Our Top 10 Favorite Wedding Backdrop Ideas

There are a lot of things to think about when you start planning your wedding. Most brides and grooms start by thinking about the dress and the reception space, but it doesn’t take long before it becomes obvious that some kind of backdrop is needed.

Wedding backdrops are essential to almost every wedding. They can enhance a ceremony space, creating a focal point where there wasn’t one before. They are a great way to decorate the head table, especially if you're dealing with a simple, undecorated space, and they're a must-have in any photo booth.

The questions aren’t whether you should have a wedding backdrop—it’s what kind of backdrop you should use.

Here is our list of favorite wedding backdrop ideas that will inspire you to create the perfect backdrop for your ceremony or reception.

Crisscross Fabric Backdrop: Wedding Marlee

1. Fabric Backdrops

Fabric backdrops are a timeless option that can be customized with different colors, patterns, and styles for any wedding. They are also a great option because you can find fabric at affordable price points, and many brides are able to find other uses for the fabric after the wedding is over.

Wedding backdrops made of curtains are especially easy to construct. Hang strips of fabric that reach the floor, drape fabric over an arch, or enhance a simple fabric backdrop with layers of tulle.

Simple Greenery Arch: Full Fit Wear

2. Greenery and Flowers

You can’t go wrong with wedding backdrops made of greenery. Boxwood wall panels are especially striking, but sprigs of eucalyptus and wooden arches covered in palm fronds can look beautiful too.

Flowers are a quick and easy way to elevate any backdrop. If you've got room in your budget, an entire wall of roses looks luxurious. If you want to spend less, consider stringing carnations with fishing line and hanging them from a simple branch.

Lighted Wedding Backdrop: Elegant Wedding

3. Lighted Backdrops

Wedding backdrops with lights are a staple at many wedding events because they make photographs look great, and they create a romantic ambiance as your celebration continues long after the sun goes down.

White string lights are often used to enhance tulle backdrops, but you can get creative with Edison bulbs and chandeliers. Fairy lights are especially popular at modern weddings.

Backdrop Made of Books: Ella Winston

4. Backdrops Made From Unexpected Materials

Most people expect wedding backdrops to be made of fabric, greenery, and lights. What they aren't expecting is wedding backdrops using doors, books, and other unexpected materials.

Anything you can imagine can be made into a wedding backdrop. Let your creativity soar and make a backdrop out of different colored paper plates, reclaimed windows, and picture frames. We especially love the idea of using balloon garlands!

White Paper Flower Backdrop: Oosile

5. Paper Backdrops

If you’re looking for wedding backdrops that are DIY, look no further than paper. There are countless ways you can transform single sheets into something spectacular for your wedding.

Paper cranes are perfect for an Asian fête, while white, pink, and ivory streamers can be hung across a simple pole at a traditional celebration. Wedding backdrops made of paper flowers are beautiful, especially since there are so many different types of flowers you can make.

Curtain Strung in a Tree: Wedding for $1000

6. Enhance Nature

If you’re getting married outside, there may not be a whole lot you have to do to elevate your space. You may simply be able to enhance the natural beauty that is already there.

Hang a length of fabric through the branches of an old oak tree or hang small candle votives from surrounding trees. Lights, greenery, and flowers can also be used on bushes and trees to enhance your ceremony space.

Pallet Wedding Backdrop with Flowers: Ximena Magazine Wedding

7. Rustic Materials

Wedding backdrops with rustic materials are having a real moment, and they aren’t going away anytime soon.

Driftwood reclaimed barn wood, and mismatched lanterns are great ways to decorate your wedding backdrop. One unexpected, yet affordable and surprisingly beautiful material is the wood from pallets. Reusing the boards to build a backdrop and using a little paint is the perfect way to enhance a rustic ceremony or reception.

Organic Twig Arch: Martha Stewart Weddings

8. Seasonal Inspirations

Let the season inspire you! A fall wedding backdrop would look striking with rusty colors and hanging gourds, while bare branches might be a simple and perfect way to accessorize a winter wedding photo booth.

Seasonal flowers are also an important consideration. Think peonies, daffodils, and tulips in the spring and lavender, hydrangea, and sunflowers in the summer. They’ll fit right into your seasonal wedding, and you’ll get more bang for your buck while the flowers are actually in-season.

Macramé Wedding Arch: Emma Loves Weddings

9. Themed Backdrops

It’s important to decide on a wedding theme. It can help you focus in on your aesthetic, and it provides your guests with a cohesive experience. Once you’ve decided on a theme, let it guide you when creating a wedding backdrop.

Wedding macramé backdrops are beautiful at bohemian weddings, while maps, globes, and suitcases would be appropriate at a travel-themed wedding.

Embellished Sheet Backdrop: Chic Vintage Brides

10. Simple Flourishes

Low-waste weddings are gaining in popularity. They are better for the environment, but their simplicity also makes planning a little easier. Backdrops with simple flourishes can look just as beautiful as their more complex counterparts, but with less waste, less money, and less fuss.

Chalk designs can be drawn on a cement wall, sticks can easily be tied together to create an arch for your ceremony, and a simple stamp can transform a plain white sheet that you already have in your linen closet.

Wedding backdrops are often forgotten. Don’t let your backdrop be one that everyone forgets! With the ideas on this list, you’ll create the perfect atmosphere for your wedding with a backdrop that will undoubtedly look great in pictures for years to come.