While planning your wedding is exciting and fun, seeing the costs add up can be overwhelming—especially once you take care of some of the big ticket items like the venue and catering, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. One of our favorite ways to cut the budget down a bit? Do-it-yourself projects! While DIY may sound intimidating, it’s surprisingly easy to create some of your own elegant wedding day decor at a fraction of the price. A few trips to the craft store and voilà—you’ve got a gorgeous wedding reception that your guests will be shocked you did yourself (although you could easily not tell them—don’t worry, your secret is safe with us). Read on below for a few of our favorite DIY-wedding projects:
Light Up Your Big Day
This project is almost too easy, and adds a magical touch to any wedding day. While we especially love this look outside, adding a few string lights to your reception can really change the entire space—not to mention that they’re available for relatively low prices at most big box stores. You can opt for the classic rope light for a vintage look, a simple strand of twinkle lights for that magical glow, or a smaller, more elegant fairy light, which often comes on a gold wire for added elegance. These don’t even necessarily need to be strung across the top of your reception, either! A subtle strand of fairy lights woven into your centerpieces can instantly elevate your table settings. You can also work with the details your venue already has: a string of lights wrapped around a column, along a stair rail, or around a few potted plants gives that same magical glow.
Table Numbers and Place Cards
A great place to DIY is on your tables! A table number can be made simply, like this subtle yet gorgeous decoration made from nothing more than a wine cork and a decorative card. Worried about your handwriting when making these? Don’t! You can find plenty of gorgeous, printable numbers like this one to print out and make into your table numbers. And you don’t even need to stick to corks—anything sold and stable can work. And if you’re getting really ambitious, you can knock out the table numbers and centerpiece in one—a few floral foam bricks, a few handfuls of flowers, and printed table numbers can look absolutely gorgeous with a little time and patience.
Hand-Lettered Signs
This project may take a bit of patience, but will look gorgeous at your wedding. A hand-lettered sign can be used at the entrance of your wedding, at your bar, or anywhere else you may need signage to help guests. Chalk paint can turn any frame into a chalkboard, but you don’t have to stick to chalk. Hand painting a sign works just as well if you’re looking for something a bit less boho. You can paint it yourself, but if you have a loved one with better handwriting or who’s more artistically inclined, you can easily pass the job on!
Centerpieces
DIY-centerpieces have become a popular project among brides, as it’s an easy way to save money and it’s relatively simple to create one that looks perfectly elegant. An easy way to do this? Candles! Candles can be bought in bulk for relatively low prices, and add a gorgeous glow to your wedding. Containers can be found just about anywhere: thrift stores, craft stores, or anywhere that would sell home decor. Wrapping a bit of greenery around something as simple as a mason jar with a candle in it can save you loads of money while still looking elegant, magical, and put together for your wedding.