The theme set by your invitations can be carried through to the theme set by the decorations you choose to have at your reception. This area is easy to overlook if you get engrossed in all the other items you are trying to organise.

The scope for decorations is very wide as decorations can range from a few small table decorations to drapes on walls, seat covers, large floral arrangements and balloon displays.

As with all the other areas of reception, there is always a price involved if you are paying someone to do a job for you.

Although there may not seem much involved in decorating your venue, you need to keep in mind that if you ask a professional to do the job they have to come up with the ideas, will spend time working out prices, will source materials and create the decorations and then have to travel to the venue and spend time decorating it.

Cost cutting tips and ideas

It is possible to save money by making the decorations yourself. You will need to remember to find a volunteer you can trust to decorate the venue for you on the day, as you will be busy preparing for your wedding ceremony.

Some options which I have found to be very successful at wedding receptions I have been involved in organising include the following.

Confetti for tables

Although confetti is not the most expensive item to buy, you need to consider what will go with your colour scheme and you may also want to think about how you can carry on the theme of your invitations through to your decorations to give a totally coordinated look to your wedding.

There are different options for confetti such as metallic hearts or stars, tissue paper hearts or dried rose petals (although these tend to be a more expensive option). Confetti scattered on tables is a very cost effective way to decorate. If you have included some in your invitations, the theme will be set from the start.

Wedding favours

Wedding favours have become a popular way to give your guests a souvenir of your wedding day. Each guest receives a few sugared almonds (or sweets or chocolates)*. These can come wrapped in cellophane or netting and tied with a ribbon, or they could be presented in a small decorative box. It is also possible to attach a label with the name of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding.

Wedding favours are hand-made and can cost in the region of £1.50 to £2.50 each to buy. Therefore supplying these for 100 guests could add another £150 to £250 to your total bill. They can be made at home for a fraction of the price and the design can be co-ordinated with the design of your invitations and other decorations.

The internet is a good place to source chocolates/sweets for your favours, which you can buy in bulk to help keep costs low.

Name cards, menus and seating plan

It may be possible for you to ask the caterer/venue to supply name cards, menu cards and a seating plan as part of the food package. Alternatively, if you are producing hand-made invitations or designing an invitation on your PC, it may be a good idea to consider name cards, menus and your seating plan at this stage.

When buying materials for your invitations, if you purchase the materials for these items at the same time, you may be able to negotiate a discount with the supplier. If designing items on your PC, you will need to consider how you are going to produce name cards, etc. Stationery shops can supply clear transparent labels so it is easy to type up the names of your guests and print them off. The labels can then be stuck on whatever name cards you decided to have and as they are transparent they do not affect the design of the card.

Table centre piece/flowers/balloons

You may decide that you would like to have a focal point at the centre of your table. There are many options for this so it is advisable to set a budget per table and work backwards to see what you can afford. Here are a few ideas.

Flowers

Flowers are dealt with as a separate subject in this guidebook (see next chapter). Having a floral arrangement on every table could work out quite expensive so an alternative could be to opt for a single flower (such as a rose or a gerbera) in a long vase. If you are ordering bouquets from a florist they may be willing to lend you some vases for the day or you may be able to find inexpensive vases in discount stores or by looking around in the sales.

Glass bowl centrepiece

Another option is to have a glass bowl at the centre of each table. You could fill these with water and have floating candles in them (check regarding fire regulations at the venue). Or you could fill the bowl with novelty items for your guests such as bubbles, party poppers, disposable cameras and sweets. Again, it may be possible to find inexpensive bowls in discount stores or during the sales.

Balloon cluster

Having a cluster of balloons in the centre of the table can look very pretty and helps to give the room a lift. The balloons are usually tied with coloured ribbon to a decorative weight. Many card and gift shops now supply small helium canisters for sale which usually contain enough helium for about 25–30 balloons. However, it is worth checking with a professional balloon company regarding prices, as you may find that by the time you have sourced balloons, ribbon, helium and a volunteer to create the balloon clusters for you it would be more cost effective to pay the professionals.

Candles/tea lights

Some venues will not allow candles/tea lights due to fire regulations/risks. (Battery operated tealights are now available.) However, for the venues that do allow them, candles/tea lights in holders are a great way to add a magical feel for your evening reception. The key is to use a large number of tea lights. Subject to the agreement of the venue manager, tea lights in holders can be distributed on tables, around the finger buffet table and on any flat surface where there is no risk of burning anything. It is possible to buy inexpensive tea light holders from most home wear shops, however, a friend of mine came up with an alternative of using empty baby food jars which are just as effective. If it is possible to dim the lights at the reception venue in the evening, the tea lights will provide an atmospheric glow that is bound to be enjoyed by your guests. Always beware of fire risks and take into account unexpected behaviour of guests and children.

Draped fabric

Another thing to consider is using fabric to add some colour to your reception. Organza can be used on top of white table linen to introduce your colour scheme. Netting can be tied into bows on chair backs. Organza can be pinned into drapes around the top table (or on the front of a stage if the function room has one) and bows can be tied at the top of each drape. (Take into account fire risks mentioned previously.) Although using fabric will add extra expense, it is possible to source cheaper fabric in a number of ways. Some shops sell fabric seconds at a greatly reduced rate. Any imperfections can be hidden within the drapes or just cut out of the fabric. If you are buying fabric in bulk, it is worth asking for a discount.