Planning a Budget Tablescape

The majority of brides would probably love to have incredible ornate table decor (at least, I would), but our budgets don’t necessarily allow us to go all out. However, I don’t think that means you can’t have beautiful, yet simple, decorations. For this post, I wanted to share some of the ideas and tips I am using for my own wedding.

• Use fewer flowers – I love beautiful flowers (peonies are my favorites) as much as the next person. Unfortunately, my personal budget doesn’t allow for many flowers. Even wholesale flowers are too expensive for me. My solution – don’t use as many! I think when done well, a few flowers can look just as amazing as table covered in fresh blooms, but is much more cost effective. For more detail, take a look back at my full-length flower post.

• Upcycle or recycle! I love seeing people use wine bottles, beer bottles, cans, etc. in their table decor. While I am not using these specifically, I am reusing books I already own along with other secondhand finds for my tables.

• Do comparison shopping/utilize wholesale sites –  I finally decided that I wanted to do mason jars filled with baby’s breath and then embellished with burgundy velvet ribbon. I did extensive comparison shopping through the internet but also in person to find the best deals. Target sells 12 packs of quart-sized mason jars for $10. Burgundy velvet ribbon is cheapest on Amazon ($14.99 for 25 yards) and its actually cheaper to buy the $2.99 bundles from my local grocery store. Save On Crafts is an amazing site to find budget goodies, but I did find that their shipping is high.

• Have fewer tables – This ties into having a smaller guest of course, but it also helps, if possible, to fit the maximum amount of people to a table. This way you don’t have to have as many decorations for each table. Also, round tables are much easier to work with because you only need a  nice centerpiece. Rectangular tables require a little more creativity and more decorative elements (in my opinion). I’m hoping to get away with less than 10 tables.

• Borrow, DIY, rent… – Borrowing, DIYing, and, if necessary, renting where you can is a great way to save money. My caterer is kindly providing me with tableclothes, cake stands, and some head table chairs for a miniscule fee. I’m DIYing votives (post to come soon!), confetti, and my centerpieces. This is saving me huge amounts of money which is awesome! 🙂
• Don’t worry about what people think! – People really aren’t going to care if you couldn’t get the awesome lace table runners or you had to forgo china for plastic plates. A simply elegant table is just as wonderful to them because they are there to honor you and your fiance. They won’t remember the centerpieces. They’ll remember getting to sit around a table with friends and family, celebrating your union.

I hope this post gives you some ideas on how to creatively get a beautiful tablescape with out blowing your whole decorating budget in one place! 🙂