Things You'll Need
Ribbon
Lace
Large rolls of paper
Balloons
Hotels and churches often are chosen as locations for wedding receptions, but these places also charge more than some want to pay. Consider instead a local school basketball court -- a large venue that may come at a lower price. A basketball court also provides obstacles, such as the baskets themselves. Before decorating the basketball court for your wedding reception, make sure you have keys to the court and that you know when you can begin to set up and when everything must be taken down.
Step 1
Place the tables along the edges of the court. Pull them far enough from the edge to prevent guests from falling off the court or running into a wall when they move their chairs. Leave room in one corner for the DJ. Put the head table under one of the basketball hoops.
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Step 2
Run ribbon from the basketball hoops to the ceiling above the center of the court. Run more ribbon from walls to the center. Keep it balanced. If you run three strings of ribbon from the left wall, run three from the right wall.
Step 3
Cover the walls with large rolls of paper. Use the wedding colors. For example, if the wedding colors are brown and blue, consider covering the bottom half of the walls with blue and the top half with brown.
Step 4
Tape pictures of the bride and groom and their families to the paper on the walls. Cut out other shapes, such as wedding cakes and bells, and glue these to the paper for decoration.
Step 5
Turn off some of the lights to create a more romantic mood, or bring in colored lights for the dance floor.
Step 6
Personalize the colors and decorations. Choose decorations that follow a theme or reflect interests that the bride and groom have in common.
Step 7
Bring in large decorations to match the reception theme, such as fake trees or a small water fountain. These larger decorations can take the focus off of the walls, making guests momentarily forget that they're in a gym.
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