Wedding Help: How to Decorate a Wedding Trellis

Whether you are renting your trellis or have one already provided at your wedding ceremony site, chances are that you will be responsible for providing any decorations for the wedding trellis. Although a plain trellis is pretty, just a little bit of work decorating it can make a big difference in bringing color and life into the focal point of your wedding site.

Decorate a Wedding Trellis: Materials Needed

The materials you will need to decorate the trellis vary, depending on the style and look you are going for. If your wedding is very formal, you will probably want to stick to the traditional ivy, maybe with a few small flowers (either silk flowers or real blooms) included as well.

More informal weddings can get away with all sorts of creative and unique wedding trellis decorations. Lights can be a good way to make the trellis sparkle a little, and white tulle will always help to fill it out and make it seem more delicate. Splashes of color that match your bridesmaids can also be a great way to decorate your wedding trellis, so plan to purchase ribbon of that color, or flowers.

Regardless of what you are using to decorate the trellis, you will want to have basic supplies on hand such as scissors, tape (just in case), and lots of white pipe cleaners to attach everything to the trellis. You also will probably need a stepstool or stepladder to help get the decoration up and over the trellis as well as on the sides.

Decorate a Wedding Trellis: Planning a Timeline

It takes a surprising amount of time to decorate a trellis for a wedding, so plan ahead. If you will not be the person doing the decorating, make sure to meet with whoever is to make sure you are on the same page about what will be used and what you want the overall look to be. This meeting should be plenty in advance of the wedding so you don't need to rush through it.

On the day of the wedding, the trellis decorator should begin a couple hours before guests will be arriving. This will give plenty of time for mistakes, checks by the bride and anybody else who has a vision for how it will look, and little adjustments as needed.

Decorate a Wedding Trellis: How to Decorate

The actual method for decorating can vary, but the basic idea is to weave the materials (whatever they are) through the trellis. It can either be done very systematically, or slightly haphazardly, depending on the overall look that is desired. Pipe cleaners can be used at any points where materials need to be attached, but care should be taken to keep them invisible as much as possible.

One thing to keep in mind is to not overdo the decoration. The trellis should be able to be seen, and the decorations should be thought of as embellishments that draw attention to the trellis and make it fit into the overall look of your wedding ceremony.