Decorating for your wedding can be a lot of fun. It is also a place where people can overspend quickly, trying to find just the right decorations and going high-quality all the way. But, if you are the sort of couple that can be content with a wedding that costs $1000, then chances are good you are not worried about linen napkins or silver cutlery. You don't need a bower of fresh roses or to release doves. You just need a presentable space where you and your loved ones can celebrate this important milestone. To that end, here are some suggestions for creating a presentable space while keeping the spending to a minimum.
Invitations
Some couples will go to great lengths to get the perfect invitations. They might go to a printer or hire a calligrapher to make their invitations. If you are trying to keep costs down, wedding invitations, while necessary, may not be the place you want to put a large chunk of your financial resources. Generic invitations can be purchased at your local dollar store and filled out by hand. You can also get really high-quality paper at your local office supply store and print the invitations yourself on your own printer. You might even create an electronic invitation for free or nearly free.
Invitations often contain an engagement photo of the couple. You can get copies of your favorite photo made up at most big box and drug stores for less than a dollar a piece. In the case of a digital invitation, a digital photo costs you nothing.
Flowers
Flowers tend to be quite costly. If you are going to have flowers, then you should be considerate about how you do it. For example, if you want live flowers, how many do you need? Maybe just the bride’s bouquet and the groom’s boutonniere? Maybe you will get corsages for the wedding couple’s mothers. But having live flowers does not necessarily mean that you must festoon the hall with them.
Crepe paper or tissue paper flowers can be an attractive alternative. You can find tutorials for making paper flowers on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet. They can offer vibrant splashes of color to your wedding decor. You can get anything from teal, to pale pink, to robin’s egg, to orange and beyond. The sky's the limit. Best of all, you may be able to find fondant or royal icing flowers for your cake to match your decorations.
Balloons
When you think of balloons, your first thought may be of children’s parties, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. How about a hundred helium filled balloons on the hall’s ceiling with colorful ribbons that hang just above everyone’s heads. Guests can reach up and grab a few ribbons before leaving to take some balloons home with them as party favors, saving you the trouble of clean up.
You could have balloons as centerpieces or get large-mouthed balloons and put things inside like confetti or flowers or candy. Balloons can be found in a variety of colors from dollar stores or party supply shops. You can even find them on the internet which is probably your best bet if your are looking for a really specific or unusual color.
Paper Honeycomb
You’ve seen them before, decorations made from paper honeycomb. Half of a flat heart or bell that you open to reveal a three-dimensional heart or bell. These decorations can be fun in a kitschy way. They are also relatively inexpensive. They come in a surprising variety of shapes and colors so you are sure to find some to coordinate with your decorations if that is the route you choose.
Streamers
Never say never. These can be attached in corners and laid along table tops. Get several different shades of the same color to make things interesting. Twist them up to give them volume. Create a crepe paper water fall as a backdrop for photos by hanging streamers ceiling to floor. Sometimes the simplest items are the most versatile.
Certainly, there are ways to decorate that have not been mentioned here. And, if you are getting married outdoors, you may not need many decorations. Nature provides a pretty spectacular backdrop without any added embellishments.
Thank You Notes
Getting married is a pretty big deal. Unless you elope, there are probably a lot of people involved in helping put your wedding together. There are probably also a lot of people who give you gifts in honor of this event. All of these people should receive some token of recognition and appreciation. One of the simplest forms of recognition and appreciation is a personal, hand-written thank you card. Make sure it mentions something specific about the contribution of the person in question and make sure it expresses your gratitude in no uncertain terms. This is one of those cases when, sure, you could go the email route, but you really shouldn’t. You can get a package of generic thank you cards with blank interiors from any big box or dollar store. You can also print your own personalized stationery using high-quality paper from an office supply store.
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