Tips & Techniques

Here are a few tips and techniques to help you with your wedding DIY projects...

Tags are great to add to favours, use as placenames or labels for a buffet.

You can create your own template in word or download some templates from here and why not purchase a tag punch to save having to cut them out? Use a hole punch to make the hole for the ribbon - neater than cutting one yourself!

When making your own cards and invitations, take your unfinished invitations to a local printing shop to have them cut to size. This will give your cards a finished, professional-looking edge at a great price; plus it will save you a lot of time and effort over cutting them yourself!

Printable card supplies are often much cheaper than purchasing backing papers and embelishments. Click here for a selection.

Use easy to read fonts for your stationery and inserts.

Use a program such Adobe Illustrator to create your invitations. Although it might take a little while to figure out, it will ultimately allow you to play around more with the general design. You can download free versions on the Adobe website. There are also other free software programmes available to play around with.


Don't be afraid to use unusual colours and textures!

Think about the pieces you need…most people generally want an Invitation, a Response Card and perhaps a Reception Card. Make sure you order enough paper!

Essential tools:
Paper trimmer
Craft knife - A craft knife allows you to cut intricate shapes with precision and ease
Good scissors
Cutting mat
Ruler

Unique touches for your day...

Why not add some personal and unique touches, making your day as memorable for your guests as it is for you...

• Personalise your ceremony by writing your own vows or asking a friend to read a meaningful poem or passage at the service.

• For any out of town guests, budget permitting, prepare a gift basket or gift bag with goodies that they can enjoy in their hotel room. You can deliver the gift bags to the front desk at the hotel ahead of their arrival or present it to them the first time you see them

• Have a screen at the front of the reception dance floor (where the dj stand is) and have a slide show of pictures of you as a couple and with friends and family at the evening reception

• Ask your married guests to bring a photo of themselves from their own wedding day, and pin all the photos on a special board at the reception.

• Create your own cocktail! Use this as a welcome drink or the toast

• Book a calligrapher to write out some well-known romantic poems and/or love and marriage quotes then frame these and put them in the middle of your tables, surrounded by tea lights

• Venue permitting, ask for a small room to be set aside for you and your partner – perhaps with champagne and chocolates on standby – and arrange a time to meet your other half there alone. This gives you some precious moments to savour your wedding day together without being interrupted

• If time and budget permits, send a photo from the wedding of the guests with their thank you card

• Instead of tossing the bouquet, present it to the mother of the bride or groom or someone special

• If you have a close friend or family member who has passed away, make him or her part of the occasion by inserting a small photo in your bouquet, or lighting a Memorial Candle at the church ceremony

• Do something for the guests. Make a video of you and your fiancé talking about the people who are special to you. Mention friends who have shown real loyalty, love, or family members who made great sacrifices for you. Intersperse your video with their photos. This is your chance to say thank you to all of them.

• Put a basket in the toilets at the wedding venue containing things such as plasters, deodorant, mints/chewing gum, hand cream, rennies, needle and thread –all the little emergency things that guests will really appreciate!

• If you’re having children at the wedding, have a ‘kiddie’s corner’ or ‘kiddie’s table’ and put some Colouring and Activity Fun Bags, bubbles etc for them to play with to save them getting bored. You could create personalised colouring books (lots of templates on the internet available for these) and incorporate the table with your colour scheme/theme

Guest Book Alternatives

There are many ways to keep messages from friends and family other than the traditional guestbook – here are some ideas below:


o Ask guests to write their message, advice or inspiration and post it through a sealed decorated box or wishing well – the box could easily be made by you and personalised to your colour scheme and theme...why not leave this for a year unopened and you can then spend your first anniversary sipping champagne and reading all the special messages!

o Guests can pin notes to a ‘wish tree’ this can also make a great focal point! Again, this can be done using a bit of imagination and DIY! The Wedding Chicks have a fantastic Wish Tree template download here.

o Video booth – guests can leave a video message for you to watch over and over!

o Polaroid camera –guests can take their picture and put it with their message or write a message on the back of the picture. These can be ‘pegged’ along a line which will make a fantastic feature at the wedding, not to mention looking great in the pictures

o Pebbles - pebbles are written on by the guests and then kept for years by the couple. They can be stored in a glass vase, or immersed in water.

o Wooden jigsaw puzzles that your guests can sign. Each guest has one piece of the puzzle to sign each and it’s your job as the couple to then put the whole thing together.

o Why not try and double up your guests place names with your guest book idea, by getting them to write a message on the reverse of their place name? you get to keep each place name in a lovely memory box. A great budget and DIY idea too!

o A suitcase; perfect for vintage weddings, or travel themed wedding. Guests are given a postcard to write on and then left to pop it in the suitcase. Looks great for any wedding and make a real feature out of the guest book.

Any Brides out there with some ideas to share?

If so, please feel free to send your DIY images to me and I will include them on the blog!

Just a quick one!!

Just wanted to let you know of a great article with some great money saving tips for decorating your wedding.

Click here!

Have a lovely weekend x

Wedding Money Saving Tips!

Tips for a budget wedding!!

• Buy your dress ‘off the rail’ or try sites like preloved, Oxfam Bridal etc

• Decorate your own cake

• Consider getting married on any day other than a Saturday (can work out half the price at some venues)

• Make your own wedding stationary

• If its possible, get your make up done that morning in a department store (maybe just buy the lipstick for throughout the day/evening)

• Buy bridesmaid/flower girl dresses from high street stores or the internet – just as lovely and much cheaper than bridal shops!!

• Book your honeymoon last minute to get a bargain (if you’re not too fussy of exactly where you go)

• Ask about if there are any friends who could do part of your wedding as their ‘wedding gift’ – florists, cake makers, caterers, photographers etc or have a ‘wedding favour guest list’

• Check out all the sales!!

• Good quality flowers can also be found on the market

• If your using a venue without a drinks license, take advantage of free glass hire from supermarkets

• Last but not least……make as many of your decorations as you can yourself – it works out so much cheaper!!

Please feel free to submit any of your money saving tips x

Children's Wedding Activity Books

A great idea to keep kids entertained at weddings!

I’ve seen these for sale on wedding forums and eBay but shanbritedesigns.com allow you download them for free – brilliant!! I’ve downloaded them and used bits from each and am going to personalise them for each child and print onto some pretty paper. The site also has free clipart downloads, fonts etc – anything free has gotta be good!!

Welcome all like-minded brides-to-be on a budget...

...bursting with ideas one minute, lost for any the next – either way welcome to my blog...

Well first of all, I’ll introduce myself, I’m Emma and in the middle of arranging my wedding. I have found so much inspiration and great ideas from other brides to be that I thought I would start a blog to share mine – and what a good keepsake of all the hard work that is put into arranging a wedding! I must say I’ve changed my mind a million times on colour schemes, themes etc but the one that has finally found its place firmly in my heart as the theme to go for is romantic/shabby chic – I’m thinking a lovely romantic, vintage feel with lots of flowers, bunting, hearts etc etc – love it! And I can only thank lots of other brides to be and months of trawling the website to finally decide on what to go for!

As a bride on a budget, I’ve found that making things myself works out much cheaper and much more fun! We’re getting married in Northern Cyprus and having a reception here in the UK when we return so there has been lots to consider decoration wise.

I currently on the hunt for bits and pieces for decorating the venue for the reception in the UK, such as flower garlands, material for bunting, tea light holders and am about to make my own shabby wooden painted hearts – cannot wait to get stuck into that.

More to follow...!