21 Party Ideas You Can Steal From Weddings

Weddings are just big and elaborate parties and some are not even that big in fact. They all do, however, require a good amount of planning and attention to details and that means there are some great ideas you can steam from weddings if you’re throwing a party.

Party Ideas You Can Steal From Weddings

For example, you can borrow the idea of giving out small favors to your guests or of having place cards and stylish centerpieces. We took the time to select out top ten favorites and we hope you’ll like them.

Simple decor ideas you can steal from weddings

Set up an ice bar

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Where there’s a party there are also beverages and one idea which you can borrow from weddings is setting up a sort of bar which can be a large box filled with ice cubes and various types of drinks. Each person can come here and take what they want. You can use the idea featured on michaelaraej of building a simple wooden tray and raising it on concrete blocks.

Use hay bales for a rustic barn-inspired décor

Use hay bales for a rustic barn-inspired décor

If you’re planning a rustic party, then the bar idea from rusticweddingchic would be simply perfect. Basically, you have to get some hay bales and to arrange them in layers so you can rest these big metal buckets filled with ice and bottled drinks on them. We like the raw and natural look of this whole setup.

Display big flower arrangements in buckets

Display big flower arrangements in buckets

Speaking of hay bales and rustic setups, if you’re throwing a great outdoor party what not set up a picture area with big bouquets of flowers and a lovely background? You can steal the idea from weddingchicks where there’s this great suggestion for a farm-themed celebration. If you can you could also bring one of these rustic carriages to the location.

Have a great cake

Have a great cake

A great party needs a great cake and you can steal this idea from weddings as well. How about a super simple cake with several layers and all these fresh fruits everywhere. You could set the cake on a large slice of wood. It would look amazing!

Go with a simple and chic table setting

Go with a simple and chic table setting

If it’s a dinner party that you have a mind, the table setting has to look just right. Don’t overdecorate the table but pay attention to details nonetheless. You could have a simple burlap runner and matching napkin rings and the centerpieces could be these lovely glass bottle vases filled with cute seasonal flowers.

Use planters and herbs as centerpieces

Use planters and herbs as centerpieces

Another lovely idea can be to use planters as centerpieces and to make these tags for each one showing a list of everyone seated at the table. The idea works better for weddings because there are several different tables involved there but you can definitely adapt it for a smaller party too.

Put drinks in big glass jars

Put drinks in big glass jars

A vintage drinks cart could feature these huge glass jars filled with fruit water and other types of drinks. You can serve them in regular-sized mason jars with colored straws. It’s simple, cute and very practical too. This idea comes from rockmywedding.

Prepare a sweet candy bar

Prepare a sweet candy bar

You could also surprise your party guests with a sweet candy bar. You could use wood slices and trays and you can fill them with all sorts of goodies like donuts, muffins, cupcakes, pies and all sorts of other delightful desserts. It’s yet one more cool idea that you can steal from weddings like the one described on catchmyparty.

Use wooden crates as seats as decorations

Use wooden crates as seats as decorations

Ignore all the chairs in the background because parties don’t usually require people to sit down (unless it’s a movie night party). Check out instead the cute manner in which these wooden crates are stacked on ruffledblog. They hold these lovely flower arrangements and you can definitely borrow this idea if you have some party decorations of your own that you want to display.

Put flowers in glass bottles

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

The last is probably the most common of all: recycling glass bottles into vases. It’s something you can do on any occasion and the trend has been very popular with weddings lately. You can basically turn any bottle into a wedding centerpiece so just check your pantry. We like these brown bottles but clear one would look lovely too.

Put sweet treats on stands

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

This idea has been around for ages and there’s a reason why it’s still quite popular: cakes, cupcakes and treats in general look lovely when displayed on stands. This is a great way to add layers and style to a table setup or a candy bar. Also, if you don’t have any stands you can quite easily make some from scratch. You can find a tutorial for that on firstdayofhome if you’re interested.

Decorate the walls with paper flowers

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Paper flowers are some of our favorite decorations for walls because they look lovely and there’s a lot of different colors, designs, sizes and shapes that you can choose from and combine when creating such decors. If you want to make a statement, try some giant peonies like the ones featured on ruffledblog. They’ll definitely make an impression on your party guests.

Customize the décor with monogram letters

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Another décor idea that can work well for parties as well as other events is to display monogram letters. They can be decorated and customized in all sorts of interesting and original ways and they don‘t need to be expensive. These wooden monogram letters featured on sustainmycrafthabit for example are decorated with lots of painted twigs and they look really cool.

Make a sign

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Signs are also great decorations for parties and events in general. They can tell a story, let everyone know something about the theme of the party or just welcome everyone with a lovely message. Making a sign is quite easy. You can use some reclaimed wood or a plywood board for this to save some money and you can stain or paint it and then use stencils or chalk to add your message. Check out this tutorial on nikkisplate for more details.

Make beautiful floral letters

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

This is similar to using regular monogram letters except they’re decorated with flowers. It’s a lovely idea for a spring or summer party because you have tons of beautiful seasonal flowers that you can use for this. Check out daintydressdiaries to see how these beautiful floral letters are made.

Hang a beautiful floral garland

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

What’s beautiful about these floral garlands is that you can make them with all sorts of different types of greenery and flowers so it doesn’t really matter if it’s sprint, summer, autumn or even winter. They’re also really easy to make as you can tell from the tutorial offered on tealarrowdesign which makes this an excellent decoration idea for parties or for your home décor in general.

A greenery table runner

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Using greenery for decorations is a wonderful way of bringing some of nature’s beauty and freshness indoors. This is something to keep in mind if you’re planning a party at your place or just looking for ideas on how to decorate your dining table in a creative and original way. Check out this greenery table runner on liagriffith to see how it was made.

Use nautical knots as decorations

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Nautical-themed decorations like seashells, driftwood signs and rope are great options if you’re planning a breezy, summer-themed décor. Something particularly interesting that you might want to check out is the monkey fist knot which is iconic. All you need to make these is sisal rope and scissors. There’s a detailed tutorial on sustainmycrafthabit that will guide you through the process.

Make a photo display

Make a photo display

Photos are classical decorations and there’s actually more ways to display them than just the traditional frames we’re all familiar with. How about a photo display on a wall? That could be something cool you can make for a special event or just a way to personalize one of the rooms in your home. Check out this nice photo grid featured on creatingwithklc.weebly if you want some inspiration.

Set the mood with driftwood candle holders

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Candles and by extension candle holders are excellent decorations if you want to create a soothing, cozy and perhaps even romantic mood. These driftwood candle holders featured on sustainmycrafthabit are super easy to make and they look really lovely and stylish. To make something like this you need a bunch of small driftwood pieces and some twine. You can swap the driftwood for twigs or something else if you want to.

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

Welcome everyone with a beautiful sign

It’s always nice to feel welcomed so why not build on this idea and craft a beautiful welcome sign for your party guests? You could make one out of wood and attach it to a big planter as shown on trendenser. It would look great outside and you can even leave it there forever if you want to.