[countrycrafts]

Has anyone made their own decorations for their wedding? If so, can someone please give me some tips and tricks on how to make elegant decorations on a budget?

[stav]

what sort of decorations? Do you mean table arrangements? favours? It is quite easy to do things yourself these days as ther are loads of places that cater for this sort of thing now.. I make Wedding/Christening favours for greek weddings, and buy all the stuff from one place. You can get everything you need for table arrangements from a florists suppliers.

[Amanda]

One suggestion I can think of that would be fairly inexpensive, is to buy small fish bowls at Hobby Lobby. You can buy gold fish from your local pet store and they will give you a discount if you tell them why you need them in quantity. I would put one to two goldfish in each bowl with water. Then you can put small cuttings of flowers in the bowl, as well. These make great centerpieces for the reception tables. Everyone gets a kick out of watching the fish swimming under the flowers. It is very attractive and affordable.

[stav]

But what happens to the poor fishies afterwards though??? Do you ask people to take them home? I guess some would.. but what about the ones that are left behind....?

[Fleur]

My cousin and the other mother did a Goth wedding for her son and his wife. They did a dark purple and black theme that really wasn't too bad. The bride's gown was white with a deep purple sash and the bridesmaids dresses were black with either the top or bottom a bright color with dinner plate size polka dots. The reception was ivy bowls on a purple table runner surrounded by Hershey kisses and fake climbing ivy woven in and out around the bowls. The cake and bride and grooms table had purple tulle draped above it and the cake was white with purple roses. To be a Goth wedding, I gotta tell ya, it was pretty nice.

[SageMother]

Crepe paper goes a long way if you want to stick with simple decorations.

You can also look at websites that carry prom or theatrical decorations for components.

If you'd like to avoid the complications inherent in using fresh flowers, silk flowers are a great substitute!

[katharina]

Originally Posted by stav

But what happens to the poor fishies afterwards though??? Do you ask people to take them home? I guess some would.. but what about the ones that are left behind....?

This is what I was wondering, too... maybe someone can take a few of them, but surely the others aren't ... well like destroyed after being used, are they?

[Taggart]

I've seen some pretty impressive centerpieces made from things that have been bought at dollar stores.

Also if someone is a bit experienced at cake decorating, maybe they could make little icing flowers to put on sugar cubes, or mold sugar bells to be put on the tables. My mother used to bake and decorate wedding cakes from scratch and she made some very impressive decorations, mostly that were on the wedding cakes. I think she got her materials from hobby stores.

[andrew]

Originally Posted by katharina

This is what I was wondering, too... maybe someone can take a few of them, but surely the others aren't ... well like destroyed after being used, are they?

Sell them back to a pet shop, perhaps? Now see, you have me wondering about the fishes, too! XD

When my aunt got married, the whole thing was practically a do-it-yourself affair. About the only thing we hired were the caterers (and the venue, of course). If you have any craftsy or artsy skills (or know anyone in the family who does), try and use that for your decors and favours. We had these tiny little handwoven baskets filled with assorted knick-knacks and these exquisitely decorated little chocolate cupcakes that looked almost too good to eat. Ideas for the decor were taken partly from magazines and the Internet (gotta love Google!), with sweeping cloths (I can't recall the fabric) and vines and flowering plants that worked well with the chosen venue, an old abandoned 18th century fort turned garden park. Used sparingly, of course, as we wanted it to look natural, not overpowering.

[EllaEnchanted]

My friend used those little ivy bowls too. She put silk flower petals in them and scattered on the table along with those solid glass bubbles that you see in the dollar stores. There are a lot of things you can do if you just use your imagination and a few basic supplies. I've seen tables scattered with those little pieces of paper in various shapes that mirror the bride and grooms hobbies. I think I've seen those clip cutter things like you use for scrap booking that make these type of paper shapes. They are very versatile. Not everyone has thousands to spend on a wedding. Mine was very simple-outdoors with a very simple rustic style dress, my husband was in jeans and a simple shirt. I was barefoot and we married by a waterfall. It was beautiful. We had taken tulle and made rosettes and swags in the trees around the area. We had candles in glasses sitting everywhere. It was the most wonderful wedding!