The Unexpected Gold Mine For Free Wedding Decor

Smaller objects scavenged from your family home are perfect for sprinkling throughout the reception. Tie old keys to place cards, hang old license plates your parents held onto behind the bar, sprinkle cute souvenirs and tchotchkes around the dessert station, or tie Grandpa's tie around the base of your bouquet instead of ribbon. These personal treasures add interest and create one-of-a-kind decor. "One of my brides grew up on her father's boat. Her father was a captain and has all of his old nautical books. Her wedding was of course coastal, so we incorporated them into her centerpieces," Cristen recalled.

From the ceremony to the reception, there are plenty of opportunities to incorporate your personal furnishings into your wedding. "Look for unique vintage pieces or even handmade tables to use for sweetheart tables, dessert bars, or a piece to place family photos," Cristen explained, adding, "I will be using a farm table that a client's grandfather built as their sweetheart table this year." How sweet!

Sentimental servingware, like Grandma and Grandpa's cake stand or the engraved cake knife server set your parents received as a wedding gift, are easy to incorporate into your own big day. Just ask the caterer or let your venue know ahead of time so they can be sure to put the right servingware out and then get it back to you at the end of the reception.

You'll have the most memorable photo booth pics when your backdrop is something super personal, like a hip vintage car! Cristen explained, "We had clients use their parents' Shasta Camper as a photo booth for their wedding . . . The Shasta had been in the groom's family for generations, and we pulled it out from the backyard and created a fun photo booth element to their day for the guests." As a bonus, it also served as a free place for one of the groomsmen to sleep the night of the wedding.

No need to spend big bucks buying a favor from scratch when you can recycle your own empty jam, honey, and sauce jars. Wash them and peel off the labels to create charming mixed-and-matched sets of vessels just waiting for your thoughtful favor — and some pretty dressing up with ribbons and custom tags. Some of Cristen's favorites include jars of honey from a client's parents' honey farm and homemade limoncello from a client's grandparents. "If you are going to give your guests a favor, try something that means something to you that they can actually utilize. Maybe your grandmother is known for making the best raspberry jam," she said.

"I have clients all the time that pick their wedding location based on its sentimental value," Cristen said. If you don't have money to spend on an expensive venue, consider a charming location with emotional connections, like the lawn of your family's Summer house or even your own backyard. You might have to spend more time on logistics since there won't be existing event infrastructure in place, but, as Cristen said, "Location can set the whole tone for a wedding being sentimental."