Décor is a one of the key elements of any event. The desire to make everything look presentable, professional, and stay in line with your brand or theme can easily send your budget reeling.
So where do you go looking for décor that won’t break your bank?
There’s plenty of places for you to go and look around. If you have specific items in mind you can try to find them, or just walk around and get inspired, which I highly recommend. Let yourself get all kinds of ideas just by looking at what is easily available to you and letting your imagination take over.
I suggest browsing through both stores and websites, such as….
Ebay (Ebay.ca / Ebay.com)
Ebay has a literal ton of cheap items, including bulk packs and such. From beads to candles to fake feathers and doilies, you can find all kinds of the things on your purchase list from Ebay.
Warning: Many items purchased on Ebay are coming to you from China via boat. So make sure you have at least a month’s time for them to get to you. Also, sellers get to set their own shipping rates, so carefully look at those.
The Dollar Store (i.e. Dollarama, Dollar Tree, Dollar Mania, etc.)
When I was young, my mother and I went to the dollar store every Saturday. And my god has it changed since then. The dollar store is fantastic and has all kinds of things you can use to get the look you want. They have an arts and craft section as well as home handiness supplies for your DIY-ing, along with small mirrors, picture frames, candles (and candle holders), vases, fairy lights, and countless other useful items.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart’s craft section and party supplies may not have been top of your list, but Wal-Mart has all kinds of useful things to help you decorate and host your event, and often at more than reasonable prices. They even have small helium tanks if you need to blow up a lot of balloons. Their craft section, while not as in depth as something like a speciality craft store, has a pretty good selection for you to dress up any pieces you have. They also carry spray paint in a whole bunch of colours and shades (even glitter!) so that you can upcycle older décor with a new coat of paint. Kudos to Wal-Mart for regualrly expanding the craft supplies they carry.
Party Stores (Party City, Party Suppliers, etc)
Party stores are great to walk around and get ideas. For instance, you can get plastic top hats, which I’ve seen used as candy bowls at a Hollywood party. You can look at cake toppers, ribbons and wrap and more. They also have a tendency to sort everything by colour which makes sticking to a colour scheme super easy. They carry costume supplies, accessories and anything else you might need to make your theme consistent as well.
Amazon (Amazon.ca / Amazon.com)
I kind of hope you thought of this one without me telling you. Amazon is full of options for you! Its quick and easy and the depth of products they have is impressively vast. From coloured powder for baby showers to 18 pounds of pearls, Amazon is ready to help you out. Free shipping options are plentiful as well which will help you immensely.
Value Village
If you have time to dig around, Value Village is a great place to go. There are all kinds of gently used finds for you to source. You can put together outfits for servers or performers and find unique decorating things like candle sticks. If you’re ready to dig around a little, you’re guaranteed to find something useful at a hefty discount.
Flea Markets
If you’re looking for larger pieces (mirrors, chairs, etc) or eclectic odds and ends, a flea market is going to be totally worth your time. Any vintage pieces you find can be sanded, painted and converted. There’s all kinds of strange things for you to find – from original coke bottles with a vintage crate to old globes. You’ll definitely have to sort through, but let your creativity roam as to how you can upgrade someone else’s trash to turn it into treasure.
Your décor doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Work with your venue and see if they can provide anything, as many keep small centerpieces and linens on hand so that you can have a place to start. Shop around and you’ll find other places that you can find pieces to contribute to your décor that won’t bust your bank!