You’ve seen so many images of gorgeous receptions — elaborate centerpieces dripping with gardenias, orchids and crystals, a dance floor awash in colored lights, tablescapes bursting with color. The vision is priceless, but it comes at a price. Perhaps a steep one.
According to theweddingreport.com, the national per-wedding average spent on all tables’ centerpiece vases and florals is $700. That’s the average cost, including smaller weddings and weddings in areas with lower costs. In New York City, centerpiece vases, flowers and greenery can range from $650 to $1,700 and up. Since some centerpieces can cost $350 apiece, that would add up to $7,000 for centerpieces alone on 20 guest tables. When it comes to additional décor, such as chandeliers, fabric swags, garlands and the like, the national average hovers at around $300 — we heard from one upstate New York bride whose fabric costs alone soared above $5,000!
Don’t let those heart-thumping numbers dash your dreams for an elegantly decorated reception. We have the top experts’ secrets for planning your décor on a budget, including getting some wedding décor freebies.
Photo Credit: Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography
Budget-Saving Basics
Ask what the site provides gratis. Some locations provide small floral arrangements on the cocktail party tables, a larger arrangement at the entrance (which can save $200 right there!), trellises, lighting effects, lounge furniture and (especially helpful) votives and candles for use on your bar, guest book table and other surfaces.
Ask for help. “My biggest piece of advice: Ask your vendors to create your vision on your budget!” says Amy Frugoli, CWC, certified wedding consultant at Twitterpated Weddings, San Jose, CA. “Then trust your pros to meet the challenge. They may have items they can rent or loan, or know someone in the industry who can,” she says.
See what you can borrow. Real bride Brianne Lacey says of her wedding in Montville, New Jersey: “I have a friend who had just gotten married, so we borrowed her centerpiece bowls, bought some dried orchids online, and attached them to curly willow branches.” Lacey also borrowed glass votives, glass vases and submersible lights (from the same friend), bringing her grand total output to a mere $21 for a $100 effect.
Simplify. Avoid the temptation to add more and more items to fill an empty space. Frugoli’s reminder (make it your mantra): “Less is more.”
Next: How to save on your tabletop design ►
Tabletop Design
Photo Credit: Shawna Yarbrough & Damion Hamilton
Linens
Skip the pricey organza or silk linens, which can cost $7 to $27 apiece, depending on the type of table. “Many venues offer standard cotton/poly linen at no charge; some also offer a choice of color. Opting for color makes an impact without spending a dime,” Frugoli says. “A dark color linen set under a white plate and napkin provides a nice contrast and looks richer.”
Add DIY runners or overlays. Table runners or shimmery overlays are easy to make, offering an elegant, expensive-looking pop of color and texture to your tables. Seek out discount fabric shops for the lowest prices and biggest selections, saving a lot over runners or overlays that can cost $5 to $12 apiece to rent, compared to the $30 it might cost you to make runners. If you have 25 guest tables, for instance, renting runners alone would cost $300 or more, compared to the $30 to $40 for your easy DIY project.
Let your free napkins add special effects. “Napkin folds that take up more space, like a lush fan shape or a generous oblong that drapes off the sides at each place setting, will make your table look fuller,” says Frugoli.
Place Settings
If you must rent tableware, choose simple styles. According to costhelper.com, stainless steel flatware rents at around 35 cents per piece, while gold-plated flatware rents at 75 cents per piece. Simple wine glasses rent at 40 cents each, while crystal wine glasses can rent at $1 apiece. It adds up. A better idea: Use the basic flatware and stemware offered by your site.
Ask about gratis items. Many reception sites will allow you free use of their colored charger plates.
Shop at closeout stores. Says Denise Galanakis at Barefoot to Black Tie Events in Astoria, NY: “You can find mismatched-yet- coordinating chargers, plates and other tabletop items for 99 cents apiece.”
Set out menu cards. Some reception locales create them gratis, but you can also print them yourself to add extra color to your table décor. Heather Bula, owner of Invites By Design (invitebydesign.net) says, “Try slate or mandarin-orange ink.”
