Creature Comforts

You want your family and friends to feel comfortable at your wedding. Why not incorporate the comfort of home into your reception? Sure, when cousin Carl's not hitting up the open bar, he'll be dancing the night away... but Great Aunt Millie might need a place to rest her feet. A lounge provides the perfect ambiance for your guests to mingle and relax. These couch-laden areas are becoming more and more popular and we absolutely LOVE the idea! They're a fantastic way to both personalize and cozy-up the area for your special day.

Dubbed "cozy chic" by Brides.com, an assortment of candles adds subtle sophistication to this seating area.


The Knot features a twist on traditional seating.



Displaying photos and wine bottles add a personal touch to this area from Martha Stewart Weddings.

Indoor lounge areas are fabulous, but outdoor lounge areas seem to be all the more romantic. Imagine your guests lounging on a chaise while sipping champagne under the moonlit sky. Sounds perfect, right?

Strung lights make this evening reception from The Knot sparkle and the addition of blankets assures that guests will be warm as the sun goes down.


Brightly colored bouquets really freshen up this look from The Knot.



Sea foam green pillows accent this beach wedding from Martha Stewart Weddings perfectly.

This monochromatic white color scheme really stands out against the beautiful backdrop of this reception from Charleston Wedding magazine.



The bonus? Lounge areas make for a fantastic photo shoot!

Another great way to make your reception more home-y is to display photos. You can have childhood pictures of the bride and groom or even photos with friends and family. Why not offer a slide show or have picture frames depicting the moments in which you and your one-and-only fell in love? Remember those engagement photos? Perhaps you could scatter those throughout the reception area as well. Photos are inexpensive to print and chances are you already have some frames lying around that would be the perfect accompaniment to your wedding decor.

Check out this cool photo vase from Beaucoup.