by Joyce Good Henderson

Created on: January 07, 2009

Decorating for a wedding can be easier and less expensive than you might think. First, develop a theme and color scheme. The date of the wedding might suggest a natural theme, for example, a December wedding may involve Christmas decorations, or a November wedding might feature fall colors. Consider the interests of the bridal couple. Will there be a military honor guard, or patriotic theme for a bride or groom serving in the military.

My eldest daughter married a few days before Christmas. While that is a very busy time of year to be married, we saved hundreds of dollars because the church was already decorated. The church had a tree with tiny white lights and gold and white decorations and battery-operated candles and greens on every window sill. We added a few more artificial greens and white lights above doorways.

In the reception hall, we had two decorated trees. I wrote the names of the bride and groom in glitter on gold and silver balls, and encouraged family and members of the party to take one home in remembrance. I also framed small pictures of the bride and groom together and hung them on a tree. Other decorations were carefully boxed and taken home by the newlyweds for their first tree. My daughter loves angels, so we used them liberally in decorating trees and tables.

If the hall has undesirable wall art or bulletin boards, cover them with wrapping paper, especially wedding paper. We even wrapped a soda machine with gold foil and a red bow and added a card addressed to the bride and groom. Several guests asked if they had received a refrigerator.

If you have time for planning, you can take advantage of off-season sales to purchase many of the decorations at half-price. Buy candles and candle rings, ornaments, garlands, and silk roses for a fraction of their regular costs immediately after Christmas. Tulle is often on sale in July as June is the peak of bridal season.

We had a year to prepare for the wedding which was enough time to make all the corsages, men's boutonnieres, and decorate table centerpieces. I purchased material for table cloths at a fabric store "going out of business" sale. Each table was covered with a different Christmas print. Originally, that sounded like it might clash, or be too busy, however, the tables were spaced to allow movement between them and dancing, so the effect was colorful and charming.

At my second daughter's July wedding, we placed a garden arch behind the cake table and decorated with ivy and tiny white lights to give a wonderful back-drop for photos. Decorating for her wedding involved yards and yards of white tulle and ivy.

Check the yellow pages for a silk flower outlet for inexpensive plants and garlands. You can also buy inexpensive roses at convenience store. While these are often not what you'd want for a bouquet, you can pluck the petals from the buds and sprinkle them across a table for an elegant, colorful and inexpensive decoration.

One of my favorite touches at both weddings was a table of photographs. The groom's mother and I collaborated on a photo album of our children as they grew up. Pictures of the two of them together were framed in different sizes and shapes. This gave the guests something to look over as they waited for the party to finish photographs in church.

Whenever you can, use decorations that can be re-used or recycled. At my niece's wedding, each table had a uniquely-shaped glass pitcher with a handful of colored glass stones in it for a simple, yet elegant centerpiece.

With advance planning, you can decorate for your wedding for less than you might imagine and yet achieve a unique and elegant result.

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