Budget Wedding Decor Ideas

The truth about wedding styling on budget..

Jars

Collecting jars that you use at home is a great way to save money on your table decor. Once finished with, give them a good rinse out, soak off the labels and store somewhere safe. You may want to consider saving a variety of sizes as they look great at different heights. Chutney and jam jars are great for small flower arrangements and tea lights, and if you want bigger centrepieces, the large gherkin and mayonnaise jars are a brilliant size and have a wider opening for a fuller arrangement. You're buying them anyway to be eaten, so see it as free gift. Ask your family and friends to collect them too if you need quite a lot. To style them a bit more, use a hot glue gun to attach twine or lace. 

Metal Cans 

Metal cans are very affordable, which you can spray paint in whichever colour you desire to make pretty containers to use to hold your flowers in. They look very effective and are perfect for a rustic style.

Wine | Beer Bottles

Glass bottles are another great free gift you get when you buy any booze! It's a win! Hang on to them when you have finished with them, rinse them out and turn them upside down to dry them out until you need them. You can get them in clear, green or brown glass. You can even spray paint them to match your colour theme if you want to add your own touch. Incorporating your table number on them is also a great idea!

Fabric

If you know someone in your social circle who sews for a living or a hobby you might feel like you've hit the jackpot when you hear about this. You might like some napkins or table runners to help you style your venue, but they too expensive to buy, if you buy fabric by the metre and make them yourself, this could be a affordable solution. Why not raid there fabric scarps and make your own bunting. You'd be surprised how far scraps can go, and they will be pleased to make something useful for you. Alternatively, I hire out handmade napkins and stylish table runners in a variety of colours.

You can view them in the prop catalogue here >>

Paper Decorations

Using paper decorations to style your venue can be more affordable and still make an impact. You can get hold of some gorgeous paper poms poms and honeycomb lanterns in all different shapes and sizes. What about doing some origami or using wallpaper samples.

Wooden Palettes

You can get hold of wooden palettes for free, either save them from home deliveries you've had or pop to a building merchants to see if they will give you any. They can be used for signage, platforms and even tables.

Old Furniture

Take a trip to antique shops and be on the look out for any skips that might hold unwanted treasures. People throw out old doors, sash windows and mirrors which you could turn into table plan or welcome signs. Old chairs could be up-cycled for a fun photo booth or for your sweetheart table.

Have a Menu Board

If you are on a tight budget, instead of a menu for each guest on the tables, why not opt for a menu board instead. This works particularly well if you are having food trucks or a barbecue.

Double Up

If you really want to include favours why not combine them as a place setting with your guest names on too. A great way to save money is to double up these items.

Use Nature

My personal fav! One we often forget about, yet it can be right on our doorstep! Go outdoors and look around at what you could use in your wedding, for free! You could use pinecones that are just laying on the ground to hold place cards or use to decorate your tables. In the autumn months there are some amazing coloured leaves you could dry out and use to decorate place settings or even make a garland with. You could even use broken branches from trees to create a table centrepiece. Let nature inspire your styling.

Old Books

Second hand books also make amazing styling props, especially if you are having a vintage style. Pile a few on top of each other to make a table centrepiece. Or tear out the pages and use as table numbers. Or open the books out to make a background for photos, or a seating chart. You can even use the pages to make a unique centrepiece like below.

As I said at the start, it's all about thinking about what you already have access too, pulling on all your resources and being hands on with some creative projects. Good Luck! 

You may also like:

How to choose props for your wedding >>

Benefits of using dried flowers to your wedding >>

Benefits for using plants for your wedding >>