Ugly Banquet Hall, Huge Deco Restrictions

Definitely work with the colors in the room, then. Include green and colors that will go with it. Sometimes it's best to choose your colors after the venue has been chosen so they don't clash Uplighting will also help tremendously!

60 people is not small or intimate. It's generally rude to invite people to the reception and not the ceremony. It's extremely rude for a guest to "not want to be at the ceremony".

From what I can see in the pictures, this room has a lot of potential. I agree with the other PPs who have said to work with the room's colors. I really love Muriel's suggestions. Once you hire your florist, I would have them come to the hall and start brainstorming ideas of how to use greenery and florals to dress the place up and coordinate with your colors. Lots of candles and dim lighting will help diffuse the color from the walls, and you could get a few well placed uplights around the room to help too. If you do use pipe and drape, use it sparingly (it is expensive anyway) - perhaps as a backdrop behind your sweetheart/head table or where the DJ/band will be.

If you use lots of a darker green, the walls will pale in comparison.

Ignore the person complaining about the numbers. People who have never worked as first responders or worked shift work, have no understanding of the life those first responders lead. Colleagues are more than happy to be able to join you after shift for the reception.

Because you can't use the walls or ceiling, if you want to add a focal point above the sweetheart or head table, or over the dance floor, you can use those large, perfectly round balloons filled with helium. You can just let them float to the ceiling, or tie a weight on a length of fishing line to keep them at your desired height.

You can also float one above each table, or just the dessert or cake table.

The huge round balloons keep it from being a birthday party or prom look.

note how the balloons are covered in one pic

balloons

more balloons

covered balloons