cheap wedding inspiration

{Wedding Inspiration} Red and Black Ceremony Decor

Today’s inspiration post is in response to a reader’s request!   (My first one — exciting! )

Holland from Jamestown, NY writes:

My fiance is a British army medic stationed in Germany right now…he’s working so hard so that we can have our dream wedding. We have a budget of $5,000, which to me seems so little. I’m looking for some ceremony decoration ideas for a red and black wedding. but I want to stay in my budget…and decorations are so expensive nowadays…if you have any ideas please get back to me! <3

Not to worry, Holly — even with a $5,000 budget, a beautiful ceremony is possible!

Image:  Project Wedding

You’re probably looking at spending about $400-500 for all your decor, right?  That’s based on the typical “8% of your budget” guideline.  (Again that’s a guideline, not a rule.)  Depending on what your priorities are, you may want to spend more or less than that.  But let’s take a look at cool stuff you can get within that range.

Let’s start with the floor and work our way up.  An aisle runner in an eye-catching pattern makes a great foundation for your ceremony decor.  Since you have black as a wedding color, a black and white damask print makes the perfect design.  It might be your bigger-ticket decor item, but it will make an impression in lieu of more expensive flowers.

$50.99 for a 10’ runner, or $99.99 for a 25’ runner at EverythingDamask.com

Speaking of florals, just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean they’re totally off limits.  Instead of large bouquets, how about sprinkling silk rose petals on each side of the aisle runner?

2000 silk rose petals for $24.99 at Amazon

 Along with rose petals, you can create a romantic ambiance with votives lining the aisle.  Now’s a good time to also talk a bit about wholesale.  With wholesale, you can really stretch your dollar, and easily buy many of the same item.  That candle or votive holder at Pier 1? They only expect you to buy one or two, so of course they’ll mark up the price (retail).  With wholesalers, you buy in bulk and get everything closer to cost.

144 votive holders, $59.99 at Koyal Wholesale

For extra flair, and to designate seating for family, try hanging a few pomanders from the the last chair of each reserved row.

8” Black pomanders, $17.49 each at Koyal Wholesale

If you’re set on having real flowers at your ceremony, you can find a variety of DIY packages on FiftyFlowers.com.  For example, with a 25-pack of roses, you can make a dozen-rose bouquet for yourself, and have your maids carry a single stem.  Use the rest to make boutonnieres for the guys.  And be sure to talk to their customer service — they sometimes offer a military discount!

DIY 25-flower pack (with baby’s breath, leather leaf and tree fern), $109.99 at Fifty Flowers

As for where you’ll be standing when you say your vows, you can skip decorating this area, because all eyes will be on you anyway.

Good luck with your wedding planning, Holly, and best wishes to you!