By Erin Frank

Call it “Recession Chic” or “Decor on a Dime.”  A lot of brides are looking for ways to save money on their weddings. This could mean DIY (I was on overly ambitious bride—we did everything from the decor to the food ourselves) or simply some savvy shopping to stay within a budget. When I went looking for inspiration on where to buy unique wedding decor most bridal blogs repeated the same stores:  Ikea, Michaels, Save-On Crafts, Anthropologie (Anthropologie can be very pricey—check the sale section). I love all of these places, and bought from most for my wedding, but here are a few Bay Area locales you might not have spotted that are prime for saving you cash.  Warning: none of these are glamorous places to shop. You have to have a keen eye and creative mind, but when inspiration strikes you can see past the junk and find something terrific.

1) Kamei Restaurant Supply:  Kamei is a restaurant supply store with depth.  Whether you need to outfit your bar, buy water pitchers, tongs, white dishes or serveware, their prices can’t be beat. With a creative eye you can find inexpensive ways to turn restaurant supply staples, like teapots or sake bottles, into beautiful vases and centerpieces. And you can get great prices on white takeout boxes to package homemade favors in. (Kamei: 525-547 Clement Street, San Francisco, (415) 666-3699)

2) Chinatown: Chinatown is terrific for finding favors and decor, if you know what you are looking for.  Best bets are bamboo, vases, lanterns, and favor boxes. I recommend the Far East Flea Market Liquidation Center (729 Grant Avenue, San Francisco), but you have to have a discerning eye to find the right items. The rest of the cheap imports leave much to be desired.

3) San Pablo Flea Market: One woman’s trash is, well, mostly trash but a few real gems. I won’t lead you astray on this one—it’s a junkyard. But if you’re willing to take your time, and deal with the dirt and grime, you can find some great items. With absolutely no digging I found dozens of glass milk bottles, vintage postcards, fun beaker sets for you science buffs, and lovely silver trays that just needed a good polishing. (San Pablo Flea Market: 6100 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville)

4) San Francisco Flower Mart: Many of you must know about the San Francisco Flower Mart, but if you don’t, allow me to blow your mind. The San Francisco Flower Mart is where many of the city’s florists get their blossoms, and after 10am it opens to the public. It has every conceivable type of flower and floral arranging product you need in a warehouse of pop-up shops and permanent storefronts. Some stalls only cater to the wholesale crowd, but catch the retail stalls after 10am (don’t dawdle, many close just an hour or two later) and you’ll be sure to find spectacular blooms. Cultivate a relationship with a seller. Not only will that warm up their sometimes frosty salesmanship, but the seller can tell you when prices will drop, what flowers are in season around your wedding date, and suggest affordable alternatives to create the look you want. Hiring a florist? Make a sample bouquet with flowers from the Mart so you don’t have any surprises on your wedding day. (San Francisco Flower Mart: 640 Brannan Street, San Francisco)

** Everything you see on the table at the top was purchased at one of the above shops. The milk bottles were $1 each at San Pablo Flea, the tall vase is a placemat I got for $1 at Far East Flea Market then wrapped around a vase and filled with 99-cent bamboo from there as well.  The white vases on the right are sake bottles from Kamei, as is the silver votive, all for about $6-$7 total.  The flowers were around $12 at the Flower Mart, but the amount shown is only 1/6th or less of the quantity that bought me.  The rest of the flowers I gave to a neighbor.