Side note: If you have the time and talent to make your own centerpieces, Galanakis suggests buying your blooms from a reputable online wholesaler such as bloomsbythebox.com or globalrose.com. Craft stores and arboretums often hold free flower-arranging courses, and you’ll always find plenty of how-to visuals on YouTube.
Next: Cost-cutting strategies for your centerpieces ►
Centerpieces
Flowers and Greenery
Photo Credit: Rikki Ward Photography
Choose a floral color that pops against the other colors on your table; you’ll only need a few bright blooms per arrangement.
Choose larger flowers. “Use big blooms such as hydrangeas,” Galanakis says. “They may cost a bit more per stem, but you only need a few to fill in the space,” saving 25 to 40 percent on each centerpiece.
Just dot your arrangements with a few dramatic flowers. Two or three elaborate blooms, even pricey ones like gardenia or orchid, create a more expensive look, saving you over 75 percent over a piece completely filled with the same exotic flowers.
Float a single flower or candle. In a water-filled glass vase or fishbowl, these floating accents can cost under $5 apiece.
Go loose. Frugoli says that a looser floral arrangement with pretty hanging greenery will generally be 20 to 40 percent less than a tightly packed piece.
Go tall. Three-foot lengths of inexpensive curly willow, white birch or flowering branches give height to floral arrangements, and cost only a few dollars per branch.
Go high-low. “I recommend alternating high and low centerpieces so you still have the visual effect of height when you look at the room,” says Frugoli. The savings: 25 percent or more.
Use borrowed glassware. As a stylish freebie, Galanakis suggests using glass cake stands in varying heights to display small florals or bud vases and votives.
Center your tables with natural items. “Large conch shells and a sprinkling of seashells always work with a beach-themed wedding,” says Toya Ellis, wedding coordinator at Caneel Bay in St. John, USVI. Find cleaned and polished shells at your local craft store, using a coupon to get an extra 15 percent or more off.
Side Note: The more greenery you use, the less green you will spend. Think ferns, dusty miller, moss, lamb’s ear and mint.
Next: Budget-friendly lighting options ►
Lighting
Photo Credit: Heather Jowett
Find out what your site includes for free. Many locales offer colored lighting effects, inside and outside, gratis.
Choose your hue. In daytime, use bright shades such as sunny yellows or pink tones; evening calls for more dramatic shades of blue, purple, red or orange.
Ask your entertainer for lighting effects. “Some deejays and bands offer enhancement lighting either included in their package or as an additional service,” says Frugoli. Ask for lower-cost uplights and pattern or monogram “gobos” (templates that provide lighting patterns), which are easier for the entertainer to provide, as opposed to more time-intensive-to-set-up pin spots for the centerpieces or spots on the cake.”
Use what they have. Ask your site manager if you can use theme-shaped gobos they already have, such as starbursts, instead of ordering expensive custom designs like your names. Some entertainers throw this in for free, so ask them as well.
Check online auction sites for discounted LED lights. These provide extra lighting effects, can change colors, and are safe to use anywhere, since they don’t get hot and melt ice sculptures or damage table linens.
Repurposing Rules
Photo Credit: Nicki Cole Photography
Bridesmaid bouquets. They’re free décor for your cake table, mantels, head table and as centerpieces. Frugoli suggests having extra vases on hand for stand-up displays.
Ceremony décor. Transport your aisle runner to create a fabulous entrance to your reception room, and aisle garlands to drape the guest book table. At her spring wedding, Hoboken, New Jersey bride Megan Stec moved a planter of blue orchids from her ceremony altar to sit beside her escort-card birdcage, saving $200.
Ceremony flowers. “Be sure to let your floral designer know about your transport plan, so that she can suggest heartier flowers that will stay fresh through a move,” Frugoli says. “Ceremony flowers can be arranged in a way that allows them to be taken down quickly and placed in easy-tomove containers.”
Leftover florals and greens: Frugoli says she embellishes the escort card table, gift card box, card birdcage, bar and even the cake table with extra flowers and greenery. “I always keep a generic vase or two in my car on wedding days to throw together a quick arrangement if needed.”
Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 wedding books, including 1001 Ways to Save Money and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding, sharonnaylor.net.