The walk down the aisle is such a special moment for a couple, so it’s not surprising that it's also one of the most photographed parts of the entire wedding day. While all eyes will be on the newlyweds, attention should definitely be paid to setting up a beyond beautiful space to get to and from the ceremony altar. After all, it will be the backdrop for wedding pictures you’ll be looking at for a lifetime. Whether you’re getting married inside or outdoors, here are some simple steps to make sure you’re walking down a photo-ready aisle.

Set up the right amount of space.

According to Holly Gray of Anything But Gray Events, the first step in creating your perfect aisle is to figure out how many people are going to be walking down together. “I always account for two-feet per person,” she explains. “That means if a bride and both of her parents are walking down the aisle together, the aisle needs to be at least six-feet wide to accommodate them comfortably.”

Decorate with beautiful blooms.

Aisles are highly photographed areas—even if you are only “in” them in passing. With that in mind, Stephanie Cole of Cole Drake Events suggests decorating with florals down the aisle (petals, floral aisle runners, chair florals), as well as at the beginning of the aisle.

Be budget savvy.

Even if you’re on a tight budget, you can still have gorgeous flowers on your aisle. Simply use florals that can be repurposed for other areas of the wedding décor, such as the table centerpieces at the reception. Cole notes that altar arrangements (not a chuppah or arch) can easily be moved, as well as chair arrangements and front of the aisle arrangements.

Skip lit candles.

Although they may look beautiful, don’t use live flame candles, the chance of it catching someone or something on fire and the damage that hot wax can do isn’t worth it. Instead, opt for LED candles, notes Gray.

Don’t use breakables.

The same goes for using decorative items made of glass—you don’t want to take the chance of it getting knocked over and dealing with shards of glass on the aisle or near the guest seating.

Avoid aisle runners.

Unless they can adequately be secured to the floor, Cole recommends skipping the fabric aisle runner because it can turn into a tripping hazard. 

Get creative.

You don’t have to stick with the center aisle and seats on each side. Couples are now thinking out of the box with their ceremony seating, including ceremonies in the round or even multiple aisles (one for the wedding party and one for the couple).

Keep it clean.

Couples will want to keep the aisle pristine for the big moment. Instead of roping off an aisle which can seem very formal or non-welcoming, Gray suggests to her clients that they ask a family member or close friend to act as an usher, welcoming guests to enter the ceremony seating along the sides as opposed to the aisle. “It adds a personal touch and allows you to bestow on a family member or close friend a title or chance to be helpful,” she says.

If you do want to block off the area, Cole recommends using a beautiful embellishment (like a ribbon) to keep guests off the aisle.

Make the newlyweds the focus.

While you want the aisle to be beautiful, you don’t want so much décor that it takes away from the true stars of the show: the happy couple. “Framing the ceremony space and drawing the eye towards the couple is imperative,” says Cole.

Hero photo courtesy of The Grovers