Your guide to Secondhand wedding decor

BudgetDecor

17 Sept

If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone planning a wedding on a budget, it’s this: Do not underestimate secondhand wedding decor.

When I was planning my own wedding, we were on a budget (as cheap as possible…whilst still looking good) To do that we HAD to look secondhand: Gold candlestick holders, old picture frames, vases, little decorative bits… if I thought it could work, I was looking!

But there was a bit of a knack to it.

I couldn't just decide one day that I needed 20 gold candlesticks and expect to find them all for £1 each. I had to look beforehand, know roughly what things were worth new, how much people were selling them for secondhand and be ready to snap something up when I saw it at a good price.

This can feel time-consuming but it really should be worth it and the very least a more sustainable option that you as a couple, buying the something new rather than buying something another couple only used for a day!

This touches on one one of the hardest things about planning your own wedding on a budget.

You're trying to create this amazing day, while Instagram and Pinterest are constantly showing you incredibly elaborate weddings with flowers everywhere, beautifully styled tables and seemingly endless decor. It's very easy to look at those photos and think, "How on earth am I supposed to afford that?"

The reality is, you don't need to spend tens of thousands of pounds to create a wedding that looks beautiful and feels like you.

You just need to be a little bit clever about where you spend your money and secondhand wedding decor can be a brilliant place to start.

Wedding Planning

Day42 Venue Design

£395.00 £495.00

Making the most of your wedding venue

You’ve booked your venue, you have an idea of how you want your wedding to look, but have you thought about how everything is actually going to fit together?

Using my years of experience as an Architect, I'll help you work out how to make the most of your venue and turn your ideas into a plan you can actually work from.

Whether you're trying to work out where to put your tables, how to arrange your ceremony, what furniture you'll need or how to make a fairly ordinary room feel a bit more special, I'll look at the space as a whole and help you bring everything together.

What's included?

Your personalised Day42 Venue Design Book will include:

Venue floor plan: I'll work from a floor plan provided by your venue, source one if it's available online, or work with the information you provide to put one together.
Proposed layout: A floor plan showing where everything should go, including tables, chairs, ceremony seating, dance floor, bar and any other key areas.
Architectural sketches: Drawings to help you visualise how your chosen setup could look.
Design recommendations: Ideas for bringing the space together, from furniture and lighting to decorations, colours and finishing touches.
Buy or hire recommendations: Suggestions for items you'll need, including links to products and suppliers where possible.
Practical considerations: Things to think about when planning your layout, including guest movement, circulation, access and making sure everything works on the day.

Everything will be brought together in a digital booklet that you can refer back to throughout your planning, whether you're sourcing items, speaking to suppliers or getting everything set up.

The aim is to give you a clearer idea of what your venue could look like, what you'll need to make it happen and, most importantly, a plan to work from.

Supplier Search

£595.00 £695.00

Finding the right people for your wedding.

Finding wedding suppliers can be just as time-consuming as finding the venue.

There are endless photographers, florists, caterers, musicians, stylists and makers to choose from — and a beautiful Instagram feed doesn't necessarily tell you whether someone is right for your wedding.

Tell me which suppliers you're looking for, your budget, your style, your date, your venue and what matters to you, and I'll do the research for you.

You can choose up to 5 supplier categories — for example, photographer, florist, caterer, DJ and stationery.

I'll research the market, identify suppliers who genuinely fit your brief and make contact where useful to gather the information you need to compare them.

WHAT I RESEARCH

For each supplier category, I'll look at the things that matter to your particular wedding, including:

style and approach
availability
pricing and packages
what's included
relevant experience
location and travel
lead times
venue experience
reviews and previous-couple feedback
any specific requirements from your brief

Where appropriate, I'll contact suppliers directly on your behalf, asking the questions that matter to you and gathering their responses.

I'll look beyond the obvious names and search for suppliers who genuinely fit your wedding, your budget and your priorities.

YOUR SUPPLIER SEARCH REPORT

You'll receive a detailed DAY42 Supplier Search Report covering up to 5 supplier categories.

For each category, you'll receive a considered selection of relevant suppliers, with:

THE SUPPLIER
Who they are, what they offer and why they've been considered.

THE COST
Published pricing, packages and relevant additional costs where available.

THE FIT
How their style, approach and experience relate to your brief.

THE PRACTICALS
Availability, location, travel, lead times and other relevant information.

