Decor help - School auditorium

Is this space just for your ceremony?

No, for the reception. The ceremony will likely be at the same place, but outside.

It looks set up for a ceremony but that's just the way they have it when it's not being used.

Hi Jamie! Does your venue have any decorating restrictions? They might not let you take the artwork down, so I'd triple check!

It's so hard to envision, but the room will look drastically different once your tables and linens and centerpieces are in there. I wouldn't stress too much about changing or decorating the walls of the space!

If there is an edge to the stage where you could put a few floral arrangements or decor items I think that would work well!

Would it be weird to use the stage for the sweetheart table or to display the wedding cake?

It's a cool venue; I like it. What about fairy light curtains for the stage?

I second @catlady5x to have the DJ up there

For the stage, you could put up a big screen and use a short-throw projector to show a slideshow of photos throughout the night. Some of the photo sharing apps now include a live slideshow, so as guests upload their photos through the app, they will automatically be looped into the slideshow. People love to see their photos on a big screen!

Thanks for the great ideas!

I honestly don't yet know the answer to the stage question - We are going with this venue but today we were only able to view the place because the person was at a Dr. appt for a lot longer than she thought and didn't end up coming (place has a lockbox).

There was a sign on the stage saying stay off the stage so I'm assuming it can't be used at all except for decor.

@WWLynnie - same answer as above. I don't know yet - I'm guessing they probably wont care but I will check when we finally get down to the details.

@catlady5x - yes, it will be an evening event.

You could get large amts of burlap wrap some lights around it and make swags to make the stage less of an eye sore

It is a pretty venue! I agree check with other posters, check to see if you can use the stage. Another thought regarding the pictures, if it is related to the history of the school house, it might give your guests something interesting to look at during the reception Congratulations!

I was envisioning a high school gym haha this is much better!! It really is a beautiful, blank canvas! Personally I would rather not draw attention to the curtain/stage. Just leave it blank. I'm assuming that the lights will be dim and honestly, guests probably won't even notice it, especially if your dance floor is in the middle of the room!

@annakay511 I understand that approach, too, but the pictures from other peoples' weddings are not so understanding. It just looks drab. I like the idea of the lights though - I'll probably do that or the slide show.

Lots of garland! Sam's Club has a great deal on garland and my florist even agreed.

A vintage , but not so rustic idea, would be to project a screen onto the curtains, like an old fashioned silent movie. You could make a loop of old fashioned, romantic sayings or lines from movies.

If you are allowed to take down the pictures, replace them with your own. Get pictures from weddings in your families, or pics of the two of you growing up. Go to Staples and get engineers prints. You can get a 3x4' print for about $7. They are on very thin paper, so you will need to glue them to a backing like foamcore. You could find or make some rustic frames.

For the windows, you could also use foamcore to make valances. They will be so light that you may be able to just rest them on top of the existing window decor. At most, you could use Command Strips to secure them in place without marking the walls.

http://www.downhomeinspiration.com/10-10-minute-diy-window-valance/

If you do the silent move projection idea, you could spray paint the foamcore black and do a white detail. Make sure you buy the right paint so it doesn't melt the foamcore.

If you want more rustic, both the picture frames and the valances could be faux wood, using contact paper or wall paper to keep them light.

The projector presentation could be cool but would require staffing/tech support which could get complicated. For a rustic look, I'd suggest either stringing some triangle pennants up or getting some plants/greenery in big pots to set along the edge of the stage. Or just leave the stage black and let the attention be focused on the tables.

Thanks, everyone! The verdict is NO standing on the stage whatsoever. I could still do lights, or I even like @Kelly M.s idea. I agree - projector would probably be difficult since there isn't anywhere to put one.

We also cannot remove the photos but the woman said we could hang stuff over them. She said one person wrapped the pics in wrapping paper to make them look like gifts (not my cup of tea, but hey!) We can only use command strips on the walls.

Really appreciate everyone's ideas!!

What about projecting a monogram on the curtain?

Our venues are very similar, down to the color scheme. I think that greenery that was mentioned it a great idea. What if you stacked old suitcases along the length of the stage and drape it with cheese cloth (like those wraps for newborn photos), add in greenery, and flower arrangements. You can add in little decorative touches like maybe old clocks, or books, or whatever you guys are into. I would recommend trying to add the red into your color scheme instead of fighting it. I have the same curtain and am doing that. To cover the art what if you wrap it in the same flowy fabric and then you could pin thins to it, like different prints, brooches, whatever.

Also this is my venue, I hope this is helpful: