Discover 10 beautiful things to thrift for party decorations, from vases and baskets to trays and cake stands. Find easy ideas to create a cohesive party theme, elegant table decor, and stunning DIY decorations for birthday parties, baby showers, and special events—all on a budget.
If you’ve ever hosted a birthday party, styled a table for baby showers, or pulled together larger events, you know how quickly party decorations can add up. But here’s the secret I come back to again and again for special event decor on a budget: the most layered, personal, and easiest gatherings are often built from thrifted finds and even from shopping my own home first!
There’s something so special about mixing old with new and creating a cohesive look that feels collected, unique, and entirely your own. Whether you’re planning a themed party or simply hosting a dinner for a special occasion or holiday, these thrifted pieces will help you design something beautiful while keeping the cost down on your decorating expenses.
Speaking of decorating expenses, this year has already started stacking up! Between a Sweet 16 party and a high school graduate coming up very soon, we have our fair share of themes, party supplies, and extra expenses floating around for these milestone events!
Since I am currently in the thick of it (not complaining…I love planning for special events!), I thought it may be helpful to others out there who are working on creating memorable parties for momentous occasions – on a budget!
Thrifting With the Gals
Before we start decorating, let me first introduce you to some of my favorite blogging friends, otherwise known as the “Thrifting With the Gals” crew! Each month, we love joining up to share thrifted and vintage finds, decorating ideas, DIY projects, and even where to shop for great antiques, vintage pieces, and thrifted treasures.
April is always one of my favorite months, sandwiched between spring and summer decor, along with all of the flea markets, antique shows, and vintage markets opening up for the season. Of course, let’s not forget yard sale season too, once everyone starts setting up tables in the driveway after their spring cleaning, right?!
This month, you’ll love exploring the thrifted and vintage finds from:
- Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse
- Ann from Dabbling and Decorating
- Lora from Create and Ponder
- and me, here at Robyn’s French Nest!
At the end of this post, you can catch a sneak peek at what everyone is sharing this month along with a clickable link to take you directly to their beautiful posts!
Now…let’s walk through my favorite tips and things to thrift for effortless, elevated party and special event decor on a budget!
1. Start planning early and saving in advance
Before any decorating or even serious planning takes place, I like to start saving for important events and special parties well in advance. For example, knowing that we would have one daughter turning 16 this year and another graduating from high school, we started saving over a year ago for these special milestones. While we couldn’t necessarily predict the exact costs and expenses, we still put together estimates to help us come up with an amount we should aim to save.
When it came time to start planning, purchasing, and decorating, a big piece of the stress was taken out of the equation: the budget.
Now, between you and me, sticking to a strict budget is often a struggle for me. At the same time, saving in advance and even allowing for some “extras” made all the difference for us. We’ve been following this tip for many years now and I’ve never regretted saving way in advance of the planning and decorating!
2. Invest in quality, versatile pieces
One of the best things you can do over time is to build a collection of versatile decorative and entertaining items that can be used for party and special event decor, over and over again. While there are inevitable disposable pieces that are only for single use, you can save a lot of money over time by investing in good, quality essentials.
For example, instead of buying cute, coordinating cake stands for each party, I instead have a couple of white pedestals, a larger galvanized one, and nesting rattan risers that I use all of the time. These neutral pieces go with everything and it’s one less thing that I need to purchase when planning for a birthday party or special event.
While you may not be able to purchase everything at once, I have found that purchasing one or two good items (or replacing an item or two) for each party or special event helps me stay on budget and has resulted in a good collection of hosting essentials.
Here are items that I have found convenient to have on hand (and these can be thrifted as well!):
- Cake stands
- Risers and pedestals
- Large trays
- Large bucket – I use for drinks, individual bags of snacks, and more
- Drink dispenser
- Coffee/hot drink carafes
- Mini tongs
- Cute, small, erasable signs for food labels
- Tiered serving tray
- Realistic faux flowers
- Bud vases
3. Pretty vases for easy florals
Nothing sets the tone quite like fresh flowers or realistic faux flowers gathered in a collection of vintage vases. I love mixing different styles—cut glass, mason jars, ceramic, and rattan—to create a layered, collected feel. Plus, having a variety of styles gives me options to choose from for different party ideas.
I started watching for cute rattan vases last year, knowing they would fit the theme of the upcoming graduation party well. In the meantime, I’ve ended up using them for several events, including decorating around our home for everyday use too!
Simple vases can be used in so many ways to decorate for party or special event decor. Cluster vases down the center of the table or scatter them throughout your party space for an easy, but beautiful, focal point.