THE REVIEWS
Relevant feedback and recurring themes from previous couples.

THE QUESTIONS
Answers gathered directly from suppliers where further information is needed.

THE DAY42 VIEW
My assessment of how well each supplier appears to fit what you're looking for.

The aim isn't to give you another directory to work through.

It's to do the searching, comparing and initial legwork for you.

So instead of spending hours scrolling through Instagram, Google and wedding directories, you can start with a considered selection of suppliers who are actually relevant to your wedding.

You tell me who you're looking for.
I find the people worth talking to.

A NOTE BEFORE YOU BOOK

DAY42 provides independent research and information based on your brief and the information available at the time of research.

Supplier pricing, availability, packages, services and policies can change, and information provided by suppliers or third-party sources may not always be complete or accurate.

DAY42 does not guarantee the availability, suitability, quality, pricing or performance of any supplier identified in the report.

The DAY42 assessment is a professional opinion based on the information gathered and your stated brief. It is intended to help you make a more informed decision and is not a recommendation or guarantee of the supplier's future service.

You remain responsible for making the final decision, confirming all information directly with the supplier, checking their terms and conditions, and entering into any booking or supplier agreement directly with them.

DAY42 is not responsible for any loss, cost, cancellation, change, omission or issue arising from a supplier you subsequently choose to book.

Always confirm final pricing, availability, inclusions and contractual terms directly with the supplier before booking.

The Day42 Wedding Project Book

from £695.00

A wedding plan, created around you.

I don't believe there is one right way to plan a wedding.

Every couple has different priorities, different personalities, different families, different budgets and different ideas about what makes a great day. So rather than giving you another checklist and asking you to work it all out yourselves, I create your plan around you.

You start by completing a detailed questionnaire about your relationship, your plans, your priorities and the things that matter to you.

I then read through your answers carefully, come back to you with questions where I need to understand more, and start putting the pieces together.

As an architect, I'm used to taking a complicated brief, understanding what is important within it, working through constraints and finding a considered solution. I approach your wedding in much the same way.

I'll analyse what you've told me, look at the options available to you, consider your budget and priorities, and work out how the different parts of your wedding can work together.

Your Blueprint might explore your ceremony, reception, venue, food and drink, photography, music, entertainment, flowers, stationery, styling, budget and wedding-day timeline, but what goes into it is determined by you.

If stationery isn't important to you, we won't spend pages talking about it. If food is one of the most important parts of your day, we'll go much deeper.

I'll help you understand where to spend, where to save, what to prioritise, what you could do yourselves and where bringing in a professional will make the biggest difference.

The result is a beautifully designed, personal book that brings your decisions together and gives you a clear plan for creating your wedding.

You tell me about you.
I work out what that means for your wedding.

So…why buy secondhand wedding decor?

There are a few obvious benefits to buying your wedding decorations secondhand.

It can save you money

This is probably the biggest reason people look at secondhand decor, and rightly so.

Wedding decorations can become one of those sneaky expenses that don't feel particularly expensive individually.

£2 for a vase doesn't sound like much.

£3 for a candle holder doesn't sound like much.

£5 for a frame definitely doesn't sound like much.

But when you need 30 of them… suddenly you're looking at a much bigger number. Buying pre-loved can bring those costs down considerably, particularly if you're happy to spend a bit of time hunting for things.

It can make your wedding more personal

I actually think this is one of the nicest things about buying secondhand.

Rather than having 40 identical vases and 20 identical candle holders, you can collect things over time. Different frames. Different glassware. A mixture of brass and gold candlesticks. Little vintage details. It can make your tables feel much more interesting and personal.

Where can you find secondhand wedding decor?

There are more places to look than you might think and before we even get into where, I would recommend you start looking as soon as you know what you are looking for. Secondhand wedding decor is much easier when you're not in a rush! You don't need to buy everything at once.In fact, part of the fun is finding things gradually and when something you've been looking for finally appears at a price you're happy with, you can buy it knowing you've actually found a good deal.

Vinted/Depop/Ebay

Vinted was my go-to for my own wedding decor.

It's particularly good for smaller items that people can easily post, and there are loads of people selling things they've bought for their own weddings and no longer need.

Try searching for specific items rather than just "wedding decor".

