Aisle Styles

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Walking down the aisle is a phrase we often hear, in connection with the Bride and Groom taking the big plunge into " I Do" . It is dubbed after the actual process of the blushing bride walking down the church aisle ready to meet her dashing groom.An aisle, is the passage way between rows of seats in a hall, auditorium, church or any seating arrangement. In wedding décor we have two types of aisles. We have the outdoor aisle ( this is the name given to the aisle in outdoor wedding ceremonies e.g. garden weddings ) and the indoor aisle ( this is the name given to the aisle in the indoor wedding ceremonies e.g. the church weddings).

Before you zero down into choosing a particular style for  decorating   your aisle, you first need to take into consideration the following factors:

Indoor/ Outdoor aisle: This will be determined by your wedding ceremony venue.

Should you choose to have your wedding ceremony in a church, ballroom, auditorium you will of course have an indoor aisle and vice versa. With an indoor aisle there a lot of limitations as opposed to the outdoor aisle this is because you have to work with the interior of the building e.g. if the aisle is not wide enough for three people to fit you may have to have one parent sit out on  the walking down the aisle bit, policies and regulations of your indoor venue can also interfere in your décor selection.

The type of space (simple or ornate?):  How can you describe your wedding ceremony space is it simple or ornate. Ornate spaces are those that have a lot of detail for example if you have a garden wedding venue with a fountain water space, or if you are working with a grand cathedral that has elaborate stone carvings e.t.c  these sort of venues would be defined as ornate. When you have an ornate wedding ceremony venue you will definitely have to have simple aisle decor. To avoid having the wedding ceremony venue over decorated!

Venue regulations & policies: Ensure that you know all the regulations with regards to aisle decorations especially if you are having your wedding ceremony in church. Some churches often have a no-petals policy; others do not allow for wedding guests to throw confetti or for the florist to stick on pew arrangements. Some also do not allow for certain arrangements to be moved from the church, for a certain period of time, often three days, this is because the altar is considered holy. It is always advisable to speak to the Officiant and your decorator to clarify on these details.

Your wedding budget: As always this is also a major factor when making any major wedding decision. Your wedding decoration designer will be able to advise you on how much you ought to spend when it comes to aisle arrangements. Are you on a budget? No need to worry, most wedding aisle arrangements can be recycled to be used at the wedding reception.

The nature of seats: What is the nature and the seating arrangement style for the wedding ceremony? Are you using individual seats? Or are you using church pews or benches. This largely affects the sort of flower arrangements that will be used and how they will be placed. If you are using pews, the wedding decorator will probably have to design pew arrangements that will hang over the pews e.g. in a bucket or a vase. If your wedding ceremony is outdoors and you are using ordinary chairs then they may have to use standing floral arrangements to mark the aisle.

Aisle Styles:

So now, that you have learnt on what factors consider before settling on your aisle décor design let's look at the different options that are available for your wedding aisle design:

Long & lovely:

The length of your aisle is determined by:

Your wedding ceremony seating capacity -this is if you are having a wedding ceremony outdoors.

Your venue aisle -this is if you are having your wedding ceremony indoors

For a long aisle I would recommend you use an aisle runner, this is a long mat often made out of canvas, or fabric that is laid out to, to the length of the aisle to mark the beginning and end of the aisle). Local wedding decorators often substitute aisle runners with tent canvas and red carpets. The aisle runner gives an illusion of a grand entrance it also shortens the length of the aisle. To customize your wedding you could request your wedding decorator to have your initials or names printed on the aisle runner.

Pew perfection: 

If your wedding ceremony venue has pews, your wedding decorator can make simple flower arrangements that can hang from the sides of the pew. The arrangements can be in any style from floral wreaths hanging from ribbon, to arrangements in silver buckets & vases. Use ribbon to fasten the arrangements onto the pews. Instead of decorating all the pews, the wedding decorator can decorate alternative pews this is recommended in the case where there are a lot of pews.

Swags:

A swag is the name given to the fabric that is used to join two floral arrangements stands. Swags are used in outdoor aisles to create a clear boundary between the aisle area and the seating area.  Different wedding decorators use different types of swags. The most common material commonly used for swags is tulle. Swags can have décor accessories incorporated in them e.g embellishments like butterflies. Swags can also be colorful made to match the wedding color theme. Floral arrangements can also be incorporated in your swag design e.g you can use ivy and stick flowers like gerbera's on them.

Beautiful boundaries:

If you are having an outdoor wedding ceremony you can create a boundary for your wedding aisle by lining décor elements on either margin of your aisle for example if you are having a beach themed wedding you could have the aisle covered up in sand and have a row of shells at each margin to mark out your aisle. You can also use potted plants, river stones to create boundaries.

Petal power:

Does your venue allow for petals to be strewn? Have pretty cones made in your color scheme, and have them incorporated into your flower arrangement. The guests seated at the edge can then throw them during your recessional. Petals can also be thrown by the flower girls as you walk into the church, this has been a tradition since time immemorial.

Sophisticated stands:

Use shepherd's rods to hold your pomander arrangements for your outdoor ceremony. Pomander arrangements can be made in any size and to suit any color theme. The shepherds rod's can also be used to hang lanterns with candles, for your wedding ceremony. You can also use wrought iron stands basket stands to support your flower arrangements.

Classy columns:

For a classy wedding, you can have your flower arrangements in vases and placed on top of white washed roman columns to give it that traditional feel. Tall roman columns with floral arrangements can be used outside church instead of the same old same old arch!

Keep the following in mind when designing your aisle décor:

• Your wedding arrangements should not interfere with your wedding guests view this include tall candelabra's.
• Remember to ensure that no one walks on the aisle before the bridal party does. Place a ribbon boundary at the end of the aisle to keep away any naughty guests who may be tempted to walk down the aisle. You can create a pretty boundary ribbon using a ring of roses, or gerberas.
• Re- Use. You can re-use your pew arrangements to be decoratively hung on the tent poles, you can use your wedding church aisle to mark the way for your reception aisle. If you are on a budget you should always find a way of reworking your wedding aisle décor.
• For the outdoor aisle have special accents added to the chairs where the bride and groom will be seating this include, a big beautiful bow for the bride's chair or a tie back bowtie for the groom's chair. Whatever you choose to use make sure that your chairs are outstanding.
• If you are creating an aisle ensure that the aisle is wide enough to accommodate for three people to ensure that the walk down the aisle is definitely not a tight squeeze.
• Remember to reserve the seats for the bridal party, the brides and grooms immediate family members.