The chances are that you have given some thought to the decorations you would like inside your wedding ceremony location, such as altar flowers and pew decorations. Often overlooked, however, is the entrance to the church or other ceremony site. Just like your bridal gown is not complete without the right wedding jewelry, your ceremony decorations are incomplete without some adornment on the front door. These are some wonderful ideas on how to decorate the ceremony entrance to make a fabulous first impression.

When your guests first arrive at your wedding location, it is great if the outside of the building gives some hint as to the celebration taking place within. A classic decoration for church doors is to hang a wreath on the outside. If they are double doors, use a pair of wreaths. Wreaths are great, because there are so many different styles in which you can make them. Use classic boxwood for an elegant and restrained wreath, perhaps adorned with a large silver bow. Or make a more flowery wreath, using a mixture of greens and your wedding flowers. Wreaths can get very fancy too; if you were having a Winter Wonderland theme wedding and wearing a lot of sparkly crystal jewelry, you could create a crystal studded wreath. The possibilities are virtually endless!

Another lovely way to decorate your ceremony entrance is with a garland over the door. This works beautifully for any shape or size of door, and can be used in addition to wreaths, or by itself. Garlands can take many forms. Most of us are familiar with the pine garlands used at Christmas, but there are also garland designs which would be perfect for a wedding outside of the holiday season. Pretty greens with flowers look lovely at any time of the year. For an evening wedding, wrap the garland with tiny white lights to illuminate the entrance. Large magnolia leaves make a dramatic garland with a Southern flair. Accent with pretty ribbons in your wedding colors.

Potted topiary will add an elegant style to any wedding ceremony entry way. The classic round balls are very pretty for any formal wedding. Tie a bow under the first ball on the topiary to make it more festive. A great look can be created by combining a few different topiary forms, such as the round balls, cones, and tall twisted topiary. As the style tends to be rather formal, topiary look best when displayed in very balanced groups or even perfectly symmetrical pairs. This would be an excellent choice to adorn the entrance of a grand old stone mansion.

Don’t think that entrance decorations are only for churches or fancy mansions. A rustic barn wedding can be dressed up with the addition of natural elements like bundles of wheat standing on either side of the front door. (Wheat can also be used to create wreaths or garlands, if you wish.) As barn interiors can tend to be dark, another great idea is to suspend a mass of floating candles in tiny clear globes over the entryway. This is a wonderful addition that will sure to make your guests feel very welcome.

There are many, many other gorgeous ways to decorate the entrance of your wedding ceremony site. You could suspend kissing balls (very romantic!), set out large garden urns of flowers, or line the steps with luminaries. By giving some attention to the front door of your ceremony location, you will really make a wonderful first impression on your wedding guests.

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