Wedding Decorations on a Budget for Indoors and Outdoors

You don’t have to plan a wedding to know that they’re expensive. If you’ve ever had a friend, family member, or even just an acquaintance plan a wedding, there’s a good chance that you have heard them exclaim how expensive weddings are and how much of a markup there is as soon as you utter the word “wedding.” I am in the midst of wedding planning and, like anyone new to the process of planning your big day, I have learned a lot. I went into the process knowing weddings are super expensive. However, what surprised me is all the little things that add up, particularly things like wedding decorations.

However, my partner and I have committed to planning an affordable wedding. As part of that, we have gotten very creative in strategizing low-cost wedding decorations, venues, vendors, and more. In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I have learned for saving money on wedding decorations. I’ll also share some of my favorite resources for low-cost and DIY wedding decorations. By the end, I hope you feel inspired to plan a wedding that feels entirely personal and that fits within your budget.

How to Save Money on Floral Arrangements

Probably one of the most important decorative elements in a wedding is the flowers. Many people spend thousands of dollars on a florist. Don’t get me wrong, florists are super talented and I love fresh flowers. However, if we’re also being honest, few people look very closely at the flowers. Indeed, the only time I’ve noticed the flowers at friends’ and family members’ weddings is when things have gone wrong, like when all the flowers on a friend’s wedding arch were dead or drooping. #unfortunate

Purchase Wedding Flowers a la Carte

 Luckily, you can still have gorgeous flowers without spending a fortune. One strategy is to find a florist that sells flowers a la carte. That means you can get just the flowers you want, like bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids. You might then employ some of the alternative wedding decorations described below or create simple floral centerpieces.

For example, you can use a small vases to place a single, gorgeous flower for a classic, minimalist look. Or try using greenery and branches for an unconventionally beautiful centerpiece. I love some of these other fun ideas through the Knot.

Use Local Sources for Wedding Flowers

Alternatively, try getting inexpensive flowers the weekend of your wedding from a local farmer’s market, community garden, or even your own backyard. This can add a little bit of stress the weekend of your wedding because you (or trusted friends) will need to put together the wedding bouquets and, if desired, centerpieces.

However, one of my friends used this strategy and was very happy with the result. Plus, she and her bridesmaids had fun putting the bouquets together.

Use (Real-Looking) Fake Flowers for Wedding Decorations

For our wedding, Andrew and I are renting fake flowers. The website Vivian Grace Creations rents out gorgeous bouquets, centerpieces, and more that look very real and cost a fraction of the price of real flowers. Plus you don’t need to worry about wilting. Renting fake flowers is also more sustainable than buying your own fake flowers.

That being said, if you want to buy your own, you can buy beautiful fake flower bouquets, centerpieces, and more from Etsy. You can also create your own bouquets from fake flowers at craft stores. They make great keepsakes at the end of your wedding as well.

In total, Andrew and I will spend about $600 renting bouquets and boutonnieres for our whole wedding party, centerpieces for 9 tables, and a large arch swag. The same florals would cost far more fresh.

Get Creative with Centerpieces

As mentioned above, Andrew and I are planning on renting fake floral centerpieces for our wedding. However, we considered a number of other centerpiece options as well. For example, you can purchase inexpensive, beautiful glass tumblers. I love these vintage-looking green ones from Amazon. Add tealights for an ethereal and low-cost centerpiece. Alternatively, fill a glass jar or tumbler with twinkly lights.

Another beautiful idea I’ve seen at some people’s weddings: fill a glass jar, bowl, or vase partway with water, and light floating candles on top to create a whimsical glow. The downside of this idea is that the candles blow out relatively easily. However, it’s lovely in the meantime.

For a rustic, outdoor wedding, you can use vintage-looking camping lanterns as centerpieces. You can even paint table numbers onto the side.

