Thrifting Wedding Decor

Let’s just admit it: weddings are expensive. There are so many more pieces and parts than you ever imagine when you start out on your wedding planning journey. You have the direct fees for everything, as well as taxes, gratuity, and plenty of extra vendors (porta potties anyone?) than you might realize. Today, I want to give you a little trick that you can use to help cut down on the cost of planning your wedding.

As many of you may know, I love thrifting.

Thrifting: “When one visits several different thrift shops, second hand shops, and vintage clothing stores in hopes of buying several items of cheap and unusual clothing and other items. One usually does this with friends.” (Thanks Urban Dictionary!)

Now we’re all on the same page, let me tell you that thrift stores are a treasure trove for amazing, unique and fun wedding decor. If you’re looking for vintage candlestick holders, weird glassware, or something else, it’s likely you’ll find it within a few minutes of walking into your dusty old Salvation Army. Thrifting wedding decor for your wedding is a cost-effective and under-utilized tool to style your wedding on a budget!

Recently, I hit the thrift to try to find some amazing items for some of my summer 2019 clients.

First up, I needed some gold or brass candlesticks to use on a May wedding. Literally every thrift store I walked into had at least a few of EXACTLY what I needed. And, as you can guess, they were pretty darn cheap ($3 or less each).

Here are the candlesticks I found at Heirlooms for Hospice in downtown Grand Junction, and here is the Pinterest inspiration we’re using as our jumping off point. We can’t wait to use these finds on some beautiful farmhouse tables from Elite Events.

Here are some other cool candlestick holders I found later that day at Goodwill in Grand Junction:

Next up, I found these amazing iridescent glasses and my mind started running. There are so many cool things you can do with these!

These beauties can be used in so many different ways. You can use them as unique vases for smaller floral arrangements, as part of a candy bar, or hey, you can even drink out of them!

I found this glass set at Habitat for Humanity in Montrose for just $1 each.

The final items this week I stumbled upon by total luck. While Facebook Marketplace isn’t technically a thrift store, I would argue that the mentality is the same.

While scrolling Facebook some beautiful glassware caught my eye- I instantly knew it would be perfect for a September wedding at Antler Ridge in Montrose. After contacting my clients I immediately messaged the seller and set up an appointment to see these beauties in real life.

This incredible collection of vintage glassware was collected over decades and decades. Most of these were literally dug out of the ground and cleaned by hand. The blue and purple glasses started out clear, but time, sun, and what they’re made of has turned them these beautiful colors naturally.

I mean come onnnnnnnnnn. These are incredible.

We plan to use these for small floral arrangements (by the amazing Dahlia Floral Design) set up down our beautiful wooden tables rented from Park Avenue Parties in Montrose. Here is our inspiration photo!

While these are were a bit more expensive than many things I thrift for weddings, $3 each seems like a steal for a unique floral vessel with this kind of history that can easily be used as home decor after the wedding.

So, that’s my week in thrifting, and really just the tip of the iceberg. If you are looking for budget friendly, unique, and AWESOME wedding decor pieces, I highly suggest you hit your local thrift stores and see what they have to offer!

To ease your search, here is a list of some great spots for thrifting wedding decor:

Goodwill, Grand Junction

Heirlooms for Hospice, Grand Junction, Delta, Montrose

Salvation Army, Grand Junction, Delta, Montrose, Glenwood Springs

Habitat for Humanity, Grand Junction, Montrose, Glenwood Springs

These are just some of the bigger stores, there are tons more smaller shops to check out if these don’t have what you’re looking for in thrifting wedding decor.

Don’t forget about other opportunities like Facebook Marketplace, yard sales, and estate sales.

There are treasures everywhere, you just have to look for them!