For example:

Gold candlesticks
Brass candlesticks
Candle holders
Vintage frames
Bud vases
Glass vases
Wedding table numbers
Artificial flowers
Baskets
Wedding signage
Table runners

And don't just search once. This is where the looking beforehand comes in. I knew I wanted certain things for my wedding, so I had an idea of what I was looking for and what I was prepared to pay. That meant that when someone listed a bundle of gold candlestick holders for a really good price, I didn't have to spend three days wondering whether they were worth it. I knew and it was in my house within the week.

That is the trick with secondhand shopping, the really good bargains don't tend to hang around.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is another one worth checking, particularly for larger items that aren't practical to post.. This is even more helpful if you are getting close t home and It's also great for finding bundles. Someone might be selling all of their wedding decor after their wedding, which could mean you get a whole collection of things for one price.

Try searching for:

Wedding decor
Wedding decorations
Wedding centrepieces
Wedding vases
Wedding props
Wedding signage
Wedding candles

And add your local area to your search. You can also find local wedding buy-and-sell Facebook groups, where couples sell the things they've bought for their own weddings.

Charity shops

Don't overlook your local charity shops.

Honestly, you never quite know what you're going to find: Picture frames, vases, baskets, glassware, candlesticks, mirrors and decorative bits can all be worth looking for and and remember that you're not necessarily looking for something that is labelled "wedding decor".

A £2 picture frame doesn't know it's supposed to be a wedding decoration. It could become your table plan, acollection of little glass jars could become your centrepieces, a vintage mirror could become a welcome sign.

Look at what something could be, rather than just what it currently is.

Now Let’s Talk money!

Before you start buying, Know the market, know the prices

This is probably my biggest piece of advice when it comes to secondhand wedding shopping.

Look beforehand.

Before you start buying anything, have a look at how much the same or similar items cost brand new. This gives you a really useful reference point.

If you've discovered that a particular vase normally costs £4 new and someone is selling 20 of them on Vinted for £1 each, great. But if you find someone selling those same vases for £4 each, you might be better off buying them new.

Knowing the first-hand price means you can recognise a good secondhand price quickly and that's important because you might not get a second chance.

The £1 candlesticks you've been looking for aren't necessarily going to still be there tomorrow. (They won’t because someone like me would have bought them at 10pm the night before :)

Just to be clear: the aim is not to rush the purchase, it is to know when something is such a good deal that you should buy it now.

Secondhand doesn't always mean cheaper

This is worth saying because it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of finding something pre-loved.

Don't assume something is a bargain just because it's on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace.

Check the new price. Check postage. Check how many you're actually getting. And most importantly check the condition.

Sometimes you'll find that buying something brand new is actually cheaper, particularly if it's currently on sale and that's completely fine (and welcomed!) the goal isn't to buy everything secondhand just because. We want to create the wedding you want without spending money unnecessarily.

And if you are worried that buying things new and cheap might not be as sustainable, think about what happens to the item after your wedding.

If you buy 30 new vases and then sell them on to another couple afterwards, they've now been used for two weddings rather than one. You could sell them on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace, donate them, give them to a friend or simply keep them if they're something you'll use at home. The same applies to secondhand purchases. The most sustainable wedding decoration isn't necessarily the one that was secondhand when you bought it, it's the one that doesn't become rubbish after one day.

Be careful not to buy something just because it's cheap

This is something I had to remind myself of a lot and I still bought things I did not use on the day. When you're wedding planning, it's incredibly easy to think: "It's only £2."But then you find another £2 item…and another, and suddenly you've spent £100 on things you weren't actually sure you needed.

A tip here is to have a general idea of what you're trying to create BEFORE you start buying as this will make secondhand shopping much easier.

For example, you might know you want:

Gold or brass candlesticks, Lots of candlelight, Mismatched frames, Glass bud vases, Neutral table linens and A few vintage touches

Now, when you're browsing Vinted or walking around a charity shop, you have something to look for and it is less likely that you will buy things you do not need! If however, you do see something that you might not have thought of before that you think is worth it..ask yourself these questions:

Where am I going to use this?

How many do I actually need?

Does it fit with the rest of my wedding?

Would I buy this if it wasn't such a good price?

That last one is a good test. Because something being cheap doesn't automatically make it useful. I'd much rather spend £30 on something I genuinely need than £50 on five different ‘bargains’ that end up sitting in a box after the wedding. (I have suitcases of stuff lol)