Wedding on a Budget

Q: I’m on a fixed budget and I'm having problems thinking of cheap but tasteful ways of decorating for the reception. Any suggestions?

A: I can certainly appreciate your situation....planning a wedding is just as hard on the wallet as it is on the nerves, that's for sure! I do have a few ideas for you! To begin, think of the colour of your bridesmaid's dresses and flowers. If there is a common colour that you've used throughout your wedding, try to rent linens that are that same colour for the tables. If you're in a banquet facility, the tables will already be skirted with white linens, but if you put the extra coloured linen on top as an overlay, it will really carry through the colour and make the room look more elegant. Also, you can buy cheap fabric from a craft store and drape it tastefully at the entrance, behind the head table, etc. This is really easy to do and very cost effective. For an extra touch, you can buy sparkles from the dollar store, and scatter them on the tables....kind of like what they do at most New Year's parties.

There are so many things you can do that will brighten up the room and make it appear to be very elegant, while at the same time going easy on your bank account.