Recently, I thrifted this set of 3 chinoiserie vases for only a few dollars. While I am enjoying them in my home decor too, they will make great accents for the upcoming graduation party!
Budget Tip: I often cut fresh greenery from the trees and bushes in my yard to mix with fresh flowers from the grocery store or any of my realistic faux flowers. The greenery helps arrangements feel full and lush without costing me any extra! Plus, when real greenery is mixed with faux flowers, it makes the florals appear even more realistic!
4. Woven baskets for texture and easy display
Baskets are one of the most versatile thrift finds and can be used in seemingly limitless ways for party and special event decor! I often use baskets to hold flatware, napkins, party favors, individual bags of snacks, desserts, bread, cute displays of drinks, or even layer under platters of food.
Baskets instantly add warmth and a natural festive touch in an elevated style. Practically speaking, baskets are just so convenient to hold all the things and can provide a pretty, yet practical, display for party items. Besides my extra long basket tray (that I use ALL the time), most of my baskets are thrifted.
Thrifting Tip: Build a collection of baskets that nest inside one another for convenient storage.
4. Decorative trays for layered styling
Along with baskets, trays are one of the easiest way to create intentional groupings. I often use trays for party and special event decor to anchor desserts, drinks, or candles to define a focal point for my table decor.
Just as I use a base to create a vignette for coffee table or shelf decorating, a tray can also help create a layered and styled look when creating a vignette of food or decor for a table centerpiece.
One of the reasons I love THIS extra long basket so much is that it is the perfect base for a dining table centerpiece because of the long, narrow size. At the same time, it is perfect for displaying food in an aesthetically pleasing way too (think charcuterie style!)
Trays help make your setup feel thoughtful and styled, rather than scattered and just “set down somewhere”.
Thrifting Tip: Look for trays in the housewares and dishware sections of the thrift stores. A pretty platter can also make a great tray for styling while a basket tray from the decor section can also be used for displaying food. Ironstone, silver, and rattan
5. Cake stands & pedestals for food displays
This is one of my favorite ways to elevate any gathering—literally! Just as risers help create pretty levels for decorating a shelf or countertop, pedestals and cake stands make any food display look more beautiful for party and special event decor.
I often see pretty cake stands in thrift stores and if you have a special event coming up, this is a great way to save some money in your budget while instantly making your food display look more sophisticated and thoughtful. Plus, you are investing in great pieces that you can continue to use for party and special event decor for years to come!
While cake stands and pedestals are perfect for displaying food for party and special event decor, they are also beautiful to display other party decorations. I’ll be using some of my rattan risers to elevate picture frames and trophies at my daughter’s graduation party table, for example! Cute party signs, candles, and themed objects can also be elevated with a pedestal or riser to create a more layered look.
At my son’s birthday party one year, for example, I added his favorite basketball to a riser to create a super easy centerpiece for the cake table. It helped fill the space in a way that enhanced the theme of the party and didn’t cost me a dime, as we already had the riser and the basketball!
Thrifting Tip: Collect pedestals and stands in coordinating colors or styles to create a cohesive, elevated look for your buffet or party decor! White or silver go with everything, for example!
6. Mismatched dishes for charming place settings
One of my favorite ways to stretch what I have and make it work for entertaining is to mix and match my dishes. Mixing vintage dishes is such an easy way to add a personal touch to table decor and can be extremely budget-friendly by either using what you already have or thrifting for extra pieces to mix in.
At the same time, vintage dishes add character to your table decor and makes each guest feel like their place setting was thoughtfully chosen.
Mixing up dishes for party and special event decor works beautifully for everything from casual brunches to more elevated themed dinner party gatherings. Even if you aren’t setting individual table settings, you can mix and match dishes and platters for a buffet in different colors to go with the theme of your party.
Thrifting Tip: Secondhand dishes are easy to find at almost any thrift store and with minimal effort, you can gather a fun collection of dishware in various colors to use for all of your party planning!
7. Glassware & drink dispensers
Along with a mix of thrifted dishes, you can also mix and match your glassware for a budget-friendly, yet beautiful, special event. Thrift stores are a perfect place to look for unique glassware—etched goblets, colored tumblers, or classic pitchers. These essential pieces can add instant charm to your drink station and elevate even simple refreshments.
Every great party includes delicious drinks so you can add to the fun of your next party or special event decor with pretty glassware to serve beverages of your choice!
