You can spend a lot of money on wedding decor very, very quickly. If you have professionals dressing your venue you are not only paying for hiring centrepieces, lighting, marquees etc you are also paying for someone’s time too. What goes up, must come down, meaning that when the wedding is over you have to pay people to clean up at the end too. It all adds up, quickly!

But, there are a few tricks the professionals use to save money and time dressing events that you can consider for your own wedding.

1) Hiring a marquee?

Don’t hire bigger than you need. Work out your numbers and stick to them. The marquee company will tell you how many tables will fit under each size plus some space for dancing etc…. The more space you hire the more lighting and decorations you will need to fill it, plus the lighting can get complicated if there is big spaces between supporting poles to fill too. Save double here by not tenting bigger than you need and then save costs on all the decor and props too!

2) Use what you’ve got

Repurpose as much furniture at the venue as possible. Look for attractive dining or occasional tables to host your table plan, guestbook, and wedding cake. Use tablecloths if they don’t match the look you are going for, but are the right size. Use patio furniture or mismatched leftover chairs to create a VIP or cocktail lounge area off to the side of the main party where guests who don’t want to dance can sit and talk.

3) Don’t spend where you don’t need to

There’s no reason to build a dance floor if there’s a space that will work for dancing at a venue, such as a pool deck or a large room with tile or hardwood floors. Could you reuse some decor from other areas of your wedding later on? Bridesmaids bouquets as table decorations or gifts, the flower centrepiece for your i-do’s will double up as a top table arrangement and signs and props have a variety of uses. Just fill the bridesmaids and ushers in on the look you are going for and make sure they get the memo of where you would like everything.

4) Consider a minimal look

Whenever we design a window, table arrangement or a display we often find minimal is better. Elegance speaks for itself and often lends itself to looking more expensive than lots of mismatched coloured items. Decide on a complementary colour palette and let carefully thought out pieces do the talking, like simple birdcages with a few petals or flowers, clusters of candles or simple martini vases with a few crystals.

5)Consider an all in one package

Cost out all the things you want your wedding to have, chair covers, the centrepieces, scatter crystals, sashes, glitter tablecloths…. the list can go on and on and then work out if its cheaper for an all in one place venue or supplier package or if it’s cheaper to DIY.

It’s so easy to overspend on wedding decor too, buying bits and pieces here and there and lots of pretty things to distract your eye and your budget! The only way to beat that is to be super strict, pre-plan where you are going, what you are buying and stick to it. Costing up all the bits and pieces too will help you decide if you can get it cheaper by hiring all of this out or if DIY is the way to go.