decorate-on-a-budget

Decorating your Indian Wedding on a Budget

Guest Post by Hollie Jones for the Arjun Kartha Photography Blog

Foreword by Arjun: Hollie runs an awesome blog, and when she reached out with ideas on how Indian brides could save money on their decor – we knew we wanted to share it on the blog! After all, more money saved means more money for photography! *hint* 🙂


Combining your wedding with your dream honeymoon is a great way to save some money and give your wedding guests an unforgettable holiday experience they will treasure for a lifetime. If you’ve found the perfect destination venue, whether on the beach in Goa or in the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, here are some hints on how you can decorate your dream wedding destination for less.

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Decorated Mandaps

The focal point of your ceremony, the Mandap structure, should look really special. But you don’t have a spend a fortune to make this area look great. A simple wooden frame, draped in colourful fabrics is enough to create a bold visual statement. If you’ve picked a spectacular location to host your wedding ceremony, let the surrounding scenery do most of the talking.

Petals and Floral Arrangements

Floral arrangements, strings of marigolds and scattered petals create the traditional wedding look. But to keep costs down, consider leaving out exotic flowers in favour of local, in-season blooms. Flowers are an essential prop for wedding photos too. Take a look at this post on ideas on taking unforgettable bridal shots for your wedding collection.

Canopies

Keep your guests cool with canopies. These can be painted in white and gold, or in multiple colours, to suit your wedding theme.

Parasols

An alternative to coloured canopies could be giant parasols. You can find these in many colours and designs and these will also look great draped with strings of fresh flowers. Also, if you’ve already settled on covered canopies, you can provide your guests with handheld parasols to keep them cool as they’re mingling with friends and family and exploring your beautiful wedding location.

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Stringed Lights

For a twinkly evening scene, fairy lights can create a dreamy atmosphere when hung overhead or on the walls of your wedding venue. You can source cheaper, solar-powered lights to save money and energy. Go over-the-top and hang multiple strings of lights next to each other, the more the merrier.

Paper Rosettes

If you don’t wish to spend a lot of money on floral arrangements, paper flowers can create the look of a flower-filled venue for less. Attach rosettes to strings and create garlands, hang them from canopies, or across the back of seating. The options are endless.

Jewel-toned Floor Cushions

An alternative form of guest seating, sari-covered floor cushions in bright, jewel-toned shades make for a comfortable seating option. These work well for sandy beach settings and occasional seating scattered around the outskirts of your reception areas.

Lanterns

Painted glass lanterns can be hung from your wedding scenery, or used as table centrepieces to provide gentle, flickering light to your guests while they eat and drink.

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Streamers

Streamers, made from brightly coloured ribbons or fabrics, can be used to create dramatic, sweeping focal points across your reception venue. Even for outdoor locations, structures, columns or trees can all be enhanced with streamers.

Floating Candle Arrangements

For Diwali-inspired centrepieces, have some bowls of floating candles and petals in colourful hues. These create a calming and relaxing light source and are inexpensive solution to wedding table decor.

Personalised Wedding Favours

Personalised wedding favours can be sourced for all price points, whether you’re looking for decorated drinks glasses, or paper fans to keep your guests cool during the ceremony and reception. Also, don’t forget favours for the bridal shower and groomsmen before your big day. These thoughtful details give you a great opportunity to show your appreciation for your friend’s and family’s support during the wedding preparations.

Whatever your budget, you can decorate your dream Indian destination wedding venue with style and panache. Concentrate on bright, exotic colours and flowers wherever possible, and don’t forget to keep your guests cool and content.  Let your destination and scenery take centre-stage and most-importantly, have fun wherever you are in your Indian wedding paradise.

[su_box title=”ABOUT THE AUTHOR” style=”soft” box_color=”#fcf8f1″ title_color=”#0d0a0a” radius=”0″]Hollie is a freelance writer and co-writer of the Holly and the Ivy blog. She loves to write about weddings and interior design. She’s a fan of upcycling and has a passion for sharing her best DIY tips. [/su_box]

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