DIY Wedding & Reception Decorations
Weddings are a special day for a couple starting out on their life together. It's also one of the most expensive days in their life. The average wedding in the United States costs over $20,000, not including the honeymoon or engagement rings. It's possible to have a beautiful wedding and keep to a budget. Do the wedding and reception decorations yourself to cut down on costs.
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Instructions
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Flowers
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Use masses of flowers in vases instead of floral arrangements. Scout dollar and charity stores for vases. They don't have to match or even be the same size as long as each holds the same amount of flowers. Online flower wholesalers offer some real bargains. Wedding sites and big box stores do as well. Check the minimum quantity order and if you need a resale license for the wholesale sites.
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Order the flowers to arrive two or three days before the wedding. Unwrap. Cut the stems an inch so the stem cells are open and can absorb water then place the flowers in water-filled containers. A few hours before the reception, pour out nearly all the water in the containers. Bring the containers and the vases to the reception. Fill with water and flowers.
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3
Put together hand-tied bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids. Hold a bunch of flowers tightly in one hand. Wrap the flower stems with a rubber band underneath the blossoms and again about 6 inches down the stem. Wrap ribbon over the rubber band tying after each wrap. Continue tying and wrapping the ribbon until you reach 3 inches from the end of the stem. Place the bouquets in water until the ceremony. Use the bouquets as centerpieces at the bridal table.
Ribbons and Bows
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4
Make big fluffy bows and attach one to the end chair of each row down the aisle for the ceremony. Ribbon is cheaper than flowers. Wire-edged ribbon makes assembling the bows go quickly. The bows aren't as delicate as flowers. If the bows get crushed it's easy to fluff them out again. And bows are lighter than flowers.
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Add big bows to the floral arrangements. They'll fill out the arrangements, add color and make the flowers pop.
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6
Tack bows onto the tablecloth edges and use ribbons as garlands between each bow. Add a bow and streamers to any trees or plants already in the reception area.
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Attach bows to the backs of the chairs at the reception. Leave long streamers coming down the back of the chairs.
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Tips & Warnings
Buy pre-made bows if you're short on time.
Get started sooner than you think you have to. You don't want to have wedding jitters and worry about whether the decorations will be finished.
Invite friends to help.
Don't try to do too much yourself. If you are a novice carpenter, putting together a wedding canopy might be beyond your skills.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit wedding celebration image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
