Do you really want to spend thousands of dollars on decorations for a wedding that will only last less than a day? Okay, well maybe some of you do, but I certainly don’t. My fiance and I are on an extremely tight budget so I’ve gone the extra mile to decorate for our wedding as cheaply (but nicely too!) as possible. Here are some of the ideas I have come up with so far:
1. Buy Decorations on eBay directly from China/Hong Kong
Yes, you read that right and no, I’m not crazy. If you’ve ever purchased any party decoration from Walmart they come from China. Why not cut out the middle-man (i.e. Walmart) and buy the item from China directly at a much lower cost? Many party decorations sell at 1/2 the cost of they would sell in the US and it’s exactly the same stuff. China and Hong Kong have a sweet deal with the postal service and most of their items ship free. It may take a month to get to your door front, but it shows up eventually. I live in Alaska and items have shown in less than 2 weeks…faster than items I buy from the US sometimes!
When you do buy from a Chinese dealer on eBay do check their feedback. If a seller has 99.5% positive feedback with over 50,000 responses they’re more than likely a legitimate source to buy from.
2. Post-Holiday Sales
Check the shelves of your local stores after Christmas for sweet deals on decorations. My wedding colors will be silver and purple. I scored on a bunch of big silver bows 1/2 off which I will use to hang on pillars at my reception hall. I also purchased a bunch of Christmas lights on sale because I plan on hanging strings of lights in purple organza (purchased on eBay directly from China, mind you) across the ceiling and pillars.
3. Vases from Thrift Stores
So every time you get a bouquet of flowers in a vase for Valentines or whatever, what do you end up doing with the vase once the flowers have since wilted away? Take it to the thrift store! The thrift store has a major surplus of vases of all shapes and sizes. Go to the thrift store one weekend and load up on vases. You can do a lot with them. I plan on spray painting some alder branches silver and purple, sticking them in vases, tying a ribbon around the vase, and using them as my center pieces! Simple, cheap, and pretty.
Many of you think I might be “skimping” on my big day – it’s a once in a lifetime event after all. I don’t think I am skimping at all. I’m just trying to plan this wedding within my means. These are my ideas on how to decorate for your wedding cheaply without it looking cheap.
