Decorating on a Shoestring
July 29, 2025
Show Decorations Don’t Have to be Expensive
by Candilee Jackson
As with nearly everything in our hustle-bustle lives today, banquets, parties, and shows can be expensive. Costs, combined with “Ooh, I HAVE to use this!” items, can add up quickly. What colors or textures to use? What items can be driven to the venue as opposed to flying them in for the event? Overwhelming? It may sound that way, but working with a limited budget is not insurmountable. Shush! There IS a secret!
Cat Talk did some research and came up with tips for decorating on a budget. Keep these points in mind to create a regional awards dinner, party, or show hall design without those designer prices.
Plan Before You Begin
While proper planning is essential for any project, the necessity increases tenfold when working on a tight budget. After all, no one wants to find themselves in a situation where they’ve found the perfect table decoration only to discover it’s not affordable, or where the nonrefundable centerpiece ordered online won’t fit into the space. Doing a little legwork beforehand will drastically cut down on the likelihood of encountering an unpleasant surprise along the way.
Among the first steps in planning should be determining a theme, design, and colors. Next, know what funds – however limited – are available for use. Make sure there have been adequate fundraising activities well in advance of the event. Check with the venue to make sure everything needed for the show, party, or banquet is available (electricity, tables, tableware in the colors chosen, mirror tiles, audio-visual requirements, microphones, etc.).
Repurpose What’s on Hand
It’s time to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! Someone in almost every CFA club or region is “the gatekeeper” for all past décor, and this stuff is usually packed away in plastic bins in someone’s garage. Check to see what’s on hand from past events. It would be helpful to make an inventory to be kept by the club or region secretary. Sometimes a can of spray paint can refurbish a centerpiece easily rather than wasting gas hunting for parts for a new one, or wasting time online when the cat really needs a bath! This saves money for “must-have” purchases down the line.
Anchor the Project with a Theme
Getting the most “bang out of your buck” is the goal in decorating on a shoestring. Select a theme which involves several ways to create the desired effect. For example, a Parisian theme can encompass not only the Eiffel Tower, but a stroll down the Seine, a stop at Notre Dame, an art walk, and a wander through a French bakery. A Disney theme is always fun, and there is no shortage of characters from which to choose. In other words, every table centerpiece does not have to be the same, and show rings can project a variety of visual items that fit the theme.
Okay, the committee is drawing a blank: Where does one find a theme? It’s time to pull out the catalogues!
Theatre House (www.theatrehouse.com) This company specializes in costuming, makeup, properties, materials, and trims for all things theatre. If what is needed is costly, this is a great place to go for ideas OR purchases. If using the site for ideas, use Google to locate the item at a better price elsewhere on the Internet.
Stump’s Prom and Homecoming Book (https://stumpsparty.wordpress.com) This is a teacher/class sponsor’s “go-to bible” in high school! Although expensive, Stump’s gives terrific ideas on the parts and pieces for decorating for both show halls and banquets, which can be purchased elsewhere or created by hand.
Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com) The online store (as well as the catalogue) contains tons of goodies at low prices to help create the theme and look desired. The site specializes in purchasing in bulk, and the catalogue has several sections devoted to themed party or banquet items.
Shop Second Hand
Retail therapy! This is where the rubber hits the road, and the best use of committee time and energy comes into play. Send out committee members and friends on “search-and-rescue missions” to find things secondhand which will meet the needs of the project.
Check out thrift stores, dollar stores, Big Lots, and yard sales. Remember, someone’s trash can be your project’s treasure! While searching, ask what days new inventory is brought out and get there early to scope out every inch of the store, yard sale, or flea market. Watch out for going-out-of-business sales. Pay close attention to the curbs in the neighborhood on trash day. Don’t be afraid to search out items which serve a dual purpose – can this item be reused at a later date? Collect wine bottles from various shows in the region and use them to hold flowers on the banquet table or in the show ring later.
Go Bold with Color
Shush! Another secret revealed: One the biggest secrets of creating nearly anything is the use of COLOR! Paint costs pennies on the dollar, and discount big-box home decorating stores have paint (especially spray paint) under $2 a can. Before plunging into the paint pool, pick up some free color palettes from a home improvement store. Look for complementary colors to make the venue exciting and alive with color when people enter.
Cultivate A Minimalist Design Style
When money is tight, choosing a minimalist style for the chosen theme will keep costs down, at least when compared to more ornate schools of thought. To be truthful, minimalist IS the current trend. “Minimalism is defined by neutral colors, especially monochromatic ones, the use of natural materials and clean lines.”1 In other words, less is more.
Choose a simple item for the centerpiece, and use mirror tiles and color to carry through the theme. Going back to Paris as described before, a minimalist centerpiece might be a wine bottle of fresh or silk flowers, and a cutout of the Eiffel Tower tied with a colorful ribbon, placed on a mirror tile. To add just a little more excitement to the simplicity, add a string or two of colorful beads strewn on the mirror … and VOILÀ! You have a minimalist centerpiece with a Parisian flair!
Get Everyone Involved!
To quote from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, “the more the merrier,” and that’s not just in the planning stages. Go through your club or region’s roster and look for the “quiet, unassuming” exhibitors who are not usually involved. Ask them to troll yard sales, dollar stores, and thrift shops for the committee. Take a survey of just who in your region has a degree in art, or does those outstanding crafty things for all the holidays. These are the people to enlist for design, color, and preparation advice.
When the event is just a few weeks away, gather a different group of people to put the decorations together. Make sure to have coffee, tea, wine, and some chocolate to make the work party fun, and of course … take photos!
On setup day, gather everyone in sight to help create the magic. Your setup motto should be “Many hands make light work.” What could be tedious for one or two overworked individuals could be a total blast if ten people were involved. An event planner should be aware of the quiet ones who might just be waiting for someone to ask their help in a show or region project. Remember, the answer is always “No,” until someone asks!
Have Fun!!!
Putting together an event is more than just selecting the venue or choosing the meal items. Planning and preparing is also a fun aspect of a show or banquet. Look to this meet, search, prep, and setup timeline as an opportunity to get to know each other, welcome any newbees (or the quiet, shy ones) to the worker bee group, and create an atmosphere of fellowship. The sharing of talents to create something magical for our cat public and ourselves will be worth the wait!
Citations
1. “Minimalist Interior Design Defined …” Internet, 20 October 2019 https://www.decoraid.com/blog/interior-design-style/minimalist-interior-design