The unexpected surprise of coloured chairs is guaranteed to bring gasps of surprise from your guests. Rather than going the usual route of hiring chairs, you could use coloured chairs as a starting point for your wedding palette and build your theme around them.

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Chair from The Propery

Yes, it will be a lot of work if you are painting them yourself, but, if you’re brave you might cajole friends and relatives into helping you, with the promise of lots of food and drink at the end of the day! Make it  a sunny day and turn the music up loud!

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Chairs from Pottery Barn via Small Space Style

First collect your chairs. Try relatives or friends who may have unwanted chairs hidden away, if they don’t want of need them they might just get chairs with a brand new look at the end of the wedding day. That may just have a second life tucked away in a shady nook in the garden! Try op shops, or markets – it doesn’t matter if the chairs don’t match. In fact the different shapes will add to the charm of the look. Look in furniture warehouse type shops for well priced items and consider wood, bamboo or even rattan.

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Photo by Eva Lindh

The colours? For a beach-side wedding think of the blues and sea greens – either many different hues or just one colour such as a sky blue, for instance. Or try pearlised white, metallics or naturals such as driftwood. If your main colour is a soft apricot, try chairs in three or four apricot shades – from pale through to dark. You can use this look with any colour you choose as your main colour.

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Chairs from Apartment Therapy

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Chairs from Living Etc

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Chairs from The Kitchen Designer

Multi-colours look sensational with an all white scheme. Try a combination of lime, hot pink and orange, or turquoise, raspberry red and orange. Black, white and leaf green, or purple, jade and indigo – all will look stunning. When using multi colours in your chairs be sure to be very disciplined with the rest of your décor. Everything should be pared back to white or another main colour, with the occasional sparkle from glassware or cutlery. Even your flowers should be more restrained. You are trying for fun and elegance so keeping it clean will help the chairs shine.

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Chairs from Martha Stewart,  chairs from Arent Pyke via Desire To Inspire

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Chairs from Cookie Magazine