Thrifting Tip: Pretty glasses and pitchers also make great vases! I recently picked up these little shot glasses to use as mini vases inside of lantern centerpieces, in lieu of putting candles in them. You can’t beat 50 cent decor!
8. Linens, tablecloths & table runners
One are that I almost never skip at a good thrift store are the linens. A soft table runner or vintage tablecloth grounds your entire setup and ties your party theme together with color and pattern.
Over the years, I have invested in some favorite table linens that I tend to reuse over and over again. I find that when I find what I love and only purchase what I really love, I end up finding many uses for these favorites.
Table linens are great for layering textures, colors, and patterns. It’s one of the simplest ways to create an elegant style and cohesive look with the rest of your party or special event decor.
Thrifting Tip: Use pretty mix and match napkins spaced down the center of the table (I like to do them at a diagonal angle) for an inexpensive table runner. This also works great if you need to coordinate several tables so you don’t have to buy multiple table runners!
9. Frames & mirrors for signage + DIY photo booth
With graduation parties coming up, I’ve been scouring the thrift stores for pretty picture frames! Thrifted frames are perfect for not just for pictures, but also for signage, menus, or even creating a charming DIY photo booth with a large frame.
When looking for frames at thrift stores, don’t forget about the art section too. I have definitely purchased art that I didn’t like before – just because I loved the frame and could use it in a different way!
Thrifting Tip: Add handwritten notes, meaningful quotes, or even family photos to your next party for that extra personal touch your guests will remember.
10. Lighting: string lights, mini lights & lanterns
If you are planning a fabulous party, you will want to consider the lighting. Honestly, lighting is sometimes overlooked but it transforms everything!
However, if you need a lot of lights for your party or special event decor, it can get costly. Thrifting for string lights, mini lights, and even paper lanterns can save a lot of money. Plus, they are perfect to add a touch of magic to any party theme.
In addition to lights, I also love to add ambient lighting to our party decorations. Flameless candles are a great way to enjoy candlelight in a safe way, especially if there are a lot of guests and children in attendance. Plus, flameless candles save money in the long run because they can be reused for many years! I’ve invested in a nice collection of flameless candles for several years now and still enjoy using them frequently, both in my home decor and party and special event decor too.
Lights are especially beautiful for evening gatherings and adds an instant festive touch to your party space and special event decor.
Bringing It All Together
Planning parties and entertaining can be a lot of fun but the cost can also add up, especially if you host often. Thrifting for a great collection of essentials and investing in pieces that you can use for many different party ideas is a great way to save money. At the same time, building a collection of hosting pieces that can coordinate with a variety of color schemes for party and special event decor can save a lot of time shopping around for party decorations!
If you do need to pick up some additional decorations for your upcoming event or just home decor in general, I invite you to stop by my storefront for carefully curated collections of some of my favorite decor!
Throwing a party and hosting family and friends is not about perfection. However, it is all about creating a space that feels warm and welcoming. Thrifted pieces can help every detail, from the center of the table to the glow of string lights, feel beautiful, layered, and intentional.
FAQ: Thrifting for Party & Event Decor
What are the best things to thrift for party decorations?
Look for versatile pieces like vases, trays, baskets, cake stands, dishes, and linens. These items help build a layered and elegant table decor while supporting your overall theme.
How do I make thrifted items look cohesive?
Stick to consistent color schemes and repeat textures or materials throughout your party space. This creates a polished, cohesive look even with mixed pieces.
Can thrifted decor work for larger events?
Absolutely. Thrifted finds are perfect for larger events because they’re budget-friendly and easy to mix in bulk for a collected, curated feel.
What’s the easiest way to create a focal point?
Use height and layering—cake stands, trays, and florals—to draw the eye. Your buffet table or center of the table is the perfect place to anchor a focal point.
How can I personalize my party decor?
Incorporate meaningful details like vintage dishes, handwritten signage, and handmade DIY decorations. These elements add a heartfelt personal touch that help guests feel extra special!
Now head on over to see my friends amazing finds!
- Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse
- Ann from Dabbling and Decorating
- Lora from Create and Ponder
You may also enjoy these decorating related blog posts:
- Simple Ideas for a Sweet 16 Boho Birthday Party
- How to Decorate a Lilly Pulitzer Themed Party
- Fun Table Decorating Ideas for Mother’s Day or Any Special Occasion
- 21 Easy July 4th Decorating Ideas
- How to Decorate a Beautiful Friendsgiving Table
- How to Make a Citrus Fruit Flower Arrangement
- Ideas to Create Simple Valentine’s Day Table Decor
- How to Arrange Inexpensive Grocery Store Flowers
