Style-savvy insiders share secrets to creating a celebration that will impress your guests — without breaking the bank.
By: Sharon NaylorRepurposing Rules
Photo Credit: Nicki Cole Photography
Bridesmaid bouquets. They’re free décor for your cake table, mantels, head table and as centerpieces. Frugoli suggests having extra vases on hand for stand-up displays.
Ceremony décor. Transport your aisle runner to create a fabulous entrance to your reception room, and aisle garlands to drape the guest book table. At her spring wedding, Hoboken, New Jersey bride Megan Stec moved a planter of blue orchids from her ceremony altar to sit beside her escort-card birdcage, saving $200.
Ceremony flowers. “Be sure to let your floral designer know about your transport plan, so that she can suggest heartier flowers that will stay fresh through a move,” Frugoli says. “Ceremony flowers can be arranged in a way that allows them to be taken down quickly and placed in easy-tomove containers.”
Leftover florals and greens: Frugoli says she embellishes the escort card table, gift card box, card birdcage, bar and even the cake table with extra flowers and greenery. “I always keep a generic vase or two in my car on wedding days to throw together a quick arrangement if needed.”
Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 wedding books, including 1001 Ways to Save Money and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding, sharonnaylor.net.
