DIY ideas for budget saving brides

[besotted]

Hi B2B's I have helped decorate and put on over 70 weddings in the past few years.(inluding 1 of my own) (plus I are DYI_ing my own 2nd wedding)and have just started a wedding decoration biz in Ballarat and thought it would be nice if I shared a few money saving DIY ideas with you all.
Keep on eye on this one coz I will pop back now and then with new ideas and will be happy to pass on any ideas if any one is stuck.
* Having a butterfly theme wedding try these ideas
*buy some paper napkins and a butterfly stamp and the its up to you either stamp lots of butterflys on the napkins or place one where it will show depending on how you want them folded. Have the brides maids over for a chat night and have them help stamp and sold them your reception venue will place them out as they would their own.
you can do this well ahead and store them in a box( air tight if white)

*either buy a butterfly punch or make a template ( any one need help with this let me know and I will post one that you can print)
needs to be about biz card size
get some large sheets of cardboard from stationary shop in the colour or colours of your wedding and start cutting or punching out you shapes.
now you have some pretty place card they be placed in the table or attached ton bon's or gift~favours in front of each seat.
*cut out large butterfly shapes from card in your colours attach curling ribbon at bottom or tulle or dec how you like. glue a piece a fishing line about 40cms long to the back and there you have some lovely pew decoration or attached to garden stacks some pretty aisle forms for out door wedding
Can also be used to decorat reception enterance or walls or used instead of chair bows.
* If you really want scatters on your tables that mach the coulours you have gone with and cant buy them then get a butterfly paper punch and paper or card in the colour you want and there they are.(buying scatters is cheaper but if you really want your colours then make your own.
*Glue cheap magnet strip to back of butterly cuttoust or your invitations and your intited guests have a reminder and keep sake in one.

* Have a look at the candle holders or Canldelabras that your reception center are suppling see if you can make and consider if this will sit or make one lot up for each arm and take them in to try.
Cut out or punch butterfly shapes out of silver or gold card and attach 2 to either end of a thin peice of fishing line heads pointed in to the midle of the fishing line. Now drape hese over the arms of the candle holder or candelabra. It looks very pretty and glitterly. Each arm will need a line.

Well they are a few ideas for a Butterfly theme will post another theme idea shortly hope you like and please ask about any theme you may be having as if I cant help I have lots of contacts in the industry who will know of something and I are very happy to pass these tips on.

[besotted]

Here are some ideas for a wedding with white Doves as your theme.
* Ceremony decorations :~ buy a cheap garden arch, hire a wedding arch or beg borrow or steel on (not the latter)
go to spot light and buy 2 or four white foam doves place these at the top of the arch wire on with florist wire, depending on what you want two on one side or two on either side. Can be moved to reception by friend or family as entrance for reception or place behind cake table to for a frame when cutting cake.
* make pillers up out of polly pipe as fat or thin as you like, attach a paper mache box at the bottom and top spray these white. Ask around if any one has nay ivy growing in ther yard or buy some plastic strands.
wrap this up the pillers. place some large or small papermache or plastic doves on the top ( you can get these at spotlight or craft shops) they will make a great entrance way or have them at the end of the aisle where you will be wed or place 3 either side along the aisle as an aisle form.
these can then be moved by a friend or family to the reception as an entrance or as decoration at side or in front of bridal table &/or cake table.
*buy cheap bird cages enough for each table paint them gold, white or silver put two white doves in each cage on the swings that come with or one on swing and one on top. put tea~light candles in the bottom. you wont want a cage on the bridal table too big for guest to see you. look insted for 2 large papermache doves paint them gold, white or silver and have them infron between the bride and groom.
*buy the cheap little white dove pairs at spotlight or a cake shop used for decorating cakes. glue or tie these to very thin fishing line one pair per end and attach these to the arms or candle holders or candelabras at reception one strand per arm.
*glue the cheap little white doves to bons or favs or to place cards
*make napkin rings out of ribbon or buy tying curling ribbon around napkins then glue the cheap little plastic dove pairs (spotlight, craft shops, or cake shops) to them.

Well hope that one was liked and cant wait to hear any responces.

[Chriss]

[leannef28]

Wondering if you had any ideas to include teddy bears into my wedding with out going overboard and looking childish..(big teddy bear lover)

[besotted]

