29 Simple Wedding Decorations That Require Little Effort—And Still Look Elegant

• Elevate a wedding's style with simple touches like paper lanterns, string lights, and one-color flower arrangements.
• Consider easy, personalized decorations like family photos, favorite books, or simple flowers to make the celebration unique.
• Incorporate practical yet stylish elements like striped umbrellas for shade or comfortable cushions for seating.

Turn to Your Favorite Fruit

At this couple's summer wedding, they integrated tomatoes into their celebration, letting the bold red fruits add a pop of color to their big day, particularly when it came to the small details. We love how they turned to them as an easy and creative way to make unexpected (and photo-worthy) escort cards.

Spruce Up Your Bar With Flowers and Lights

Instead of turning to vendors, this couple constructed many of the elements at their Canada wedding themselves, including this bar, which the groom made out of wood paneling that a local restaurant planned to toss. They kept the decorations around the impressive project simple, adorning it with greenery, flowers, and string lights.

Turn to a Paper Lantern

You don't need an intricate lantern to make your bar area shine. We love how this couple kept it simple by adding just one paper lantern above the space at their Los Angeles warehouse wedding.

Shield Yourself From the Sun

Combine practicality with a playful aesthetic like this couple did at their Palm Springs wedding. The striped umbrellas add a touch of color to the outdoor celebration—while also giving guests an opportunity to find some shade in the desert climate.

Contrast Neutrals With Naturals

Simple flowers and neutral plates look charming next to arched wood chairs. We love how just a few sprigs of florals and greenery added a romantic aesthetic to this couple's reception tables.

Create a Cozy Corner

At this couple's wedding, they kept their rustic-inspired décor simple, carving out an area for guests to sit and relax in their reception space with two chairs and a side table. Printed pillows brought color into the space, while a black-and-white photograph kept the celebration on theme.

Transform Your Drinks Into a Focal Point

If you're considering setting up flutes of Champagne for your guests, there's no reason why your artful arrangement can't also serve as a wedding décor moment. We love how this couple fused a rustic aesthetic with a sophisticated one with their drink set-up at their big day.

Illuminate Your Pathways

If you're stuck on how to bring a special touch to your outdoor-wedding space, consider creating an illuminated pathway of paper lanterns, as this California couple did at their cottagecore-themed nuptials. Not only will they look stunning, but they'll also help your guests navigate the darker outdoor areas.

Personalize a Photo-Worthy Mirror

Guests will look for any opportunity to snap a photo of themselves at your nuptials, so why not add a decorative mirror for them to capture that perfect selfie? This couple added just a few personalized details to this reflective piece at their New Jersey celebration, transforming it into a simple—yet stunning—piece.

Make Your Guests Comfortable With a Cushion

Sometimes, the smallest (and simplest) decorations are also incredibly helpful. At this couple's wedding, they added cushions to the wicker chairs at their ceremony, lending additional brightness to the space with the white-and-gray tones, as well as ensuring that their guests were comfortable as they watched them say "I do."

Create a Stunning Dessert Moment

When you're in the midst of wedding planning, don't limit yourself when thinking about your decorations. An artfully-arranged platter of colorful desserts can serve as an aesthetically-pleasing decoration. Plus, surrounding such a tiered platter with florals—like this couple did—creates a unique focal point for your reception.

Add a Few Flowers to a Small Vase

Dropping just a few flowers into a small vase can serve as a simple wedding decoration. We love how this couple combined warm-toned florals and placed them on their high-top tables, adding the perfect pop of color to their cocktail hour.

Incorporate Inspiration From the Natural World

Whether or not you identify as a nature aficionado, sometimes, the best wedding decorations can be as simple as a sprig of greenery—or an artful display of branches. We love how this couple incorporated green leaves and buds into their hanging display at their spring nuptials in Chicago.

Consider a Curtain

Think a curtain can't double as a simple wedding decoration? Think again. At this couple's vintage-inspired summer wedding in Seattle, they tied a yellow-and-white checkered curtain around a white rafter, drawing warm tones into their waterfront affair. We love how the bows at the top add a whimsical touch to the laid-back décor.

String Lights Across Your Reception Area

Don't overthink your wedding decorations. Even hanging a few outdoor string lights above your reception area can add a stunning touch—and provide some illumination to your dinner service. We love how this couple did just that at their Ibiza nuptials.

Add a Bow to Your Escort Cards

While you may not think that your escort cards "count" as décor at your nuptials, this couple's artful design at theirs proves otherwise. Adding a simple bow to each name transformed the white cards into an aesthetic display.

Top a Table With Tiny Bottles

At this couple's California wedding, they created a cozy seating area to bring a meadow-like feel to the area around these towering trees. Tiny tinted bottles with flowers added a rustic and elegant touch to the outdoor space.

Enclose a Few Taper Candles

If you're planning on adding taper candles to your reception tables, consider placing them inside tall glass vases. As this couple proves, this simple wedding decoration will elevate your tablescapes—little to no effort required.

Turn to Cloth for Rustic Signage

To add a rustic tinge to their celebration, this couple printed their names on a piece of cloth—and hung it next to their reception space with a ribbon and hanger. This simple (yet helpful!) decoration added a personalized element to their big day.

Stick to Wooden Benches

Instead of selecting chairs for their vineyard wedding, this couple opted to have their guests sit on benches. The light-toned wood complemented the rest of the natural scenery, serving as the perfect subtle–and practical—wedding decoration.

Showcase Your Love of Books

If you and your partner share a love of reading, consider using some of your favorite books as a simple wedding decoration. Collect a few spines of the same shade or mix a bunch of your go-tos together for a colorful display, as this couple did.

Select a Neutral Table Runner

When considering your décor for your wedding, your table runner may not be the first element that pops into your mind. However, even the simplest table runner can lend an elegant sophistication to your dinner tables. We love the one that this couple selected for their rustic nuptials.

Frame Those Vows—Literally

Bring a focal point to the spot where you say "I do." A square arch and billowing organic grasses on a structured platform made for a modern and elegant altar at these nuptials.

Bring Color to Your Aisle

By framing their aisle with colorful leaves and greenery, this couple added some drama to their ceremony space. We love how the warm-toned leaves perfectly complemented the black chairs and surrounding green space.

Include Lucite Signage

Lucite can be used in everything from wedding signs and table numbers to seating charts and more—giving your event a modern and minimalist feel.