizes, thank you gifts, or planted.

I can easily see the older guests wanting to sit in sit in your "lounge" area, and they like cusions to sit on.  If the wooden pews or chairs are not padded, you might get some chair pads and/or throw pillows. 

The lounge is not a bad idea, but logistically, it's a lot of work to move all those pews around and set up tables.  When you say "We are moving ...", that means you either have to hire it done, or rely on a team volunteers, because you and the wedding party, and close family will be busy with guests, and taking pictures.  And that's a LOT of work, too much to ask of your family and friends at an occasion where they are supposed to be guests.  Even if they are enthusiastic now about volunteering to help, when it comes time, some of those "enthusiastic volunteers" will be elsewhere, in picutres, grumbling about how they didn't know it would be that much work, etc...

An alternative but similar idea, might be to have your lounge set up in a tent outside, with a few tables, chairs, and maybe borrow some cozy wicker or patio furniture.  It can be set up the day before, saving you a lot of trouble on the wedding day. 

Spim7

If you like the look of Pomanders you can hang fishing line with a hanger from the ceiling and then all you'd have to do is have someone put the pomanders on hooks that are already there. It would only take a minute or two.