Details don’t have to break the bank, and they can make a big difference to the feel of your day. Emily Berryman has found thrifty but fabulous finishing touches for under a fiver!
1. Candles and tealights
“Use candles to give your tables a romantic feel. Packs of tealights cost next to nothing but never fail to look stylish. Upgrade your table numbers by displaying them in old photo frames, too.” Holly Poulter, prettypleaseevents.co.uk
Why not take a look at our candles on the Wedding Ideas Shop?
2. Sheet music
“We aged sheet music and transformed it into beautiful confetti cones – all you need is a delicate hand and some Pritt Stick! Vintage keys and luggage tags were also used as place cards and sentimental favours. Your imagination can save you a bundle!” Eleisha Gunn, @summersgunn
3. Paper hearts
“My helpful hens joined me in cutting out piles of paper hearts from a book of old wallpaper samples I’d picked up at a car boot sale. Using wooden pegs and string to drape them around our reception, it looked perfect for our retro theme.” Katherine Thompson, Canterbury
4. Multitasking favours
“To create a four-in-one favour, name card, table decoration and beverage for less than £3 each, buy each guest a stylishly packaged soft drink and attach a paper straw and name tag with string. It’s great for lovers of all things vintage.” Melanie Adams, orangetreeweddings.co.uk
5. Wedding websites
“We’ve created a snazzy wedding website, which allows us to communicate details about the day to guests who are travelling from abroad. Thankfully, the free web-publishing platform of tools and templates at wix.com made it very easy and it works well with our hard copy invites.” Bijal Thakore, Wiltshire
6. Disposable cameras
“Using retro-style, fun cameras, your guests can act like paparazzi on your wedding day, capturing all the candid shots your professional wedding photographer might have missed. Available in almost every colour imaginable, you should be able to find some to suit your colour scheme! A great idea that guests of all ages will love.” Kate Thompson, confetti.co.uk.
Check out the selection of cameras available on the Wedding Ideas Shop!
7. Lavender bags
“For cheap but chic wedding favours, my friend suggested bulk buying small organza bags and filling them with dried lavender. In the end, favours for 30 ladies cost less than £5, and the room smelt amazing to boot!” Petra Bingley, London
8. Biscuit place names
“Edible, personalised wedding favours are an economical way of combining a small gift with place names in one package. Make your wedding chic with the latest trend – printed shortbread! Prices start at £1.65 at cakeypigg.com.” Jennifer Wong, CakeyPigg Originals
9. Ribbons
“Bargain brides can never have enough ribbon, so stock up at pound shops and keep it handy at all times! I used mine to decorate pew ends and chairs, to tie napkins and I even used it to hold a bridesmaid’s dress together after an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction – all for a
few quid!” Julie Pointer, Ludlow
Buy your ribbons on the Wedding Ideas Shop!
10. Plain cakes
“We bought a supermarket plain, iced celebration cake and decorated it for less than £4 for our big day. All you need is ribbon, a few fresh flowers or some artificial ivy – and voilà!” Rebecca Crimmons, Liverpool
11. Pretty tights
“Easily and inexpensively change the whole look of your wedding dress by choosing the right hosiery. You can funk up or tone down your look by adding a cool patterned or classically pretty pair of tights or stockings – perfect for going from day to night, and to keep you warm in cooler seasons. It also offers you the chance to get some fun and fabulous photos, too!” Laura Godsal, mytights.com
12. Natural touches
“Bring the outdoors in for things like table decorations, centrepieces and place cards. Pebbles look fab with guests’ names written on, or attach guests’ names to crisp green apples in the shape of a leaf. We got married in autumn, so we used lots of garden foliage and dried oranges to perk up our venue – effective and stylish without spending an absolute fortune.” Amy Shenton, Penzance
13. Lovely lace
“If you’re making your own wedding cake, a great way to give your creation a vintage look is to trim it with lace. Purchased cheaply from most haberdashery stores for under £5, it will look utterly fabulous and it gives you the perfect chance to get creative, too!” Shelly Shulman, cakesbyshelly.co.uk
14. Cake table decoration
“Decorate your cake table – it doesn’t have to be expensive but it can make all the difference! Scattered rose petals or paper pom poms look stunning, or why not place your cake on a large serving tray borrowed from your venue? Decorate with foliage and flowers for a pretty, modern look.” Beth Mottershead, cakesbybeth.co.uk
15. Personal memories
“Give your bridal bouquet a unique and nostalgic feel by decorating it with some family memories. I pinned my grandmother’s brooch to a ribbon around the stems and carried the silver horseshoe my mum had for her wedding. It cost nothing but meant a lot.” Elizabeth Giannandrea, Wilmslow
16. Thoughtful touches
“When it comes to planning your reception, don’t underestimate the impact that small finishing touches can have. Simply having nice soaps in your bathrooms for your female guests to use or sending personal thank you notes after your big day will definitely be noticed by guests, without making a big dent in your bank account.” Vicki Keeling, Wellingborough
17. Little keepsakes
“Using little cookie cutters, we made tiny flowers out of Fimo and stamped each one with the date of our wedding. They made lovely keepsakes for friends and family – and making them certainly helped with my pre-wedding jitters!” Melissa Kinred, Bradford
18. Seasonal decor
“For a summer wedding, use off-cuts of odd material, or recycle items at home like a duvet set, curtains, clothing or a table cloth, to create handmade bunting for a quintessentially British twist. Come autumn, collect pine cones and allow them to dry out, then add subtle detailing with a light spray of metallic paint in your chosen colour, and use as balloon weights, place card holders or stunning centrepiece decorations.” Helen Pickard, goodvalueformoney.com
The Wedding Ideas Shop sells paper, cotton and hessian bunting – take a look at our selection!
19. Classic colours
“Try to avoid using unusual shades for your wedding colour scheme, it can be a nightmare trying to find details that all match. Instead, if you stick to
classic white for your reception, everything will look timelessly elegant and perfectly matched –whether your budget is large or small.” Gemma Argyle, Bromley
20. Wedding signs
“Make your own unique wedding sign with an old mirror from a charity shop, a piece of coloured card or a piece of driftwood from the beach. Decorate with children’s paints and glitter in your own style and you’ve got a very on-trend distressed sign that you can treasure long after the big day!” Kate Thompson, confetti.co.uk
