We are based in Augusta, Georgia, a city where there are only so many wedding venues to go around and only so many that can fit the large guest counts that our clients typically have. Spaces get booked up fast and clients are always looking for ways to reinvent the look of the space to be reflective of them and their wedding day. It's not an easy task when you have multiple events at the same venues year after year, but we try and keep things fresh and different for each of our clients while also keeping with their needs.

After being in the wedding business for over 15 years, Greg has learned what elements of the design you should elevate to create the most impact. These can differ in importance depending on the kind of event you are producing, but generally they are the key components that take a standard wedding and make it extraordinary.

Here are our top 5 ways to elevate your wedding design:

1. Chairs

We find that swapping out the banquet chairs that come with the venue for a decorative rental chair is one of the biggest impacts you can make in changing the look of your wedding or event. Banquet chairs are clunky visually, usually don't come in a great color, and are heavy to move around. Depending on your personal style and what direction you wanted to take the style of your event, chiavari chairs, crossback chairs, infinti chairs, or even ghost chairs are a huge way to change the overall look.

2. Linens

Your standard catering linens come in white, black, and maybe if you're lucky, ivory. They're a stiff material, with not much flow or softness to them. They may not even reach the floor if they're not sized appropriately. Linens are our next big impact item that we use to change the look of an event. This particularly comes in handy in country clubs and other venues that have a pretty set floorplan that you have to stick to. Linens are a great way to inject color, texture, and pattern. We also love using linen napkins when possible over paper. When your guests sit down to eat at your reception, they will notice the quality of both instantly.

3. Glassware

We always recommend our clients bring in a beautiful charger for their seated dinners, but where you can really elevate the look of the table is in the glassware. Most catering china is white with a fairly inoffensive pattern and if you need to save, the china is where we would do so. However renting nicer crystal glassware makes a huge impact not only visually (really de-clutters the look of the table with the thinner lines), but also in your guests' experiences. A nicer wine glass is so much more enjoyable to drink out of and to hold.

4. Lighting

Another huge impact element to bring into your event design is lighting. Whether that be mood lighting, spotlighting, or decorative lighting. Up-lighting not only inside your venue, but also outside is a huge game changer. It defines the boundaries of your space. Decorative lighting allows you to dim the overhead lighting in your venue, which changes the mood instantly (and who likes fluorescent lighting!?). We also love utilizing pin-spots to highlight important elements such as your cake, votive candles to add ambiance, and market lights to make any space feel more festive.

5. Lounge furniture

We've said it once, we'll say it again, soft seating is such a fun way to bring a different look into a space. Not only does it add additional seating for your guests to enjoy, but it also can add texture, dimension, and even color to your wedding or event. We love using lounge furniture around the dance floor to give guests a soft place to land and watch everyone enjoying themselves.