By Peninah Asiimwe
Lately, it appears most couples spend half their wedding budget on decoration. While spending on the décor of your big day is not bad, you must be careful not to overdo it. As the cliché goes “too much of anything is always bad”. Now, I am a fan of wedding shows on almost all stations that air them in Uganda and beyond. Whereas I watch them for the fairy-tale love stories, I also do to see latest trends in dressing and décor, among others. But one overriding factor in most Ugandan weddings is that décor is sometimes too much that it overshadows the guests and makes the function seem crowded! A few friends call this lack of class. They argue that there are certainly many people with a lot of money to spend on good things but have no class. Some argue that couples bully decorators into spoiling their art thus the clutter.
But you can have money to spend and do it the right way. For instance choose a theme. Couples should reflect on the things they love and from those come up with a theme for their function. Romantics can choose a Valentine’s Day theme and have red roses as the dominant item. If you are a lover of culture, then go with a cultural touch –preferably the couple’s. This way you can limit choices and avoid putting something of everything.
The surest way to avoid seemingly cluttered décor is to be certain about what you want. You see, decision-making is not a simple attribute. And in fact many people are poor at it. If a couple is not clear about what they want, they are bound to agree with every suggestion from the decorator, who of course is aiming at making more money, and will agree to even items they have never seen!
Sometimes, couples have no idea that space and décor complement one another. If your function is going to be in a small hall, you certainly cannot decorate it the way you would gardens! Respect the space you have!
For every function, there are sections that should stand out more than the rest. Putting detail to every part of the function creates a crowded space.
One thing you must always remember is lighting. Even with minimal decoration, lighting always makes party spaces awesome. But you must be careful to know which lighting suits a wedding party. You do not want your wedding coming off like a discotheque! One thing for sure is that in these parties, sometimes less is more!
