I’ve styled large gatherings on very little budget in the past. It is possible to create a beautiful, memorable gathering with some creativity and help. In this blog post, I’ll share how you can do it too.

Make it fun to contribute

You could ask your guests to bring one dish or bottle with a certain theme or parameters (you can assign courses and the type of cuisine, or have people create their dish around one ingredient they draw out of hat, or based on somewhere they want to travel to etc). 

Embrace mismatched

I’m talking crockery and glassware here. If you’re on a budget you probably can’t hire in matching sets and depending on how many people you have coming along, it’s unlikely you have enough at home. Borrow from friends or family to create a quirky set.

Make napkins

Make your own napkins and tablecloths out of cheap or second-hand fabric. I’ve styled a wedding where the bride made 120 napkins by simple cutting and ripping pieces of coarse linen, embracing the beautiful raw edges. Hemming straight edges isn’t too time consuming either, if you’d rather have neat napkins.

Make table cloths

Search charity shops for curtains or duvet covers that can be turned into table cloths, or visit a fabric shop and buy it by the metre to hem yourself at home. You can buy iron-on hemming tape from the fabric shop too, if you don’t want to sew.

Be liberal with cheap tea lights

Put them in recycled jars for a simple cheap display. Alternatively, shops like H&M home, Sainsbury's, Argos and M&S do good value candle sticks, although my advice is buy carefully and make them last.

Decorate using found or foraged natural items

Be open minded to using more unusual elements like leaves from shrubs or tree branches or grasses rather than traditional blooms. Go BIG with your natural elements if it’s growing freely around you. Forage responsibly and with permission. Use friends and family’s gardens and do shout-outs on social media (I do this regularly).

Recycle or borrow

Use recycled jars or bottles as vases, and if you don’t have any, you could always borrow vases and bottles from friends and family.

Try seasonal, plant-based/veggie cuisine

The cost of meat, both in terms of money and cost to the planet can be prohibitive. Stick to delicious vegan or vegetable led dishes. (Anna Jones is one of my idols – check out her website for brilliant recipes will link). Seasonal food is cheaper as it’s more abundant. You don’t have to do dinner either, you could host a breakfast or brunch instead. This could remove the need for alcohol all together (not necessarily!) and calls for lighter food that’s easier to prepare.

Shop around

Venture to your local markets for seasonal fruit and vegetables that can be cheaper than supermarkets. Try cheaper supermarkets if you haven’t already- Aldi and Lidl both do award winning Prosecco, for example. 

To get more ideas for planning your event, take a look at my Soulful Gathering ebook and, since it tis the season, you can also get my Christmas Gathering ebook too