HELP!!! Black tie 21st Party on a budget

mrsjcmking

Ok so it's my 21st in december and I'm going for a black tie formal thing.

Food and cake is sorted as my sister has just started a catering business (very handy!)

My parents are hiring a hall. You are not allowed to eat in the hall, there is a separate smaller eating room. The hall is a smallish sports hall, the modern kind with really high ceilings, pale yellow walls and your classic polished wooden floor.

Making the eating room classy and posh should be fairly simple, however making the hall look like a beautiful ballroom is going to be tricky.

My guest list is between 40-50 people so I don't want it to look too empty either.

So far on my shopping list I have Balloons, ribbon, tablecloths, napkins, plates and cups.

How can I make the room look beautiful on a tight budget (like as cheap as physically possible!)?
What can I do with the walls/floors to stop it looking like a sports hall?
What should I do lighting wise?
How can I incorparate eating and dancing room (so they don't feel so separate)?

PLEASE HELP!

Emmamumof2

What about chiffon swags and bows? You can get the material cheaply from a fabric stall on the market and choose your colours - I had pastel colours -

There is also bunting you could use...

The polished wooden floor sounds nice enough to me its not like its an old dirty carpet!!

Student12

How about hiring a red carpet to lay down the middle? I agree with Emmamumof2, chiffon swags and bows looped on the ceiling (if possible?) from curtain rails, and bows on the back of chairs? For a birthday, we once hired some lighting, disco lights and spot lights. HTH

Tamster150

try fabricland for very cheap fabric.

I was thinking thin black sheets or even white with fairy lights behind. You can usually get cheap battery fairy lights in ikea.

mrsjcmking

The floors aren't as bad as I remember them. I thought they had sports markings on them but they don't. The biggest problem with fabric on walls etc, is that the ceiling is really high so getting anything up there is difficult. Plus attaching it is difficult as well.

I was thinking fabric over lights - but is this a fire hazard??