The Wedding décor & Entertainment Checklist You Didn’t Know You Needed: A guide to your essentials and extra touches at The Elliot
If you have recently announced your engagement, you are likely getting bombarded with ads and soaking up all the content of wedding décor and style. From favors to florals, it can be overwhelming - and expensive! The Elliot’s team has pulled from our experience observing and planning events in our space to create a list of décor and entertainment fit for our venue — from the must-have essentials to ensuring your wedding goes off without a hitch, to the special touches that fill the room with your style.
Please keep in mind at The Elliot, your caterer will work with you to cover the necessary rentals for meal service - china, flatware, linens, napkins, glassware/disposable drinkware, servers, and all other things food. The Elliot provides you with white garden style chairs and tables.
Our décor and entertainment checklist is geared towards traditional wedding ceremonies and/or receptions that have a seated dinner service. If you are hosting any kind of alternative style wedding (we looooove a cocktail reception), please note that some essential items may change and we are happy to help you navigate those nuances.
Please note that we did not include all possible vendors and entertainment in the list below. Deciding if photography and videography or if a wedding planner/coordinator is a must have is a personal preference. The Elliot’s clients will receive a list of Cleveland Area wedding and event vendors that we love.
must-haves
These are the items that are essential to pulling off meal service and ensuring your guests know where to go!
Card box & gift station
Table #’s
Escort cards and/or seating chart (check with your caterer to ensure you are meeting their food service requirements)
Emcee, DJ and/or music
including A/V for your ceremony, a mic for your toasts, someone to move the show along, and music.
good-to-haves
Arch, florals, pillars, alter, greenery or ceremony décor as your backdrop
Centerpieces
Cake & dessert
Guestbook
Coffee service
Bouquets and boutonnieres
Bar Signage/Menu
nice-to-haves
Welcome sign
Menu cards
Late night snack
Programs or signage with the agenda
Signature cocktails & mocktails
Non-alcoholic beverages (n/a beer, n/a wine, n/a liquor)
Backdrop for the head table or sweetheart table
Champagne toast
Accessories for your flower girl/ring bearer
Memory table or station
for fun
Photobooth
Artists and Entertainers
Framed photos of the couple
Additional Signage (unplugged ceremony, facts about the couple)
Uplighting and/or dancefloor lighting
Drapery or staircase greenery
Cake or dessert signage
Cake topper
Champagne tower
Custom cocktail napkins or drink stirrers
Guest favors
After-party in The Rosehip Room
Games
Live musicians
Dancefloor Props
Outfit/dress change reveals
splurge
Dancefloor Installation
Charger Plates or Placemats
Chair upgrades
Furniture upgrades
Drapery installation
Cocktail Hour décor
Lounge Seating vignette
Cocktail table linens
Specialty glassware and upgrades
Wine pour service at dinner
Ceremony aisle décor or chair décor
no, please don’t
Real flowers petals for the flower girl
Cold sparks or pyrotechnics
Candles on the floor
Tee-shirt tosses
Glitter
money-saving ideas
Candles for centerpieces are often less expensive than florals and add a romantic glow
Reuse ceremony décor or bridesmaids bouquets for the reception
Repurpose your ceremony décor for the reception
Got all of your décor and entertainment planned, but not sure how to put it all together? Check our our post on how to delegate everything!