Cocktail hour decor/ugly fence

It doesn’t look that bad.
Once it’s full of tables and people I don’t think it’ll look bad at all! There’s no point in spending a lot of time or money on a space for such a short time. Maybe it you have some
tulle you can drape it or the runners. But I wouldn’t stress over it.
What if you did a photo booth back drop on part of it!
or hung some pictures on strings vertically? The picture I’m posting has pictures horizontally, but the same idea..?

Anytime someone tries to cover-up something they find ugly, they only draw more attention to it. Use some sort of small but bold centerpieces on the cocktail tables to draw the eye there. A fish bowl style vase with a floating flower or candle in one of your colors, or a brighter/bolder shade, would be fantastic. A non-floral centerpiece would work too.

View Quoted Comment

Oh I do like the picture idea! And a photo booth backdrop there would give people something else to focus on! Thank you!

View Quoted Comment

This didn't even cross my mind! You're definitely right! Focusing on my tables would be a huge help. Thank you!

If they are available in your area, i would rent trees and bushes. Just put one every 15 or 20 feet. They would look like columns.

If you can't rent, then buy and use them afterwards in your own home. Or convince the home owner to plant them.

Other options: paint or whitewash the fence.

Its cute but maybe just hang some christmas lights or outline the bottom of the fence with the lights? So inexpensive and pretty! The cocktail tables will help a lot too, you could just use your lights you talked about too

If the cocktail hour is after dark i would hang some lights along the fence and really dress up the cocktail tables. It really doesnt look that bad.

Well, your cheapest option is to see if they will let you “repaint” the fence. After all a bucket of paint isn’t all that expensive.

I like the tree idea. I’d also consider faux vines and faux wisteria garlands to draw the eye away.

Placement of your cake, envelope container and gift table can be done strategically to minimize exposure of the fence.

Next option could be a pipe and drape. Or what I like to call an improvised drape. The pipe and drape is a pvc rod on stands with curtains hanging. This can be a very sneaky little trick if you know you will use the curtains after the wedding. The other way you can hang them is on a rope like a clothes line and tie it to the fence. After the wedding is over, cleanup is easy: just untie the string and throw everything in big plastic bag.

You can also put a screen, not a tv, in front of it. You could diy this: heavy corrugated carboard and simple spray paint. Or something more elaborate like the picture idea. Just unfold it and place it in position.

What about doing a flower wall?

I honestly don't think it looks that bad at all, and once it's set up and it's darker it won't be that noticeable. I would suggest maybe adding bistro lights or just a bunch of votives for mood lighting.

That being said, I think faux boxwood panels would look really cool if your budget allows for it. Something like the product below. You can get as many panels as you need and they all just clip into each other and then can be hung from the fence.

https://www.efavormart.com/products/11-sq-ft-4-panels-artificial-boxwood-hedge-small-leaves-faux-foliage-green-garden-wall-mat?variant=1788542091282&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsJL32ta_4AIVfR-tBh0p-wPPEAQYAiABEgLd5fD_BwE

I really like it! I would use it for my photos also. And maybe for some more lighting.

If you do use fabric, don't use tulle. You will get more coverage, whether simply tacked up in a sheet, or done in curved swags, from a shiny jacquard bridal satin purchased by the bolt, shiny patterned satin does not look great in pictures, but if you spent time looking at gowns, you know what a lightweight tone on tone satin is. At night, it shines and will shimmer if lit at all. A bolt of this is 45 feet long and 5 feet wide. This company has boots if all kinds of things, from abstract batiks to costume fabrics. This was under search as Jacquard Bolt https://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p69128_uj0024-gold-jacquard-bolt

I don’t think it looks horrible, but if you really want to cover it... maybe you could do ivy or myrtle panels.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! I will look into this!

Thank you all! I feel a lot better about this area, and I have lots of ideas now if I want to spruce it up a bit. You all are wonderful!