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Wedding-reception decorations can cost the earth if you commission everything from specialist suppliers, but with some forethought and planning and maybe a little practice, it's possible to do it yourself and save hundred of pounds. There are many small jobs you can do yourself in order to decorate your wedding venue.
Flowers can be a major expense but one that every bride wants to meet because no reception would seem complete without floral decorations in the room. While the first choice for many brides are natural flowers, silk flowers can look realistically beautiful and are readily available in craft or hobby stores. By using silk flowers to make your own table decorations and other floral adornments you win in two ways, the cost is much lower and you can keep the flowers afterwards as a permanent memento of the occasion.
Decide on a colour theme and a type of flower, then go shopping for the items you'll need. If it's your first time arranging flowers, choose simple decorations with just a few variations in the types of flowers. Remember you can add additional charm to simple displays by using beads, candles or glitter for a little sparkle. Short-stemmed flowers in bowls supported by florists' foam work very well as table centrepieces and don't have to be elaborate to make a charming impression. Single silk rosebuds make great buttonholes when tied with a single frond of silk fern and with tin foil wrapped around the stems.
Other ways to save money on wedding costs but still have a fabulous day include making your own invitations or other wedding stationery .
The quickest and simplest way of creating the paper items that are necessary for a wedding is to buy a couple of rubber stamps that will help you create a professional-looking wedding-themed image. You could choose to heat-emboss the image or text in silver or gold, or use peel-off stickers to make the task even quicker.
Undertaking this kind of activity is also a great way to spend the evening with a group of friends. Arrange an assembly line, with one person cutting the card, another doing the stamping and a third embossing. It's a great way of brainstorming different design ideas by letting everyone play with the crafting materials, arranging the stamps on the page or experimenting with different colours.
It's also possible to make your own confetti if you have any paper punches. Choose different colours of tissue paper and get punching, saving all the little shapes that the punch cuts out. It's a great job for kids if you have any in the family. Remember too that confetti is also effective when scattered on the dining table. You don't need a huge amount to create a romantic, drifting effect. Try punching shapes from tin foil for a sparkly effect.
If you plan on making your own wedding decorations, leave plenty of time and start early so you don't feel rushed or pressured to use the first design or idea you come up with. Store your decorations safely in labelled boxes until you're ready to use them and they'll be as fresh and pristine as the day they were made.
