Reception Décor On A Budget

This article provides some suggestions for saving money on your wedding reception decorations from your Maui wedding photographer.  I hope you find them useful.

If you are keeping to a tight budget on the décor for your reception, then there are many avenues to take. Staying on a low budget for your “one and done” items leaves you more money for more important items, such as your dress or your wedding photographer. Below are some suggestions for your budget friendly reception décor.

Choosing your Tables and Chairs

If you are not using a reception hall that has its own tables and chairs, then do your research and depending on your connections, you can often get them for free. Usually your church will be happy to allow you to use them if you do all the work of hauling them to and from the reception location.

Since your church, or if you know someone connected to other churches, often hold various types of receptions and banquets, see if they have any other items you can use for free as well. Perhaps they have linens, platters, trays or even lighting and sound equipment. Churches are a great source for these items which will be a huge savings on your budget.

Table Linens – Should I Rent or should I Buy?

Generally linens can be costly, especially if you rent them. One suggestion is to buy your own linens, then after using them, get them washed and resell them. Selling them on Ebay usually will bring you more money than that of a garage sale, so you will recoup some of the money you spent on them.

In the event you are having candles on your reception tables, be sure to include something underneath that will protect your linens. Especially if you opt to rent, where you can be charged additional fees if returning damaged linens. Paper lace doilies would work and is fairly cheap in price.

What Dinnerware is best for you?

Depending how you go about your dinnerware, will depend on how costly it will be.

Glasses – Want to save money and be unique? Go with mason jars! You can buy mason jars by the dozen at a much cheaper rate than any other glassware. After your ceremony is over, so you are not stuck with hundreds of jars, you have the option of allowing your guests to keep them as a gift or you can wash them, and then resell them to make some of your money back.

Plates and cutlery – Go Plastic! Much like mason jars, you can get your plates and cutlery in bulk at many locations, including online through Amazon. The cost between plastic and metal is quite a difference and you won’t have to wash the plastic, saving you time and energy when you are already tired.

Now I am not talking about the cheap looking items, but there is some plastic cutlery that looks like your fancy metal counterparts, but the difference will be in your wallet.

Stop and smell the Flowers

When it comes to decorating with flowers and keeping within your budget, don’t be ashamed to buy your flowers somewhere other than a known florist. So if you are alright with buying your flowers at places such as Sam’s Club or Costco, you can save quite a bit of money. There flowers are just as beautiful, but since they get them in bulk, then they can afford the lower prices.

Another way to keep pricing down is to have your reception at home or another outdoor location where both offer a yard full of flowers, shrubs and trees. If you find a place that offers this, then there is no reason to spend money on additional flowers, with perhaps the exception of your centerpieces.

It’s all about the Centerpieces

Whether you think it’s fair or not, people will talk about the décor of both the ceremony and the reception. Usually its praise, but once you get people sitting around their table at the reception and drinks in their hands, they can become critics. While they are sitting there, sooner or later, will be the first comment about the centerpiece on the table as it binds this group together.

Centerpieces can be very costly and if you have several tables, then it will cost that much more. So you may want to consider making your centerpieces. You can use some flowers that you got at Costco, Sam’s Club or another discount place, and then use décor to make your pieces from a craft store that you can buy in bulk. It may take you some time to make these, but the savings can be huge.