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DIY Wedding Ideas to Inspire

Unique DIY Wedding Ideas

The DIY wedding is definitely a thing these days. Not only does it save couples a few dollars, a DIY wedding adds a more personal touch to the celebration. Of course, there are some wedding professionals who poo- poo the idea of a DIY bride, as if harboring a creative wedding dream and a glue gun is a big mistake. The truth is, DIY weddings do have their own challenges, but they’re also well worth it if the couple is a little savvy and willing to embrace their crafty side and just have some fun. Hopefully some of our DIY wedding ideas will help inspire you and let you know it is OK to tackle some DIY projects , even though some pro’s will tell you otherwise.

Photo by Brianna Santellan on Unsplash

DIY Wedding Decor

A great way to personalize your wedding is with the wedding decor. A few simple, crafty and inexpensive items can really make an impact on your wedding decor. Take for instance our tulle and helium balloons…these are one of our most popular pins on Pinterest! They are such a sweet decoration and could also be used for engagement parties, bridal showers, and baby showers and so easy to make!

DIY wedding ideas- tulle and helium balloons

Petite floral sprays on chairs can make your walk down the aisle very dreamy.

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

Photo by Wedding Photography on Unsplash

Source Out DIY Wedding Workshops

Photo by Tania Miron on Unsplash

A great place for DIY wedding ideas is to source out local wedding workshops. Pinterest offers links to tutorials but workshops are a great motivator, and the supplies and everything you need is already organized for you. All you need to do it register and show up! Workshops like the ones Capitol Romance provide are the perfect way to get together with other brides-to-be and learn how to put together a DIY project. Bree, the Capitol Romance blog editor, loves putting together craft workshops to help couples plan affordable and personalized weddings. A couple can learn about flower arranging, making chalkboard signs, wedding makeup, and bead and wire work just to name a few.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

DIY is Not Just About Saving Money

Many brides might get wrapped up in the idea of a DIY wedding and how much money they could save by making their own decorations and wedding whatnots. It’s true that some handmade elements can save a couple money, but there are other projects that might cost just the same as purchasing them new. When coming up with DIY wedding ideas you need to choose your DIY projects carefully. There’s also the issue of time and how long you have to actually put something together. A DIY wedding might look easy, but quite a lot of time and effort can go into planning and creating, that is often overlooked. The folks at Bride say a good rule of thumb is to pick projects that you can accomplish months in advance. If you pick something that has to be done a day or two before the wedding, you’ll be stressed out and the project might not come out as you’d planned. We could not agree more!

Photo by Kendra Allen on Unsplash

 Tips for a DIY Wedding

Each element should have a purpose and tell a story – that’s what makes a DIY wedding so personal and unique to the couple. Think about the projects you want to make yourself, and not only how they will fit into your wedding story, but how you can use them afterwards. If you’re going to put time and effort into creating something for your wedding, it should be personal enough that you’ll want to keep it around even after the wedding is over. Can it be used as decoration in your home? Can you repurpose it into something else?

Don’t leave projects until the last minute and then scramble to get things finished. Organize your projects, start early, and work on them a little each day.

 Delegate tasks. If you have many projects that you want to take on, but aren’t sure if you’ll be able to handle them all, it’s best to wrangle some friends and family for help. You could even host a craft night, supply the wine and snacks, and knock out one of your projects. A project like DIY wedding centerpieces is something that can be done month in advance and stored until needed.

DIY wedding centerpieces made from paint sticksPhoto Source: Wedding Chicks

DIY Wedding Projects

Just take a look at our Pinterest DIY Wedding board and you’ll see how many creative options there are for a DIY wedding. A bride and groom can put together a unique wedding guestbook, wedding favors and welcome bags, programs, and invitations that express their wedding to a tee. There are also chalkboard signs, ring bearer pillows, seating charts, and centerpieces.

DIY Wedding Album

Photo Source: My Bridal Pix 

One DIY project that you don’t need to think about until after the wedding is making your own wedding album. It will not only save you a ton of money but it is really fun to do. Personalizing your album and having control over which pictures go into your album is something a lot of brides really enjoy. By adding a few DIY elements: the invitation or save-the-date, a small memento, the story of how you met at the beginning of the book, or a trash-the-dress photo at the back of the book you can truly create a family heirloom that will be enjoyed for generations to come. But don’t settle for making your wedding album with flimsy photo book paper as they will never stand the test of time. My Bridal Pix offers professional grade flush mount DIY wedding albums with easy to use software and album templates to make laying out your wedding album easy and stress free.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Things Not to DIY

Of course, not all DIY wedding ideas are created equal. Some can put you into a right tailspin if you are not careful. Some projects are just best kept to the professionals.

Food: A cake here, some cupcakes there might be okay to bake on your own time, but cooking and catering the whole menu can get overwhelming fast. Leave the food to a professional caterer who knows how to prepare menus for large crowds.

Flowers: Keep flower projects to a minimum, like the bride’s bouquet and groom’s boutonniere. The truth is, flower arranging requires attention to detail, choosing flowers at their peak (which means putting arrangements together a day before the wedding), and cutting and arranging so that everything looks perfect. I was once witness to a bride and her family frantically putting together floral arrangements the night before the wedding and needless to say, it was very stressful. Leave the flowers to the professionals so you can relax with friends and family on the big day.

Photo by Frans Hulet on Unsplash

Photography: Almost any bride will tell you that hiring a professional photographer is the best money you can spend on a wedding. A pro knows how to work with lighting, scenery, and the flow of a wedding. Aunt Joan may have a professional camera and know how to take some good shots, but she might not capture your wedding the way a professional photographer would. They have an eye for detail and are able to depict the wedding story in a high-quality manner. You only have one chance, there are no re-do’s on wedding photos so be sure to hire a reputable photographer you can trust. A great place to start your search is posting a job on the photographer job board at My Bridal Pix. It’s a great way to make photographer comparisons and find a photographer to meet your unique needs and budget.

Dress: Even if you’re a sewing diva, the amount of time it would involve to make your own wedding dress might not be worth it. Not when you have a billion other things to plan and put together. If you can’t find one you adore, choose one that’s close to your dream dress, then have a seamstress customize it.

I guess the takeaway here is to have fun planning your wedding and incorporate some fun DIY wedding projects to make it as personalized as you like but be careful not to get overwhelmed. We hope our DIY wedding ideas and warnings help inspire you to take on what you can manage.

Do you have a DIY project you plan to do for your wedding? Please share your inspiration below.

MyBridalPix

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Hi I’m responsible for decorations for my niece’s wedding. I tried doing the helium balloons with tulle. However I found that the tulle weighted the balloon down. Do you have any tips? Are the balloons you used extra large? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
    Patrice

    1. Hi Patrice,
      Great question. From what we have learned about these tulle balloons, you may find the following helpful:

      For the balloon to float, its lifting capacity needs to be greater than the weight of the tulle and any other decorative items you would use.

      Take a look at this helium chart to find the lifting capacities of round latex balloons of different sizes. I would suggest to use a 30 or 36 inch helium quality balloon (e.g. made by Qualatex) and good quality helium. And try to find really lightweight tulle. If this does not work, you can always cut a little whole in the tulle and sting some fishing line to it and then affix the fishing line to a wall or ceiling.

      Good luck!

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