Every couple planning their big day will know how stressful and expensive it can be but getting crafty with the little things can be a nice break away from the build up craziness, whether its with your other half or your bridesmaids.
There are hundreds of DIY décor ideas to suit any budget and theme – websites like Pintrest and Etsy are great for inspiration and tips. We have found that with a little imagination and planning, homemade décor can save plenty of cash and add a personal touch to the big day – here are a few crafty bits that Ollie and I have been working on over the last few months that might help to inspire your inner artist!
Bunting
Luckily I’ve had plenty of sewing experience from my old uni days – so we decided to make real fabric bunting from scratch. We went to a market and bought a load of patterned fabric for about £2.75 a metre, and have spent a couple of afternoons with Ollie cutting triangles and ironing, whilst I stitch them together.
We have made nearly 40metres now and hope to keep it for future family weddings and celebrations. Of course you could just cut your triangles and keep them one sided, which would mean minimal sewing, or try coloured card triangles, glued or stapled to ribbon for an easy and purse friendly option.
Stamp
Getting personalised stationery printed can be extremely pricey – even the most simple of designs can all add up when you times it by 100 guests. We decided to have a stamp made up with our names and wedding date on it.
There are lots of lovely sites that will do it online with easy to use templates – and we have used ours to print place names and favour bags. Buying plain paper bags and tags and stamping will cost a fraction of having them made and will have a nice vintage feel to them.
Ribbon and tape
I have just discovered rice tape – which is a gorgeous coloured and printed masking tape that can jazz up and decorate pretty much any surface in seconds and completely mess free. We have decided to use jam jars for mini flower arrangements and tea lights on our day, and with plenty of collecting help from jam eating family and friends we have got about 50 to use.
We simply wrapped tape and ribbons round the jars to transform them from plain recycling to kitsch table décor. We will use the same for vases, and favours with a little hint of pretty ribbon too. It can be bought from markets and online for cheap, and really does go a long way whilst literally tying in items to a theme.
Second hand lovely stuff
We have also become just a little bit obsessed with Ebay over the last six months too – from cheap decorations to vinatge china, there is literally everything on there. We are having a vintage tea party theme to our big day, and loved the idea of mismatched crockery, so have been bidding and winning sets on a weekly basis.
There are also amazing bits and pieces in charity shops and jumble sales, just always keep your eyes peeled as over time you’ll find some amazing items for far less than buying brand new.
Wedding coming up soon? Get crafty to give your big day an individual and personal feel whilst saving pennies for that honeymoon!