HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire an event decorator in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Event decorators need no licence in the UK. The checks, the questions and the written quote are set out below.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an event decorator in five steps

  1. Check the venue's rulesCandles, confetti, fixings, set-up times.
  2. Get a full décor listEvery item, hired or made, priced.
  3. Ask about fire safetyFabrics and props that meet the venue's rules.
  4. Fix set-up and clear-downIn writing, with times.
  5. Ask for insuranceMost venues want it.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to event decorators in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. The venue's rules on candles, confetti, fixings and fabrics shape what an event decorator can do.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the event decorator booking terms in writing.

Public liability insurance for the event decorator

The law does not make public liability cover compulsory for this kind of booking, yet most venues write a minimum into their supplier rules. Venues commonly require it from an event decorator dressing the room.

Get the venue's minimum in writing and match it against the event decorator's current certificate.

Trader status and cancellation terms

Hiring an event decorator from a business means dealing with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the event decorator's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the event decorator's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Styling a venue, with the hired décor and set-up, is standard-rated at 20%. Event decorators with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the decorator for the VAT number and see VAT shown under the décor list and the labour. gov.uk →

“Have you decorated this venue before?”

A good answer: An event decorator who knows its rules, or will check them.

“Can I have the full décor list with prices?”

A good answer: Every item from the event decorator, hired or bespoke.

“Do fabrics and props meet the venue's fire rules?”

A good answer: Yes — an event decorator who can send certificates if asked.

“Are candles allowed at the event, and are yours real or LED?”

A good answer: A check with the venue first.

“What time do you set up and clear down?”

A good answer: Times the event decorator has agreed with the venue.

“Is the event decorator insured?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named.

“What happens if an item is damaged?”

A good answer: Clear hire terms.

Getting the quote right

  • The full décor list, item by item
  • Hired stock and bespoke pieces
  • Set-up and clear-down times
  • Travel and out-of-hours charges
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • The decorator's VAT number, with 20% under the décor and the labour
  • Who actually attends to dress and clear the venue, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No itemised décor list
  • Real candles where the venue bans them
  • No clear-down time agreed
  • No insurance certificate
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£350
HIGH
£1,250

What an event decorator costs: £150–£1,250 per event

Event decorators price per event by the size of the space and the décor list, with bespoke pieces and late clear-downs adding to it. Event Decorator price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Event decorators near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. PlanThe event decorator agrees theme, items and venue rules.
  2. PrepareStock and bespoke pieces prepared.
  3. Set upRoom dressed to the plan before guests arrive.
  4. EventDécor in place, exits kept clear.
  5. Clear-downEverything removed at the agreed time.

Centrepiece
The decoration in the middle of each table.
Table runner
A strip of fabric along a table.
Bespoke piece
An item made for one event.
Stock décor
Items from the decorator's hire range.
Clear-down
Removing décor after the event.
LED candle
A battery candle, allowed where flames are not.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the décor listCheck what the event decorator delivered against it.
Check the venueMarks or damage raised quickly.
Confirm clear-downEverything removed as agreed.
Leave the reviewRate the event decorator once the event is over — reviews on Locufy are limited to booked jobs. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the event decorator is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the event decorator in writingPut the problem — items missing, a late set-up, damage to the venue — to the event decorator in an email, with dates and what you are asking for. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as promising reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 56 lets you ask for an appropriate reduction where a repeat is impossible.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the event decorator below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesNo official body supervises event decorators. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about event decorators to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the event decorator will not returnMoney still owed by the event decorator can be claimed through the small-claims routes: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an event decorator: questions people ask

No. Your checks are practical: the venue's rules, a written agreement for the event decorator and proof of cover.

Not by law. Venues usually insist on it, so get their figure and then a copy of the certificate for the event decorator.

£150 to £1,250 per event, typically around £350. The event decorator price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see event decorators near you.

Only if the venue allows; many require LED candles.

Usually hired; bespoke pieces cost more. The décor list should say.

The event decorator, at the agreed time.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Backdrop & Drapery HireHow to hire: Balloon DecorationHow to hire: Chair Cover HireHow to hire: Wedding FloristHow to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: Furniture Hire for EventsHow to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Wedding PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Event decorators near you

Event decorators in LondonEvent decorators in ManchesterEvent decorators in BirminghamEvent decorators in GlasgowEvent decorators in BelfastAll event decorators on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  4. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  5. nidirect — small claims process
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register