Events can be an expensive business, so we’ve come up with a few nifty tips to help you decorate your venue on a budget. Even if you’re looking to decorate a large space or hall we’ve got exactly the advice that you need.

If you’re planning a wedding, a party, or even a large-scale corporate event, chances are you’ll be looking to jazz up your event space without spending a fortune. While getting the venue choice right is certainly a central concern when it comes to event planning, we also know just how important appearances are. Nobody wants to turn up to a party in an empty, uninviting room, so getting the decoration right can mean the difference between a successful event and a flop. Just follow these tips on how to decorate your venue on a budget to turn your blank canvas space into a veritable wonderland.

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Five Advice on Decorating a Venue on a Budget

Here are five useful pieces of advice to decorate a venue to your liking without it having to cost a fortune. Try to be creative with what you have and how you can use it, you can make a huge difference with very limited resources.

1. Use low-cost fabrics

It’s amazing what a length of tulle can do when it comes to transforming your venue. Drape it from the ceilings for maximum effect, to make your empty space seem a little less bare. Alternatively, weave it through chairs or use it to cover up your cheap trestle tables. A tablecloth makes all the difference when you can’t afford to buy or rent high-quality event furniture.

2. Use templates over expensive hand-drawn calligraphy

While handwritten invites, name cards and menus do look lovely, you can save a fortune on stationary by downloading an online template. If you’re not much of a whizz with photoshop, head over to Etsy and search for stationary templates. There you’ll be able to find the design you love and just edit the template to include all your details. After that, it’s just a matter of printing them off on some nice card, either at home or at a professional printers. It’ll work out at a fraction of a cost of commissioning the stationery through someone else!

3. DIY your flowers

If you’re happy to keep things simple, decorating your venue with DIY flowers can save you an absolute bomb on floristry costs. Collect old jam jars and tins and spray paint them in one block colour before filling them with blooms that you’ve picked up wholesale. New Covent Garden Market is particularly a fantastic place for London florists to get their blooms, it’ll be worth the early start, we promise!

4. Throw some light on your space

Uplighters, fairy lights, and candles are your best friend when it comes to decorating your venues. These lighting elements are inexpensive, but they make a world of difference. Adjust your uplighters to specific colour schemes to transform an empty space into an atmospheric event space. Candles are inexpensive and add some real romance – IKEA have some great low-cost candles and holders. Fairy lights are also fantastic for adding impact on a budget – pick them up from Amazon, B&Q, or Homebase and drape them around your venue. More is more when it comes to romantic, low-cost lighting.

5. Get creative with balloons, lanterns, and bunting

Balloons are making a comeback in event decoration. There are so many options now when it comes to making your balloon accents stand out. Confetti filled and tulle covered helium balloons are very popular, as are lettered banner balloons, and they really work to add interest and a sense of fun to an empty space.

Bunting can be DIY-ed if you’re organising a vintage or shabby chic style wedding or event. It’s really simple to sew your own with the help of an electric sewing machine. Alternatively, you can source ready made bunting inexpensively at Home Bargains, Tiger, eBay, Amazon, or Etsy.

Lanterns are also really effective for adding a pop of colour to your event without spending much money. Suspend them from the ceiling in different tones in your colour scheme and just wait for the compliments from your guests to come flooding in. You’ll find some simple white hanging lanterns on IKEA, here.

Loved our tips on how to decorate your venue on a budget but still struggling to find the perfect affordable venue? Take a look at VenueScanner’s main website for more venue inspiration for weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, Christmas parties, and special occasions.