We have to admit: few brides are willing to invest in wedding decorations. All the rest prefer to spend money on other important points of preparation, and the decor – on the residual principle. And this remainder, as a rule, is very small.

In this regard, the question is acute: what to do if there is very little money for wedding decor?

Universal rules:

1. Don’t try to “fade” the hall.

If your banquet area is held in an unsuitable (and even the exact opposite) palette, decent way out of the situation is possible only with a BIG budget for the decor. All other options (which are usually colored runners on the tables and bows on the chairs) will look clumsy. So, knowing that you don’t have enough money for decorations, try to choose the hall in the colors you like initially. Either choose an outdoor celebration. Or love what you already have, with the colors available. Otherwise, all attempts to fit an unsuitable palette into the hall will be a failure and will only punch a hole in your already very modest budget.

2. Decorate only what is really necessary.

• I’ll list what is necessary:
• honeymoon table
• Guest tables (centerpieces)
• Arch for registration (if the ceremony is off-site)

This is a necessary minimum – more is possible, less is impossible. Spend money on any decoration and decorating other areas (stairs, lounge, chairs, napkins, etc., etc.) can only if you have already decorated everything you need, and money left.

3: Avoid budget eaters.

Newlyweds VERY often include in the estimates for the decor of unimportant items, considering them obligatory for some reason:

1. Banquet chair covers. Needed only if the chairs are frankly ugly. (This is not very often.) To make it clear how much money you throw out the tube: the rental price of one chair without a bow is at least 50 rubles (and usually about 100 rubles.) Multiply by the number of your guests. The bow is another plus 20-30 rubles apiece.
2. Backdrop for the newlyweds. Necessary in two cases: a hole in the wall and a window behind the table. The first is unlikely, the second can drape or put the table in another place. Backdrops have long gone out of fashion and only get really nice if they are expensive. Thrown away money – from 5000 rubles.
3. Rent of banquet textile (runners, table skirts). Any adequate place which organizes banquets regularly has its own textile. Sometimes it happens that it is in bad condition – then, unfortunately, you cannot do without renting it. However, as a rule, the restaurant or cafe provides quite adequate tablecloths, table skirts and even runners. Universal white or cream colors. If you really want textiles in the palette of your wedding – rent only runners, they are the cheapest. Well, see point one!

By the way, one of the latest wedding trends – almost complete rejection of banquet textiles (bare tables). You can take advantage of it.

4. Decorate with “big strokes.”

It makes no sense to “decorate” the table with one jar of one rose. The table will be loaded with plates of food, and your “composition” among them will be instantly lost, as if it does not exist. Is it really worth spending money on something that can’t be seen? Each decorated area must attract attention, catch the eye. If it’s flowers in jars – there should be a few jars of different height, color, shape, with different number of flowers, and it’s better to add to them candles, books, other items. Even better – do not scatter flowers in jars, but make one big composition in a beautiful vase. Most likely, it will cost you even less.

What should I do?

1. Giving up decor completely. This is the easiest and not always the worst way out. If you have a fairly beautiful and consistent with the colors of the banquet site, but the extra money – is much better to do without decor in general than trying to cram in the hall of cheap paper flowers, balloons and other inappropriate. This way you’ll only ruin what was originally a good thing.

2. Do with floristics alone. In my opinion, the best option. Do not get tired to repeat: flowers are always and everywhere! This is really the material which (in skilful hands) can transform any room! If you do not have money for a full-fledged decor, hire a mid-priced florist. Order floral arrangements for the guests’ tables and your own table. A knowledgeable professional will always suggest how to reduce the cost of floristry: choose more affordable flowers, include more greenery in the compositions.

3. Make the decor yourself. The way is complicated and very time-consuming. But some of the handmade brides are happy to follow it – which is admirable. (By the way, for needlewomen we have a permanent column with master classes on wedding decorations). However, my advice: if you don’t want your wedding decor to look too simple and democratic, dilute it with floristry. Yes, I’m talking about the ubiquitous flowers again – but, dear brides, they’re really cool decorating! )))) Another option is to make only part of the decor yourself, and the development of the concept of decoration and the most complicated details still entrust to a professional decorator.

4. Find a novice decorator who can decorate your wedding for free (for a portfolio). Note that in this case you get only decorator’s work for free (selection, installation and dismantling of decorations). You pay for flowers, materials and rent of items in any case! In my opinion, this is the most “slippery” way to go: you need to spend the money, but the good result is, alas, not guaranteed. After all, the decorator still has very little experience. You will have to look for such a specialist for a long time and very carefully. And it’s better if your wedding will be at least your second one. And the most important thing is to have mutual understanding between you and the professional so that your vision of how to decorate your wedding would coincide. If there is no understanding – abandon this option or keep looking.

And this is not what you should do:

1. Throw yourself on the cheap materials. These are balloons, fabric, and paper. Unfortunately, in our country to work with cheap materials so that turned out beautifully, are able to only a few. You can be inspired by beautiful examples of decorating with paper and balloons from foreign practice as much as you like. But it will be very difficult to find someone who can do anything like that here.

2. Throw yourself at decorators who say, “Yes, yes, I’ll do exactly the same, but three times cheaper!” This is the most common mistake gullible brides make. If a specialist promises you to make a posh design for pennies – you should not rejoice, and run. For you will be severely disappointed on the wedding day seeing not even a pale semblance of their beautiful pictures, but something quite different and totally unattractive. Believe me, I’ve read a lot of angry reviews of brides who hoped for a miracle. Miracles do not happen.

The situation with a small budget for the decor is not a dead end. You only need to correctly set priorities, and – most importantly! – Trust only competent professionals. Then you will be doubly pleased with the result: with the fact that it turned out beautifully and with the fact that it was on a budget.