I also love all of these other mason jar centerpiece ideas from Craftsy Hacks. You can easily design the mason jars to fit your wedding theme. Having a rustic wedding? Try wrapping twine around the bottom of the mason jar. Going for a destination or beach theme? Fill a mason jar with shells and sea glass or sand. Or paint the mason jar turquoise, seafoam green, coral or any other color that fits your theme and add a candle. You could also paint the jars gold and fill with baby’s breath for a beautiful yet low-key centerpiece.

If you’re going for a more casual feel, try putting an activity in the center of each table. You might have a game on each table. Or create your own wedding bingo cards. For guests who don’t know each other, this can be a fun way to break the ice. For the bookworm couple, you could stack vintage books as a centerpiece.

Have Fun with Lighting

The right lighting can transform a room. In particular, string lights, fairy lights, and paper lanterns can all make basic spaces suddenly look ethereal. You can find inexpensive lights at Amazon, Home Depot, and a wide variety of other realtors. Make sure you have measurements for your space before ordering lights if you plan to string them across a room. Additionally, account for extra length if you plan to swag the lights. Make sure your venue will also allow you to hang lights before purchasing them.

You might string lights across a room or outdoor space, create a panel of string lights as a ceremony backdrop, or place candles or tealights throughout your venue as a decorative element.

Candles can be a pain to light and re-light. However, they are also an economical way to beautify a space. You might also consider LED tea lights for a lower maintenance option. They’re admittedly less pretty than the real thing. However, if you place them inside votives or integrate them into other decorations, guests will likely not notice the difference.

Make Your Own Print Wedding Decorations

A cute and inexpensive way to spruce up your wedding day is with fun printables. For example, you might buy a calligraphy pen and some pretty paper and make your own table numbers, place cards, or wedding signs.

We’re planning on serving brunch at our wedding (another budget tip–breakfast food is cheaper than other kinds of food!) I’ll be making a sign of the famous Parks and Rec quote where Leslie asks Ron why anyone eats anything other than breakfast food and Ron says, “People are idiots, Leslie.” Making your own signs is a great way to add a personal touch and a little creativity to your wedding without hurting your wedding budget.

For an easier option, check out the many beautiful templates on Canva. Canva has templates you can use for wedding invitations, save-the-dates, thank you cards, posters, and more. You can also customize your own designs and filter by color palette. You have the most options and flexibility with a Pro account, which costs $12 a month. However, the free account gives you great designs as well.

I used Canva to design my own save-the-dates and wedding invitations. I also used it to create thank you cards to place on people’s napkins for my sister’s wedding.

Canva is also a great option for designing vision boards as you’re planning as well so you don’t have to go out and buy additional supplies.

Use Natural Elements as Wedding Decorations

Whether you’re doing an indoor or an outdoor wedding venue, using decorative elements from the great outdoors is a lovely and fun way to beautify your venue. For example, hay bales make for rustic seating options and platforms on which to display other decorative elements.

You can also use moss, branches, succulents and herb sprigs in centerpieces or as part of a natural table runner. For example, I love this gorgeous moss table runner idea from Home with Holliday.

If you’re handy, you can also make beautiful plate chargers for your table settings, coasters, table numbers, and centerpieces from rough hewn logs or wood scraps. You can buy similar products from Etsy that are relatively inexpensive.

Check Out Local Thrift Stores

It’s become a big trend to have a photo booth for your wedding guests. Some couples rent vintage furniture, fancy frames, and other props for guests to take pictures with. These can be fun options. However, be careful to budget for delivery fees if you are getting these items from rental companies! Delivery fees (and setup fees) for large items can quickly ramp up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Instead, you might look for a venue that already has some of these items. Alternatively, check out your local thrift store for affordable options or even your own photo booth decor. While it might be impractical to buy and transport a vintage couch to your venue, you can find lots of fun props. For things like frames and small furniture, consider painting them to fit your color scheme. You might also pick up sheets to use as a backdrop or buy cheap sheets or fabric panels online.

