How to Decorate for a Wedding Reception Inexpensively

Use nature as part of your decorations.

Although many weddings are becoming expensive and elaborate affairs, decorating for a wedding reception can be done tastefully within a budget. The key is finding items of your own that can be used in the reception and combining the items into doing double duty. The most challenging part is narrowing the theme and wedding colors, but once you make the decision, then you can adapt the items you own to the theme for a pleasing but inexpensive reception design.

Things You'll Need

• Balloon arch
• Table
• Sign-in guest book
• Seating plan
• Rectangular tables
• Colored tulle fabric
• White tablecloth.
• Plates
• Silverware
• Vegetable can
• Ribbon
• Flower
• Spray paint, black
• tree branch
• Crystals
• Tea lights
• Pictures, bride, groom
• Wedding orb
• Strand of rope lights

Instructions

1. Decorate the entry to the reception. Use a strand of balloons in alternating colors to form an arch. Place a small table with a sign-in guest book next to the arch. Include the seating plan for the guests on the table.

2. Place long rectangular tables at your reception to reduce the amount of tables needed and linen supplies. Use a piece of colored tulle fabric, bought in bulk, as an overlay to a plain, inexpensive white tablecloth.

3. Ask the caterer to include the dishes and silverware as part of his service. If you cannot find a caterer to agree, than either use your own or purchase sets of inexpensive plates and silverware from the thrift store in the same color for the table.

4. Make your own centerpieces. Transform an empty clean vegetable can into your container. Cover the can in ribbon in the wedding color and place cut flowers from your garden or a friend's garden during the warm season. For a winter wedding, spray paint a small branch black and drape crystals from the branches. Add tea lights to the winter display.

5. Decorate the walls with pictures of the bride and groom. Place pictures of the bride on the left side of the wall and the groom on the right side. Put pictures of both attending various activities as a couple in the middle.

6. Drape tulle from the wall to the middle of the ceiling. Hang a wedding orb in the center of the ceiling or a tulle bow. Accent the dance floor with a strand of rope lights around the perimeter. Tie balloons to the disc jockey booth.

Tips & Warnings

• The bridesmaid bouquets can double as flower arrangements by placing them in vases at the reception.

• Add inexpensive twinkle lights to the wall for a soft night glow.

References

• The Knot: Wedding Reception: 13 (Easy!) Ways to Decorate Your Wedding Reception
• Brides; Ideas for Decorating Wedding Reception Tables; Brenna McLoughlin

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish