Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Aisle runner at the Elks Lodge: Good or bad idea?

I keep hearing more cons than pros about using an aisle runner.  Our wedding will be in an Elks Lodge ballroom where they typically play bingo, so the room looks like a cafeteria. The floors are that white tile usually in cafeterias. I was thinking of using an aisle runner to give the aisle a more wedding feel. I purchased white 36 inch wide by 21 ft long muslin cloth with the intention of making one by the end of the month.

Now we have been told stories of them being tripping hazards and it raises concerns. There is no wedding party, so the only people walking the aisle will be my fiance and his mother, my mother, then me alone. Because i do not like heels, i will be wearing comfortable memory foam Sketchers under my dress. The mothers may wear heels.  

Aside from shoes, what may cause the aisle runner to become a tripping hazard? What would you suggest as a way to minimize the chance of tripping by stabilizing the runner? Or should we forgo it altogether?  I only spent $7 on the muslin so it wouldn't be a total loss if we choose to go without it. 

Re: Aisle runner at the Elks Lodge: Good or bad idea?

  • It could bunch and scoot and slip on the slick floor. I've only ever seen them work halfway decently on carpet. My SIL had one outside and it was terrible between the wind blowing it around and shoes poking through it into the grass. I just don't get the appeal of aisle runners.
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  • Even with double sided tape?  How do people typically reinforce them?
  • Aside from any other considerations, you need to check with the venue about what kind of tape they'll allow you to use on the floor.  I highly doubt they'll let you use double sided tape.  I have to do facilities agreements and work with a ton of different types of venues for the Red Cross for emergency shelters and almost universally they won't allow anything other than blue painter's tape on their floors.  We have to tape tarps down - with blue tape - to cover the floors so that they're not damaged by cots etc.  Protecting the flooring is generally a big concern, for good reason.



  • They have mentioned we can't use tape or nails on the walls, but nothing about the floor. I'll check with them about that.
  • I wonder if getting rug grip stuff will help.  I use it under my bathroom rugs and they don't move at all on the linoleum floor.  And it's not that expensive either:  (http://www.amazon.com/Grip-It-Non-Slip-Surface-Floors-10-Feet/dp/B003TDQQIA).  If your rug is 3'x20', this one linked to is 8'x10', but you can cut the stuff easily and do two 10' pieces out of it to reach the whole 20'.  You still may need to figure out something to secure the edges, so you don't trip on the them, but maybe just use white tape. 

    And honestly, the details of how the room looks will be the last thing on your mind on your wedding day.  I got married in a conference room on a cruise ship.  It looked like your typical conference room... with tacky orange walls.  Didn't matter at all to me on my wedding day. Even looking at photos from my ceremony, I notice the people, not the background. And our posed photos are the ones we framed on our wall anyway.

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  • I wonder if getting rug grip stuff will help.  I use it under my bathroom rugs and they don't move at all on the linoleum floor.  And it's not that expensive either:  (http://www.amazon.com/Grip-It-Non-Slip-Surface-Floors-10-Feet/dp/B003TDQQIA).  If your rug is 3'x20', this one linked to is 8'x10', but you can cut the stuff easily and do two 10' pieces out of it to reach the whole 20'.  You still may need to figure out something to secure the edges, so you don't trip on the them, but maybe just use white tape. 

    And honestly, the details of how the room looks will be the last thing on your mind on your wedding day.  I got married in a conference room on a cruise ship.  It looked like your typical conference room... with tacky orange walls.  Didn't matter at all to me on my wedding day. Even looking at photos from my ceremony, I notice the people, not the background. And our posed photos are the ones we framed on our wall anyway.

    I had this stuff down at multiple places I rented, and at one house the stuff completely stuck to the floor. I had to sit there with a scraper for DAYS trying to get it off, I'm just glad I discovered it when I did. Even when the white pieces got off the floor, you could still see the spots where it stuck to the floor. I have no idea what caused it, the floors were clean and dry when I laid it down. Because of this experience, I don't recommend those things anymore. 
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  • I personally wouldn't bother with it.  It's a detail that few people will notice.

    Also, after the wedding, it's quite possible that people will walk up the main aisle to leave.  
  • I'm not a fan of runners.  They always seem to bunch up, tear, bubble, sometimes slippery, tripping hazard, etc.   

    Also think that often times they bring MORE attention to something that disguise them.  Like putting lipstick on a pig.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • Do an alternative runner, like having fake petals lining the aisle or swirled around in a design or something. I wouldn't worry about the decor that much. You'll be beautiful! And you'll get married and that's all you're there for!
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