Construct Your Own Wedding Arch

If you’re a little bit handy (or you have a friend or family member who is), you might consider DIY decor like making your own wedding arch for a low-budget wedding. Wedding arches are super trendy and can easily be spruced up or down. Plus, many of them are very simple.

At a basic level, you can construct a simple rectangular or triangular arch with a few pieces of wood. Stain the wood or leave it as is. You can also drape fabric and flowers over the arch for added flair. Make sure the arch is stable and well-constructed, however! The last thing you want is your wedding arch tumbling over during the ceremony.

For those with a little more know-how, you can create fancier arches that are in the shape of hexagons, octagons, circles, etc. You can check out more ideas for DIY wedding arches at For Better or Worse. You might also buy a simple trellis (or thrift one!) and string it with fabric, twinkling lights, and/or flowers.

Additionally, repurposing an old wooden ladder or two can be the perfect way to display decorative items, flowers, and more. I’ve seen one wedding that has used two old wooden ladders on either side of the couple as an alternative to an archway during the ceremony. Other couples have used spray-painted clothes racks, vintage doors, pipe shelves, bookshelves, and more as creative “arches.”

Choose Your Venue Carefully

One of the best ways of saving on wedding decorations is picking the right venue. Indeed, you might actually save money by picking a venue that’s a little more expensive but where you don’t need to rent chairs and/or that is beautiful enough on its own to not require extensive decorations.

This was an issue Andrew and I ran into. We had a venue we wanted for our reception, but it wasn’t big enough for a ceremony. Consequently, we spent a long time looking for a good ceremony venue in our budget. However, most of the inexpensive venues were super basic and required renting chairs and spiffing things up with decorations.

We also looked at having our ceremony in a public park, which also meant renting chairs and a tent. We found that the fees for renting, delivering, and setting up and taking down chairs was about $1,000. Just for chairs! Tents often added another $1,000. Plus, the added logistics meant hiring a wedding coordinator would be helpful.

As a result, we ended up picking a wedding venue that was a little bit more expensive, but that came with chairs and required fewer decorations to look nice. Consequently, before picking a venue, make sure you price out the cost of rentals and decorations so you understand the true cost comparisons. For outdoor weddings, remember that outdoor venues with good views, plentiful flowers, or a forested backdrop will generally need fewer outdoor wedding decorations than an open field.

Additional Considerations for Outdoor Wedding Decorations

If you’re mulling outdoor wedding ideas, keep in mind that your decorations may have to be somewhat flexible. In case of poor weather, it’s a good idea to rent a tent or have an indoor wedding option. A tent wedding can be beautiful. However, keep in mind that tents generally have more limited space and may require prioritizing decorations.

Depending on the quality of the tent, you may also want to spruce things up a bit with nice lights that work with your tent and other decorations that take up limited space. Consequently, as you’re considering decorations, consider what your decoration backup plan will be if your outdoor wedding has to move to a tent or indoors.

Final Thoughts on Wedding Decorations

Deciding on your wedding decorations can be one of the most fun parts of the planning process for your special day. There are so many creative ways to add little details to your wedding to make it more personal. At the same time, wedding decorations can quickly eat up a lot of money. If you aren’t careful about budgeting for delivery fees, tips, tax, and more, you may find yourself wondering how things got so expensive.

The great thing is, with a little forward planning, you can save money on your wedding decorations and have a lot of fun creating decorations that are highly personal to you and your partner. DIY decor is a fun (and often easy way) to create the wedding of your dreams for less money than you might expect.

I hope you have found this guide fun and useful. If you try any of these tips, let me know what you think! Even better, post some pictures! Have any wedding decoration tips that worked for you (or that didn’t), let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider liking, subscribing, or sharing with others. It’s always a big help! Interested in related content? Check out my posts on planning a wedding, wedding budgeting tips, how to ask for money as a wedding gift, elopement and micro wedding ideas, and more!