Following the Royal Wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey and a procession through London, Wills and Kate will make their way to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by Her Majesty The Queen. The afternoon fete for 600 guests is sure to be a regal affair. I asked Kristin Spear of Soiree Productions in Park City and Mara Marian-Harwood of Events By LMG in Salt Lake City how they would deck out the palace were they designing the royal reception. Check out their divine Royal Wedding-inspired decor ideas!

From Kristin Spear, Soiree Productions:

For “our” Royal Wedding, we imagine a clean and luxurious palette of soft white and shades of gold. Gold is so royal after all!

We envision the guests being surrounded by lush collections of beautiful orchids spilling out of their tall vessels. The finest china, hand-blown champagne flutes, beautiful table linens and silk dupioni fabrics add elements of femininity and pure elegance. The room would softly glow from the light of tapers and votives in beautiful golden mercury glass candelabras and candlesticks, also in gold tones. The cake would complement the décor of the tabletop--stunning, elegant and dripping with orchids.

From Mara Marian-Harwood, Events By LMG:

Immediately when I think of the Royal Wedding, thoughts of generations of tradition, staunch expectations of "proper" event etiquette, and a general stress over appeasing the Queen come to mind. I also think to Miss Kate who, let's face it, has almost no say in her wedding... or is it no say at all?  I would love for Kate Middleton and Prince William to be able to integrate some contemporary elements into their reception decor.

Luxe Event Rentals is one of my favorite sources for event rentals. The tufted sofas, regal couches and ornate carved armchairs are the perfect fit for the lounge space I envision for the Royal Couple. In order for these items not to seem entirely out of place in the palace, I would select gold and white pieces while mixing textures and fabrics between all the different pieces to keep it contemporary. Use of various mirrored surfaces in furniture, wall art, and even plate chargers would also be excellent choices to add that "pop" to the space.

I would continue the palette of gold, white and mirrored surfaces throughout the entire reception within the china, the linens and of course the florals. Big, over the top, floral arrangements of ivory and white flowers in tall, gold, candelabra and urn-style containers would line up across long vineyard table seating accented by loads of candles in varied heights.

Every bride deserves to envision her wedding and bring it to reality, I'm sorry Kate won't... although, she is going to marry the prince so I suppose she's not too upset about not having the opportunity to select her linens!

Thank you Kristin and Mara for sharing these Royal Wedding-inspired decor ideas!

Brides, if you're currently planning your reception, there are so many great ideas you can take away from these design boards--whether you want an oppulent, over-the-top shindig or a low-key affair. Try a classic white and gold color palette, architectural arrangements of orchids, contemporary lounge furniture and luxe extras for a regal-minded reception.

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Coming up next on Royal Wedding Inspiration Week: The Food, Drink and Cake!