Make Your Wedding Decoration Budget Go A Long Way

Many brides begin planning for their dream wedding when they are little girls. What most of these brides don't know is that the average cost of a dream wedding is $23,000. Obviously, not every bride can afford such an expensive wedding. The good news is that you can have a beautifully decorated wedding for under $10,000. The trick to getting what you want, for the budget-minded bride, is planning ahead.

Plan your wedding decoration budget starting with the most expensive items first. High-ticket items include the cake, the photographer, videographer, caterer and band or DJ. If you have to sacrifice things, consider having a friend or family videotape your wedding. The photographer should be kept since these are photos that are special and should last a lifetime.

You can also stretch your wedding decoration budget by hiring someone known for making special cakes instead of hiring a bakery. DJs are usually less expensive than a band, but it is usually determined by your locale.

Once you've decided on how much money you have left after the big-ticket items, plan the theme of your wedding and stick with it. A lot of money can be wasted if you plan your wedding with one theme then change mid-way through. Choose your theme carefully and save yourself a lot of money later. If you plan your wedding early enough in advance, you can stretch your wedding decoration budget by picking up bargains on decorations at clearance sales. This is especially true if you are planning a winter wedding.

Instead of purchasing place settings, consider renting them from a party rental store. You can also rent tables, chairs, tablecloths, cutlery and glassware. Budget conscious brides may also be able to get better rates if they rent all of their large decoration items, such as archways or backdrops, from one retailer.

Are you purchasing your floral wedding decorations? Consider making them yourself from silk flowers. These are readily available at many floral outlets and craft stores. A simple floral decoration that is perfect for the budget conscious is garlands. These can be draped on tables, used on archways and even used as decorations at the church.

Save time and money on your wedding decoration budget by making the drapes for your backdrops and archways yourself, or have a friend that sews make them for you. Have your bridesmaids help you make your party favors instead of ordering them from wedding merchandisers. Purchase pre-made gossamer bags or tulle circles and fill them with trinkets and candy then tie them with ribbon.

Table decorations can be a drain on your wedding decoration budget. Use large decorations for the head table and smaller decorations for the guests tables. Use your party favors as decorations for each table. Votive candles and candleholders can be wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon and placed in the center of the table. Fill sand pails with candy and use them as centerpieces on your tables. Small flowerpots filled with flowers make nice and inexpensive centerpieces and they can be given away at the end of the reception.

A modest wedding decoration budget doesn't mean that your wedding reception has to be boring. It simply means that the bride has to be creative in how she spends her money. Involve your friends and relatives in the planning of the wedding and you will find that a little creativity will make your wedding decoration budget go a long way.