Guest Blogger Profile: Simon Daykin

Simon says to think of your favorite bar when planning your wedding decor

Some of my grooms come to me complaining…”Simon”, they say…”Simon…my fiancé wants all this décor in the room and she keeps talking about atmosphere and what not, all I want is for people to have a good time and I don’t care about all this décor stuff!”  To which I say, “Dude, the décor in a room directly translates to the enjoyment people have.”  Then I have them describe their favorite bar…and guess what?  Yup, they tell me all about the stuff on the walls, the booths and the way the lights shine on the bar and glint off the lovely bottles of fun time juice.  Guess what fellas, that’d be décor!  Décor plays a huge part in how people feel in a space.

A Whole New World

The right décor can take a space, a normal boring space and turn it into a whole new world for your guests.  Take a basic hall, laminate floor, cinder block walls, you know what I mean.  Now add some pipe and drape to the walls, a tented ceiling, some cool lighting, low couches and big pillows and you have an Arabian tent.  Like I said…a whole new world.  Just because your original space is uninspiring, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.  Just a word of caution, if you’re gonna go for a tented ceiling, get an expert because those things are a pain in the ass if you don’t know what you’re doing.

So She Says It’s All About Atmosphere?

You just want your guests to have a good time, you’ve already taken care of the food and the music but your fiancé is still going on and on about the décor and how the room will look.  Truth be told, décor makes up a lot of the atmosphere and directly relates to how good a time your guests will have.  Sure if the music is kick ass and the booze is flowing they’ll have a good time, but think of this.  What if you went to your pub and all the décor was gone?  Everything else was the same but there was no atmosphere, would it still be the same?  The simple answer is no, no it wouldn’t be.  Think of the gasps, the “oh my God how good does this room look” comments you’d be missing out on.  You want your guests to compare all other weddings they go to, to YOURS!  You want them talking about your wedding for years to come, and décor has a HUGE part in that.

A Little Bit Of Both Of You

I always strive to have the wedding day feel like both the bride and groom have had a hand in planning the look and feel of the wedding.  I insist my guys sit in on as many meetings as possible and that they DO NOT miss the décor meeting we offer.  This way they can have their say.  It may be a simple request, some of my guys can be pretty chill on the whole thing, but others really want to get involved, I LOVE THESE GUYS!  The wedding should reflect BOTH the couples’ personalities, so the guests really get a feel of who they are.  You don’t want to walk into a room full of frilly pink crap do you?  Well, if you don’t take part in the choosing of the décor this very well may happen to you, and we don’t want that.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

The décor will create what is essentially the backbone of the atmosphere and feel of the wedding so you both should be involved.  It will give that WOW factor as your guests enter your reception and will have them talking for years to come.  And yes, no matter how good the food and music is, it will take all that to the next level.

Get involved with the décor, it’s fun…seriously it is fun!  Make sure you have your opinion heard and don’t let someone else design your wedding for you.  Work with them as much as you can, even if you think your idea is really out there, get it on the table, your fiancé may love it.

Sadly décor can get overlooked in the planning process or cut back due to budget.  Always include a healthy chunk of cash for your décor, it’s like buying an amazing house and then getting your faucets and light fixtures from Wal-Mart, or restoring a vintage car, but not having enough cash to put the right tires on it, it’s heartbreaking.

Click here to book a décor meeting and get started on your one of a kind wedding, if you’re still not convinced…think about the frilly pink room.  Think about it….

Tags: Clueless Grooms, Wedding Reception

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Groom Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.