Wedding Decor on the Cheap

  Since it has been a while since my last wedding planning update, I thought I'd give a few...since I've actually been doing this for four and a half months now...crazy!  I am really not intending to spend a ton of money on this wedding.  While it is one of the most important days in a girl's life, I don't think that money is the key factor for that to ring true on my day.  I mean, really, the average wedding costs $25,000?!  Where do they get that figure, and who willingly spends this even if they can afford it??  Anyway, I really have no intention of spending a fifth of that amount, so today I'm going to talk about some ways I am cutting costs with decorations.

  Our wedding will be in a cute little rustic cabin in the "mountains" of Oklahoma...ok, they are really hills.  Either way, the scenery is lovely in the area and there are little ponds on each side of our cabin.  And since rustic weddings are so trendy lately, I am in luck.  Not only does my wonderful grandmother basically has a museum (she really loves rustic things and antiques) in her house, I am finding ways to recycle everyday products for my wedding decor.

  As you might have guessed, I love coffee.  I don't really need special coffee, I just buy regular old Cains coffee in a can.  Since I go through 2-3 cans per semester, I've already collected about four.  Once you take the wrapper off the can, it is just a tin color.  There are so many possibilities to do with this can.  You could fill it with river rocks and add flowers, or even stuff with floral foam and then add a layer of coffee beans on top and stick signs, flowers, or some other decoration in it.  I plan to wrap a belt of material around the can to add to the rustic feel.  If you have enough of a head start, you could even plant ivy or other plants in them.

Cains Coffee Cans

  I have also been collecting jelly jars, green olive jars, Starbucks frappuccino glass bottles...and really any kind of glass.  Once they are touched up with some fabric and used as vases, you have cute handmade decorations that you would have paid for anyway.  As you can see below, I'm going with burlap and lace, but any fabric will do.

Recycled Glass as Vases

(My apologies for the poor quality pictures.  I forgot my camera at my parent's house my last visit, so I'm making due with iphone camera.)

  Other things that have come in handy so far are getting married after other friends.  Once they are done, either buy, borrow or accept 'donations.'  You can always pay it forward after your wedding!