Here in Canada, weddings can cost brides and grooms a pretty penny. With rising costs of goods across the board (think sky-high food prices, steep tariffs on wedding dresses and formal wear, and venues having to jack up their pricing to accommodate our cold northern weather) it can feel rather depressing to receive that vendor quote in your email inbox.
In 2025, the average wedding cost couples over $36,000! While photographers, dresses, and venues may have you in a budgetary bind to get exactly the look you want, we’ve searched high and low to help you find ideas to help bring your wedding budget back down to earth in the easiest way possible – decor!
Most of these ideas can be DIY’d with the help of 1 or 2 dedicated wedding party personnel or family members.
Food as Reception Table Decor
Let your decor do double-duty at your wedding by serving as a pop of colour for your reception tables as well as a little snack to hold off your guests’ hunger while they await the main course. Think gorgeous bowls of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, styled dishes of bright and colourful veggies, or even bright and juicy apples, oranges, or peaches scattered amongst the glassware for a touch of colour and interest.
Farm-to-table. Literally.
While the old-money aesthetic is still alive and well, many brides are adopting a farm to table aesthetic as a budget friendly (and gorgeous!) way to spruce up your reception. Think picnic on a farm vibes, with freshly picked willows in old wine bottles, ball jars filled with beautiful (and edible!) fresh veggies or maybe even some fragrant herbs nested beautifully in modest glasses or bud vases.
Bud vases
Bud vases were massively popular in 2024 and they’re back again in 2025 thanks to their simplicity, charm, and budget-friendly status! Instead of breaking the bank with elaborate floral centrepieces, try adding a few eclectic bottles (you can find them at your local thrift shops or they’re reasonably priced on Amazon!) and then add 1-2 of your fave flowers to each vase for a touch of colour at a fraction of the price of traditional floral centrepieces.
A built-in backdrop
Try to intentionally choose your ceremony backdrop based on a unique feature at your wedding venue. think a mountain range, vast prairie plain, antique stone wall or a fireplace mantel. It could be an exposed brick wall, a floor-to-ceiling picture window or a fireplace mantel—anything that acts as built-in decor. Then, you’ll only need a few small altar arrangements (if any) to finish the setup.
Potted Plant Centrepieces & Decor
Not only do potted plants look fresh and beautiful as table or altar decor, they also an double as wedding favours to delight your guests with a living reminder of the amazing time they had at your wedding.
Mismatched Thrifted Glassware
Before you splurge on high-end glassware, consider going for an eclectic look by thrifting your wine glasses, tumblers and more from local thrift stores! Mix-and-match coloured glass, chinoiserie, etched glass and other designs for a stylish and fun table scape at a fraction of the cost.
Rent Your Wedding Flowers
A trending idea for 2025 is wedding flower rentals, with small businesses popping up across the nation providing silk florals for rent at a fraction of the cost of traditional fresh flowers, like these ones that not only look real as can be, but feel real as well! Bonus: they don’t wilt when the weather gets warm.
More tips for budget-friendly decor
To avoid being tempted by items you don’t need (and inflating your budget), go into the process of choosing wedding decorations with a clear vision of what’s absolutely essential. Here are a few tips for choosing low-cost wedding decoration ideas that are savvy and stylish.
Focus on details that have maximum impact.
When you’re choosing your wedding decor, it’s easy to get caught up in small details that matter to you, but realistically, some things will go unnoticed by your guests. To make the most of your budget, prioritize the larger elements or one area of decor that will make a lasting impression. This could include unique table linens, a floral arch at your venue entrance or colorful candles to accent your centerpieces. Once you’ve chosen your “splurge” category, you can stick to the basics (and your budget) for the rest.
Look for items that can be repurposed.
As the saying goes, two is better than one—and the same mindset applies to your wedding decor. If you’re able to get multiple uses out of items on your wedding day, you can avoid spending money on duplicate decor, and it will help justify the cost compared to items that are only used for a brief moment. Wedding ceremony flowers are a good example of this, especially smaller arrangements like the aisle markers. They’ll help tie the ceremony space together and will look amazing in your wedding photos, but you can maximize their use by bringing them over to the reception (think welcome table or bar decor). If your florist is creating a custom ceremony arch, ask about moving it into your reception space as a backdrop for your head table.
Avoid getting too crafty.
When you’re looking for wedding decorations on a budget, it’s tempting to think that you can save money by handling a lot of the wedding decor yourself—but it’s also important to recognize that doing so can backfire in some cases. Supplies for your projects can come with unexpected costs, not to mention the actual time you’ll have to spend making sure everything is finished. Be realistic about what you can handle and remember that wedding vendors are professionals for a reason. They’ve learned the best tricks through their network and years of experience, which can often help you save money (and stress) in the long run.
Affordable Wedding Decor Frequently Asked Questions
Want our honest advice about finding wedding reception decorations on a budget? Here’s what we have to say about some of the most common affordable wedding decor FAQs.