DIY wedding ideas

Making certain elements for your wedding day not only saves money but is a great way of making your special day memorable and totally unique.

DIY décor

You may think that designers are pure geniuses but when it comes to the décor for your wedding it is only a case of knowing what goes with what and being a little creative. If you're holding an outdoors wedding then making your own bunting is a simple and inexpensive way of lining the edges of tables or  creating a backdrop. Traditional bunting is made with flags of fabric stitched on to string and tied between trees or draped around tables. It's easy to make your own flags using a triangle card template and cutting out the shapes from scraps of fabric. Alternatively if you had some engagement photos taken, then how about printing some black and white photocopies of your favourites and stringing them on a line using small pegs to hold them in place.

You could also match your décor to the season in which you are getting married. Here I'm thinking of yellow daisies for a summer wedding or blue lavender for winter weddings. Simple glass vases could be filled with daisies or lavender and sat on the tables and the chair sashes could be either yellow or blue to match. You could make your own wedding favours, say cookies or bath salts and wrap them in blue or yellow cellophane. Balloons are also an inexpensive way of adding your chosen colour to your décor. Various shades of blue or yellow wraps could be neatly rolled and stacked for the ladies to help themselves to if they get chilly.

Make your own favours

Making your own wedding favours is a nice way of thanking your guests for spending the day with you and the fact that you have made your own, makes your guests feel very special. Giving your guests something edible is always a good idea and you could make your own sweets or biscuits. Heart shaped biscuits with some pink icing and perhaps the guest's name iced on in white would be lovely or to make thing easier, how about some cookies wrapped in cellophane and tied with a coloured ribbon to match your décor.

The trick to DIY wedding is for it to be understated as opposed to going totally over the top. Choose an accent colour such as Fuschia and then use it in just a few items to complement a neutral colour. Don't be afraid to use black with white, it looks stunning and dramatic for an evening reception and as guests are likely to be wearing suits and evening dresses, it creates the perfect ambience.