I am all about the decor, however, when it came time to plan my brother’s wedding–it was the aspect that was least budgeted for.   My father, the traditional Bangladeshi man that he is, insisted on food being his main priority and it was decided that that is what most of the budget for my brother’s wedding would go towards.  Needless to say, thousands and thousands of dollars were spent on food, while my ideas for decor seemed frivolous to my father.  When I contacted decorators for stagescapes and tablescapes that I *loved*, their ridiculous pricing seemed even more absurd to my parents.     My mother then insisted that we find someone cheaper to do the decor, a simple florist.  Then, it hit me–why not do all of the flowers and a simple stage myself?  I have always had a knack for creativity, crafting, and am a perfectionist and decided I would do  it all myself.

DIY Centerpieces and Stages seem like a tough task at first, but when you choose simple designs and easily accessible flowers–the task at hand becomes a lot easier.  I would suggest  that as a bride you do not do it all yourself, but if you have a creative bridesmaid, cousin, aunt, friend–give her the task of giving you a great visual display at your wedding!

When it came to the centerpieces, I wanted to use flowers that were the same color my sister-in-law would be wearing at the reception and when I found out it was a salmon–that as my the color of my flowers.  My mother and I loved traditional roses and they actually are a lot cheaper than other flowers such as hydrangeas, orchids, etc.  When we had our decision made, we headed straight to the Flower Mart in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Buying flowers wholesale in bulk can save you lots of money.   Also, to avoid costs always buy domestic flowers instead of imported flowers.  Domestic roses, I learned, have a scent and are cheaper while imported roses do not even have a scent and cost much more! My total cost ended up being $10 for two dozen roses–what a bargain!!

Ordering the flowers was the easy part… next came the vase.  Should we do taller centerpieces? Square vases? Circular vases? Shorter vases?  My mom and I wanted to keep it simple and chose a shorter vase that looked very clean and elegant  The centerpiece was quite easy–I suggest you have helpers that can assist you in de-leafing flowers.  We cut the flowers at a length that was perfect for the vase,  tied them with plastic ties (you can purchase these at your local Home Depot, or use flower ties–I find plastic ties easier and they stay tighter), and placed them in the vase.  Also, add Sprite or carbonated water to make your flowers last longer.  Lastly, add a special touch that makes your centerpiece stand out.  I had bought gold glitter sticks from Wal-Mart and cut them and placed them in the centerpiece.

And Viola! The final product of the centerpieces:

The centerpieces were the easy part, but I had set my heart on using manzanita trees, which have become increasingly popular in the wedding industry, for the stage.  Manzanita trees are hard to come by (if you’re not already a decorator), but I had found them again in the Flower District in Downtown, Los Angeles–purely by chance.  They are usually very expensive at stores, but you can get a great deal if you find a wholesaler.  I bought the base, the trees themselves, and sponge balls to put my flowers in.  I also bought beads from a local craft store to put on my tree.  This tedious process produced the most beautiful trees!  I also rented two simple white columns to place the trees on and created a very simple, yet elegant stage!

My total budget for the decor, the flower, and rentals for the reception added to approximately $350!! That is certainly a lot less than what you would have to pay an arm and a leg for a decorator to do!

Stay tuned for DIY Decor Ideas for your Sangeet/Dholki/Mehendi/Holud!

A special thank you to Ahmed at AA Creation Photography for these fabulous images!

And the final product for the stage & manzanita trees:

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