As a kid I was obsessed with origami. For years into my teens even my family members would send me boxes of beautiful paper to keep at it. While my interest (read: free time) waned over the years, my love for the elegance of folded paper didn’t. The aesthetic of origami is timeless, and its creation is cost-effective. So if you’re looking for a gorgeous way to decorate on a budget for your upcoming party or wedding, maybe give these ideas a try! 


Above of course there’s the simple idea of using the traditional paper crane, known to symbolize good luck or the granting of a wish (if you want to make a thousand, oy!), to dress up your wedding cake. The pops of color are beautiful and easily altered with your color scheme. And the cranes are on tiny wires stuck into the cake, so they’re easily removed for cutting. So pretty!


How cute is this? It’s no more expensive (probably less actually) to make these adorable origami fortune-tellers to serve as invites than to pay for custom invitations and envelopes. I’m guessing you would mail them folded and flattened (sort of like the one on the right) and the invited would have the activity of inflating the tiny favor. Interactive and elegant.

Wedding flowers can get crazy expensive, fast! A great alternative to fresh flowers — and a good way to save yourself the anxiety of wilting centerpieces — is to construct your flowers out of beautifully coordinating paper. This might be time consuming, but you can do it anytime because these flowers don’t wilt! Link.

The fun of a party is even more memorable when the guests are able to take home a party favor. These special little star boxes are unique and appropriate for just about any occasion. You can fill them with candy or a message of affirmation for the recipient to open later.

These (incredibly easy!) paper lanterns are just another brilliant idea to come from Martha Stewart’s inspirational empire. Check out the article with instructions here.

For place cards, guests can find their names easily and follow these friendly origami birds to their seat. I guess sometimes it’s really best to put a bird on it.

Throwing an event on a budget is often made up for in cost with effort from the host. Origami isn’t always easy, but it is fun and rewarding! You don’t have to be a DIY guru to incorporate the sophisticated look of origami into your next party.

Have you ever dabbled in origami projects? Would you use any of these ideas?

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