Sophie Smith spoke to eight real brides about their crafty DIY wedding projects, from quirky knitted bouquets right through to homemade pink lemonade cocktails!
We made… Table numbers costing under £3 each!
Anna and David made their own table numbers using simple wooden frames from a craft store, decorated with pastel coloured paint, stencils and hessian fabric. “They brought instant colour and texture to the table setting. I just loved how shabby chic they turned out!” says Anna. “I also loved how simple the whole project was and how much impact it made on the reception tables.”
Why did you decided to DIY it?
“Our reception venue offered table numbers for us to use, but they looked a little boring and didn’t quite go with the style of the wedding,” explains Anna. “The only difficulty we had was trying to stop the hessian from fraying.”
Top tip
“Sometimes the best projects are the simplest ones. Try not to over-complicate your projects, give yourself plenty of time and enjoy the process.”
We made… Our wedding invitations, costing £60!
Mahayla and Ben had a clear vision when it came to their save the date cards and wedding invitations. “I had an idea of what I wanted for my wedding stationery and knew that it would be difficult for anyone else to replicate,” says Mahayla. “I started with save the date cards which included a packet of sunflower seeds that we asked our guests to plant. The idea was that guests would send in photos of their sunflowers when they sent back their RSVP,” she explains.
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“I’m quite crafty and love everything homemade,” explains Mahayla. “I loved the whole process, from shopping online for materials to meticulously cutting out individual invitation features.” However, the DIY process didn’t come without its difficulties for this crafty bride! “When I needed 50 pieces of white card, I only had 49 and when I needed to stick down a particular detail, the glue stick ran out!” she laughs.
Top tip
“Just go for it! Take a deep breath, dive in and trust your own vision.”
We made… Our rustic table plan, costing £35!
Jade and Dan used pictures from Facebook to create their very own photo board table plan. Jade changed all the photos from colour to sepia and then got them professionally printed. “I pinned the photos onto corkboards and added coral ribbon to signify each table,” explains Jade. “I then pinned a printed maple leaf table name next to each row so each guest knew which table they were on.”
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“I stole the idea from a real bride in Wedding Ideas! I thought it was really personal and quirky. I loved the idea of people looking for their photo, not their name,” says Jade. “It was a bit of a challenge getting photos of all the guests, especially the older generations, but it was well worth it in the end!”
Top tip
“If you’re DIY-ing to save money, check how much the materials cost beforehand. In some cases it may work out more expensive.”
We made… School fête cocktails, costing £41!
Vanessa and Kev made ‘posh pink’ vodka and lemonade cocktails for their wedding reception, which was held in their village school hall. “The cocktails were a mixture of vodka, pink lemonade and normal lemonade. I wanted to try to incorporate some school-related themes into the day without it being to twee,” explains Vanessa. The couple’s costs covered the drinks, bottle hire and striped vintage straws.
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“I always knew I wanted us to have a DIY wedding,” explains Vanessa. “I love getting creative and it was really satisfying turning my hours of Pinterest research into a reality! The thing I loved the most was seeing my vision coming together perfectly on the day,” she smiles.
Top tip
“If you’re making a lot of your wedding details, write lists for everything to ensure you don’t forget anything!”
We made… Hessian decor, costing us only £60!
Gemma and Daniel added the finishing touches to their reception room with handmade hessian table runners trimmed with lace, matching hessian cutlery pouches – which they also used for place settings – and hessian and lace decorated jam jars. “Seeing everything come together at the venue gave us a great sense of achievement,” smiles Gemma.
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“It was important to us that our wedding reflected our personalities, and of course there’s the added bonus of saving money!” says Gemma. “Making 80 cutlery pouches for guests seemed quite daunting at first, but after a few attempts I found that by keeping them simple they didn’t take very long at all.”
Top tip
“Find a theme, colour or fabric and use it throughout your decorations for a clear look.”
We made… Knitted bouquets and buttonholes, costing £25!
Whitney and Tom created hand-knitted floral decor. Whitney made all the roses for her bouquet, two bridesmaid bouquets as well as the groom and groomsmen’s buttonholes. “My bouquet had 36 roses of different yarn varieties,” says Whitney. “Knitting actually kept me calm and relaxed throughout the wedding planning process!”
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“We wanted the wedding to really reflect us both as a couple and individuals. I’m an avid knitter, and so this project was the perfect way to not only use up some old yarn and represent part of who I am, but also a way to cut the costs for the wedding overall,” explains Whitney.
Top tip
“Be willing to let your plan change and evolve. If something isn’t working, re-evaluate its production or function, and get it back to something more manageable.”
We made… Our own floral decorations, costing £280!
Danielle and Sam created their own floral fiesta with handmade centrepieces, bouquets and buttonholes. “We also had flowers left over so I displayed them in decorated wine bottles and jam jars to decorate the venue. We used the outer petals of the flowers (that are normally thrown away) for biodegradable confetti,” says Danielle.
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“I loved the idea of having lots of flowers, but unfortunately florist prices were far too high for us. I love peonies and hydrangeas, and doing it all ourselves allowed us to have the flowers we wanted without paying a small fortune,” explains Danielle. “I must have watched a million YouTube videos on floral arranging but still found it difficult. Luckily I had some creative friends on hand to help!”
Top tip
“Relax, be patient and have lots of crafty friends on call!”
We made… Wedding favours for less than £1 each!
Sophie and Max’s wedding favours consisted of small glass jars covered with fabric and filled with either tasty Cadbury Mini Eggs or strawberry bon bons. Sophie also created her own pretty personalised labels to attach to each one.
Why did you decide to DIY it?
“I wanted to add a personal vintage touch without spending a fortune. It was really lovely to be able to get creative and make something that looked really pretty but wasn’t too difficult to achieve,” explains Sophie. “In fact, the only difficulty I really had was with the labels – they were quite fiddly and were a little more time consuming than I had anticipated!”
Top tip
“Try to buy things in bulk to keep costs down.”
You can see these real brides’ weddings in more detail right here! Want more DIY ideas to save you some money when it comes to your big day? Check some of these out.
