How To: Turn a Drab Venue into a Fantasy

When planning an event, searching for the perfect venue can become one of the most difficult and stressful beginning steps. What can begin as an extremely exciting time can quickly turn into a nightmare when that venue you’ve set your heart upon is no longer available or you have settle due to your budget constraints.

It takes a strong imagination, creative prowess and determination to turn a drab venue into fabulous. But, even with all of those qualities, getting stuck will always be apart of the program. So, we wanted to take a minute and give some tips and tricks from the experts to help turn any venue into a vision.

1) No Venue is a Bad Venue!

-We’ve all seen it. The venue from hell. The pictures looked fantastic, they were edited perfectly with amazing angles and lighting that bounced off those corner windows, making it a dream come true for even the most scrutinizing client. But, when we walk through those front doors (never mind the paint chips…we’re sure they’ll fix it) and stroll through that front hallway…that’s when we see it and we wonder what we were thinking. 

First thing, we all have to understand that no venue is a bad venue! With a little imagination, we can turn almost any nightmare into a perfection, but it all starts with the mindset. When walking into a venue like this, we always recommend that you relax first and begin to peer at those walls for what they are, a creative’s dream.

Now take a deep breath, and move on to our next tip.

2) Drapery is a designer’s best friend

Chipped walls, antiquated molding, faded paint and awkward ceilings are plain distressing when you’re trying to handle 50 other things at once. We don’t have time nor the budget to be able to renovate a space into what we have been envisioning for months. This where one of the industry’s best kept secrets come into play.

(Photo courtesy:  eventsbymackie.com)

The art of using lines of fabric in a multitude of different ways allows you to make a massive space into an intimate corner for all of your guests. In addition, it’ll allow you to hide unsightly blemishes that an “ugly” venue may hold and open up the possibilities to bring your vision to life.

3) Add a floor or two!!

Now wait, this option is way cheaper and easier to produce than we let on. Now, unless you’re into renovations and are wanting to uplift an entire flooring and replace it with the style that would suit your event perfectly, we suggest setting down a temporary flooring for your event would suit you just as well.

A dance floor can be set down temporarily by an entertainment vendor that specializes in setting down marble, wood, LED panels or even a custom floor with a fish tank below. Add a personalized monogram in addition to your flooring and you’ve flipped that boring canvas into a stage worth getting down on all evening!

4) Let there be Light!

Once you’ve come to terms with the work you have to do, planned out how to drape your venue into perfection and added flooring to hide that crazy carpet underneath, it’s time to start adding those finishing touches. Lighting can hide any remaining issues with a venue and set the mood for the entire event. Hiring a vendor who is extremely experienced in the rules of brightening up a room is crucial, since placing to many flood lights or using the wrong color enhancements could easily flush out a blushing bride or make a room go from dark and dim to stark and overly lit.

(Photo courtesy: Encore Entertainment)

One could add lights that change the ambiance from a warm welcome to serious ceremony and ending with a dance party for the entire guest list. Whatever you do, never underestimate lighting abilities when attempting to turn a venue into a beauty.

5) Don’t skimp on the final touches

Now that you’ve done everything possible to change that budget venue into the dream you envisioned it to be, it’s time to put the final details in order. The last thing you’d ever want to do is skimp on any lace finish on tables or bow ties around chairs.

Ensuring that the dance floor is in place and all of the lighting is timed and ready to go along with the table settings perfectly in order will mask any remaining blemishes your venue might have visible. Double check that the venue is spotless and hide any chipped corners with clever lighting arrangements and seating charts.

Most importantly, keep in mind that guests will be focused on the festivities of the evening, whether it’s a product launch for your new brand or celebrating the nuptials of close friends; the last thing your invitees will pay attention to are the minor venue details you were unable to cover.

However, by following some of these tips and tricks,  you can rest assure that even the most scrutinizing guest (which of course, will be you and your planner) will be more than satisfied with the end result.

So without waiting, go ahead and start turning that drab venue into your fantasy!!

(Photo courtesy: Preston Bailey)