Boring Ballroom Help!

samanthajodances · November 2012

Hi! Long story short, my man and I are not your typical ballroom kind of people and would much prefer to have a super unique reception site. However, due to a tight budget and a family connection, we will be having our reception in a ballroom/banquet room. We know we are saving a TON of money going this route (which is very important), but at the same time we don't want it to be just your average ballroom reception...any fun, unique ideas or suggestions on how to make a boring ballroom into something funky and different? Thanks!!

FluffyGumDrop2 · November 2012

It would help us give better ideas if we knew a bit more about what you and your fiance are interested in so we can draw inspiration possibly from that. What hobbies/interests would friends and family recognize as being totally "samantha" or "mr. samanatha"?

Examples:

- are either of you big on the outdoors? Everyone knows you go camping a lot or hiking?

- are you indoor people? Everyone knows you love video games, reading or watching movies?

- If you are a film or book enthusiast is there a particular genre you are drawn to? Time period?

- are either you really into music? Play any instruments?

- are you two big travellers with a sense of adventure?

What colors are in your wedding? What type of a vibe are you going for, laid back party or refined dining and dancing?

Generic ideas for dressing up a ballroom, which obviously might not work for your budget, would be the use of uplighting or perhaps sheer fabric to help hide the "boring" ballroom walls.

click me

Centerpieces are also typically a focal point at receptions and you could use acrylic vases with colored water and LED lights, floral arrangements, candles to set the mood of perhaps an intimate lounge.

click me

click me - obviously those floral arrangements are massive but it was more to show the vibe that the lighting creates. It might also help to "hide" the generic ballroom walls if you don't have the budget to decorate an entire ballroom but make sure it's not so dark people can't get around safely.

Hope this helps to get the ideas starting.

BMcLeodTeam · November 2012

I agree, I need to know a little more about you to come up with some ideas

samanthajodances · November 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_offbeat-weddings_boring-ballroom-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:43453af6-2ee4-412a-99fb-cbb447240911Discussion:e58d7480-b2c3-400b-b423-a6383f7dd5c3Post:e3844c05-d25a-4f11-a89a-4995424ef256">Re: Boring Ballroom Help!</a>:
[QUOTE]It would help us give better ideas if we knew a bit more about what you and your fiance are interested in so we can draw inspiration possibly from that. What hobbies/interests would friends and family recognize as being totally "samantha" or "mr. samanatha"? Examples: - are either of you big on the outdoors? Everyone knows you go camping a lot or hiking? - are you indoor people? Everyone knows you love video games, reading or watching movies? - If you are a film or book enthusiast is there a particular genre you are drawn to? Time period? - are either you really into music? Play any instruments? - are you two big travellers with a sense of adventure? What colors are in your wedding? What type of a vibe are you going for, laid back party or refined dining and dancing? Generic ideas for dressing up a ballroom, which obviously might not work for your budget, would be the use of uplighting or perhaps sheer fabric to help hide the "boring" ballroom walls. click me click me click me Centerpieces are also typically a focal point at receptions and you could use acrylic vases with colored water and LED lights, floral arrangements, candles to set the mood of perhaps an intimate lounge. click me click me - obviously those floral arrangements are massive but it was more to show the vibe that the lighting creates. It might also help to "hide" the generic ballroom walls if you don't have the budget to decorate an entire ballroom but make sure it's not so dark people can't get around safely. Hope this helps to get the ideas starting.
Posted by FluffyGumDrop2[/QUOTE]

You're AMAZING! These already are fantastic ideas!

So, more about us...We are both in the arts (Broadway performers), but we're a little funky-both have tattoos, he is a motorcylce-loving Buddhist, I'm an avid excercise queen who likes to read. I would love to create an intimate/romantic feel to the reception site, love the idea of dark candelabras and lots of candles. Our colors as of now are simple black and white with accents of red. But in addition to the romantic look, we'd ultimately love to have a super fun, dance party!

Most of our friends are NYC/LA actors, dancers, singers, so we were hoping for our friends to enjoy a weekend away, enjoying fun activities throughout the week/weekend with us, hitting the pool, being outdoors, seeing a show, and then just happen to go to an awesome, fun wedding.

FluffyGumDrop2 · November 2012

Broadway Ideas:

- Playbills: any of the paper goods could be styled to resemble Playbills; ceremony programs, save the dates, invitations, menus, table centerpieces, etc. If you are handy/crafty you could even recreate some of your favorite playbills using you and your fiancé to make them feel a bit more personal.
Side note: If you decide to name your tables after plays or anything really that’s not a number, you should try to arrange the room in alphabetical order to make it easier on your guests so they don’t wander around the room trying to find the “Wicked” table.

- Red Carpet: if the venue allows you, you could set up a red carpet entering the ballroom to help your guests feel like celebrities attending opening night. You mention liking funky/fun things so if you opt to have a Photobooth you could also use the red carpet and perhaps ropes to lead up to it.

- I believe the leading lady is given a bouquet of roses on opening night so perhaps you could utilize red roses if it’s not too pricey

Motorcycle Ideas:
- Motorcycle groomscake

Buddhist Ideas:

- You could use Buddhist busts/statues for table décor along with acrylic/clear vases containing submerged and floating flowers

- I googled Buddhist temples and many of them had bright flowers around; yellow, pinks, white, etc which you could use in your décor. Don’t forget about small shrubs like Bonsai trees.

- Lanterns: You could use either paper lanterns or the more solid stone lanterns (perhaps for table decoration)

- Red is considered an important color to Buddhists, I believe, so you should be able to find red items if you chose to go this route

Literature:

- Tables could be numbered after the Dewey Decimal system; favorite book titles, genres, book chapters, etc

- You could use stacks of old books arranged on the table with flowers for decoration

- You could make the seating chart board look like an open book and have the escort cards shaped like the old library book inserts

click me

- You could also have a guest book filled with the library card pockets, guests could write their well wishes on one of the slips and stick it back in one of the pockets; allows for more private messages

Red, Black and White ideas:

This is a very popular color combo so you can find tons of ideas by just searching around

Candelabra idea with your colors: click me

click me

click me - ballroom with red uplighting

Depending on your budget you might be able to find a good deal on renting lounge furniture to help give your ballroom a funky, relaxed atmosphere and seating. You could potentially get a few low sofas to line the dance floor so people can relax in comfort or even set up a small lounge area away from the dance floor for guests who want to chat away from the music.

Good luck!

erosempai · November 2012

I would think an old book can be your guest book. Or your card box can look like a large book. Heehee

Gustafson28 · November 2012

Lol fluffy is all over this! I have absolutely nothing to add :P

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