Guest Blogger: Creative DIY Party Decorating for Gates and Fences

Guest Blogger #635, Entry #1511, August 24, 2012

If you’re planning any kind of outdoor event at home or away, do what wedding professionals do: “dress the set. “  Specifically challenging can be gates and fences. Whether the barrier you’re facing is industrial chain link, cement blocks, charming wooden posts or white-painted pickets, we’ve got some fresh ideas pulled from the best weddings for putting your look together. Create the back drop of your dreams!

Starting with the tough stuff first, what are the newest DIY ways to dress a chain link fence? You may be having a backyard ceremony, reception or any kind of outdoor home-style blow-out. Perhaps you’ve chosen a fenced location that needs a little dressing up. There are two ways you can approach the subject: one way is to try and hide or disguise the chain link (or any other less-than-pleasing background) or you can embrace the look and thereby enhance it.

It’s a well known fact that the eye stops on whatever is closest in sight, so hanging draperies in any kind of fabric is going to improve your view. Remember, your fabric additions don’t have to cover the entire breadth and width of a venue… just the parts you’ll be working in and around. Hanging drapes behind the wedding party dais, for instance, can create a delightful sense of intimacy in a large space, adding color and drama in the process.

Another technique, the opposite of hiding the fence, is to use it to your advantage. Chain link and other types of fencing are ideal for hanging all kinds of things including banners and photographs. There’s a real charm about including pictures as your background and it’s a hot DIY trend in the wedding and party planning arena… this works well for birthdays and anniversaries, too. Virtually any situation in which you’d like your guests of honor to actually be honored calls for a photographic display and fences or gates are a perfect place to do it. For a seamless look, try to pull in other elements of a similar nature, like big galvanized buckets that work really well as ice chests for drinks, and smaller ones for candy.

Did you know that paper lanterns are like balloons for grown-ups? You can use paper lanterns by grouping them in bunches (odd numbers make the best look) and attaching them to your fence railing. Paper lanterns are super great: affordable and even romantic when you want them to be. They come in lots of cool festive colors… and are a little classier than balloons. Unlike balloons, they won’t melt in the heat. It’s really sad when balloons are sagging before the party’s over! Not an issue with paper lanterns.

Maybe you don’t have a “problem” background that needs dressing up, instead you just want to bring some color and pizzazz to the setting. Try this tip: mason jars, simply but carefully wired to fence posts, filled with water and flowers and tied with pretty ribbons that blow in the breeze. For extra fun, add a few drops of food coloring to the water (do a test first so the color doesn’t color your flowers!).

The next time you’re planning an outdoor wedding or any outdoor event, think about the party perimeter and try some of these fun suggestions to “dress your set.” With very little trouble and expense, you’ll add an entirely new dimension to your event… and you’ll be glad you did!

Susanna Miles, from (kisswedding.com) and real wedding blog (kisswedding.com/blog) is a place for brides to go for simple wedding ideas that make planning a wedding on a budget a heck of a lot easier.  The Guide, the Workbook and now the eCourse however help brides de-stress by de-mystifying the wedding industry, simplifying planning, and uncovering alot of the myths surrounding inexpensive wedding ideas.

All of the elements of the K.i.s.s. brand are based on keeping it simple & special – the very things that kept me sane while planning my own wedding and thousands since

For more outdoor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.