Getting married should be the most exciting time of your life, but if you’re living on a fixed income or a strict budget, weddings can be stressful. The pressure of the trimmings of a wedding and the expectation that your wedding should be a big event can take its toll and make you feel like your wedding is unworthy. It’s a sad situation and the way around it is to simply not care! You and your husband-to-be need to choose wedding things based on what you want, rather than what people expect. Yes, weddings are a huge business but that doesn’t mean that it’s essential you buy into it.
A beautiful wedding is made that way because of the care and thought that goes into it. Yes, there will be costs for the venue and the ceremony, and you can’t help those, but is there really any need for a ten-foot ice sculpture of swans? Probably not! Instead of pinching the pennies to make everything stretch, it’s time to get creative with the budget you have rather than the budget you wish you had. It’s also important to remember that a wedding on a budget does not mean one that looks cheap, in any sense of the word. There are some beautiful wedding ideas out there that are classy and elegant and have been pulled off inexpensively. With these thrifty decorating ideas, you can transform your venue into one that looks like it’s fit for a queen.
Lighting. Wedding lighting, especially for outdoor weddings in venues such as Adlington Hall is going to be something you need to think about. For most larger venues, lighting and heating are included in their package prices, but if you can’t manage an outdoor wedding package like that, lighting will be down to you. As the evening draws in, the sun goes down so you need sufficient lighting for people to be able to continue their fun. Using white Christmas lights like these in place of huge, beaming lampposts is going to give your wedding an ethereal look. If you opt for the battery-operated lights, you can hang them from the ceiling, around pillars and around each table to give the whole room a magical look.
Ribbons. A lot of companies make a chunk of money by charging extortionate amounts for simple chair covers. If you plan to get married in a venue usually used for meetings, you may be unimpressed with the colour of the chairs on offer. If you can’t have a relative make your chair covers for you, invest in ribbon. Inexpensive, any size ribbon that matches your wedding colours. Get all of the wedding party involved in cutting and tying large ribbon around the seat backs, so you can add a little colour to the venue.
Feathers. Most wedding magazines and websites will show you how popular feathers are for weddings, and the best bit is that you can buy them in bulk from craft stores. Gather them into wreaths for attractive wall features, or make smaller feathered wreaths for around the centrepieces of the tables. You need to be able to add a touch of elegance without breaking the bank, and feathers do just that.
Candles. It goes without saying that these are beautiful – a hazard for some – but beautiful. Minimise the risk of a fire by putting tealights into glass jars and dotting them around the reception venue, out of the reach of any children. Light and warmth are added, as well as a romantic ambience. Tea lights are fantastic decorations for weddings as you can buy them by the hundreds for very little money.
Flowers. Fresh flowers in exquisite arrangements that fill the room with scent are amazing, but silk flowers have their merits. Head to a market or an outlet store that does silk flowers in abundance and arrange your own wedding flowers. Keep the fresh ones for the bouquet, but decorate the tables and the reception in silk flower bunches and garlands. Beautiful, inexpensive and really reflective of your style and wedding theme.
Wedding receptions may be the parties that guests look forward to the most, but you don’t have to spend your life savings making it stand out. You can do so much with just a small amount of money, if you approach the decor creatively. Enlist the help of the wedding party and your parents and handmake your decorations. A touch of your personality and your own crafty side can make the wedding so much more personal.
I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration for your own wedding and please do get in touch to let me know what thrifty decorating ideas you used for your last party – leave me a comment below with you tips 🙂
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