YOU COULD BUT A TEDDY BEAR STAMP AND USE THIS TO DO YOUR NAPKINS AS I EXPLAINED THE BUTTERFLY ONES
ALSO DO PLAIN PLACE CARDS WITH THE STAMP (GOLD OR SILVER WOULD WORK BEST AS IT WONT LOOK TOO MUCH AND WILL SHOW LIGHTLY AFTER YOU WRITE NAMES ON THE CARDS.
BUY A SIGNATURE BEAR FOR EACH TABLE WRITE WITH LOVE FROM TABLE 1 AND SO ON ONE EACH BEAR.
HAVE THE MARKERS WITH THE BEARS AND YOUR GUESTS GET TO WRITE A LITTLE SOMETHING TO YOU THAT WILL BE A NICE KEEP SAKE
SCATTER AROUND WITH ROSE SCATTERS OR FOIL SCATTERS.
HAVE 2 WHITE BEARS ONE WITH A veil THE OTHER A BOW TIE PLACED ON THE BRIDAL TABLE
YOU COULD ALSO HAVE SMALL WHITE BEARS TIED TO AN ARCH IN BETWEEN FLOWERS/TULE/BOWS. EITHER 2 AT TOP ON BOTH SIDES OR TWO AT TOP ON ONE SIDE OR 3 EITHER SIDE, 1 TOP AND ONE HALF WAY DOWN BOTH SIDE FRONT AND PACK.
INSTEAD OF CARRYING A BOUQUET ASK YOUR FLORIST IF SHE CAN DECORATE A BEAR FOR YOU TO CARRY OR ADD A SMALL WHITE BEAR AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR BOUQUET. OR HAVE BEAR CHARMS ADDED TO IT.
YOU COULD USE SMALL BEAR CHARMS ON ALMOST ANYTHING AS A DECORATION.
ADD THEM TO YOUR CANDELABRAS/CANDLE HOLDERS WITH FINE FISHING LINE.
YOU CAN BUY CHEAP ONES AT SPOTLIGHT OR TRY SOME OF THE BEAD SHOPS.
KEEP THEM SMALL THOUGH SO AS NOT TO LOOK LIKE A TEDDY BEARS PICNIC.
SMALL TEDDY BEAR CUFF LINKS FOR THE GUYS.
THE ONLY LARGE ONES I WOULD USE WOULD BE THE SIGNATURE BEARS
YOU CAN PICK UP CHEAPO ONES OF THESE AT PLACES LIKE CLINTS OR THE REJECT SHOP.
YOU COULD USE LARGE PILLER CANDLES AND GLUE SMALL SILVER OR GOLD BEAR CHARMS OR MOTIFS TO THESE ONLY USE 2 OR 3 PER CANDLE.
I WILL HAVE A GO AT A FEW OTHER IDEAS I HAVE AND LET YOU KNOW IF THEY COME UP ALRIGHT.
ALSO CONSIDER HAVING A SMALL TEDDY BRIDE AND GROOM ON YOUR WEDDING CAKE ASK YOUR CAKE DECORATER WHAT THEY HAVE OR A LOOK AT A BOOK.

[sara_jane]

What about love hearts? we are finiding it just looks too much!

[besotted]

sarah_jane keep it simple and light if you dont want it to look to much gold, silver and or pastels. or very light shades. and keep the hearts small.
*silver or gold stickers or confetti scatters attached to simple card as place cards.
or heart shaped chocolates atached to place cards os bon favs.
*hange a wedding horse heart shaped off a bridal arch as entrance or use the white lacey hearts as tie back for your tule on an arch with a few flowers to detract from them.
*place a piller candle in a hurrican lantern as a table centre and put two gold hearts on the candles or silver or pail colour.
*check out what candle holders the reception has you can get small stickers and place them on tapered candles but only one per candle.
*heart shaped confetti scatters on the tables
*you could also do the DYI napkins like the buttefly ones but in a pale coloured stamp or a gold or silver.
*a heart made from fairylight behind back drop of the bridal table
*look at small charms or motifs as a another thing to use to decorat with there are lots of things you can attach these to.
*have biz card size heart shapes cut outs on the table with two gold/silver pens (ezy to get pack of pens and spary them) at the begining of reception have mc ask all to write a wish/message to the bride and groom and have them collected straight away. then have the grooms men read them out later instead of the now nonexictent telegrams. Plus you have some sweet memory keep sakes.

Remember when you dont want it to look to much keep it small and light coloured.
Also consider the size of your reception room what looks to much at home in a small place may look very different in a large room so take any decs you make to your reception venue and have a look at it in there.
*Small heart shaped floating candles in a dish or on a mirror instead.
*or you could just use the table centre that the reception supplies and just scatter the heart scatters over the tables and have the message cards
* decorate a small box for the keep sakes to go in

[sara_jane]

thank so much besotted they are some fantastic tips and LOVE the special note idea!! thanks!!!

[besotted]

So many are looking for ideas for money gifts to go in so I thought I would post a few that I have used or seen used. Hope they help.
Would love to hear of any bright ideas that any one else has.

*BIRD CAGE grab a cheap bird cage or a decorative one.
if using a cheap one you may wish to spray paint it gold/silver or white.
place 2 little white craft birds on the swing provided with the cage.
get a piece of polly pipe or block of wood 40cms long spray this what ever colour you like and attach the cage to the top (long way to make a stand) wrap ivy up the stand or don't use a stand and just decorate the cage with ivy, rose garland, or butterflys.

MAIL BOX get a mail box spray paint it any colour you like or use a wood one with a little sign hanging under it.
make a post for it to stand on out of polly pipe or wood no taller then 40cms of its going on the gift table or longer if you will be placing it the reception entrance. spray this to match the mail box.
glue the mail box to this using a strong glue. now decorate the post with ivy or what ever if you want.
under the slot or on the little sign provided (if it has one) write your name as in Mr & Mrs J. Doe . Guest get a kick out of this.

GIFT BOXES hat boxes or gift boxes work well here
use as many as you like but any more then three can look tacky. either buy boxes that are already the way you want them or wrap or paint them.
if using more then one get them in size going down from each other.
cut a slot in the box that will hold the cards.
if using more then one stack them on top of each other you may wish to glue them so they don't move about. get a long piece of wide ribbon and wrap this to the top tie a bow or add a gift bow to the top.

[/b]THE WEDDING CAKE buy three hat boxes or gift boxes in three different sizes or as many as you like square or round.
stack them up to see how you want your cake to look. then mark out the spot for the slot on the bottom one.
cut a slot for cards in the largest of them this is the base "cake" now stack them back on top of each other but glue them on as you go.
decorating it is up to you if you have a friend that decorates cakes have them ice it and decorate it or paint it then decorate it.
you can put flowers on it a bride and groom cake top or any other cake top you like.

THE MONEY TREE we all wish we had one of these.
this can be made from a tree branch or a artificial tree.
if using a branch and the brach is bare you could leave it that way or paint it gold,silver or white with a little silver glitter lightly sprinkled over it to give it that enchanted look.
you will need peg to attach the envelopes or paper clips but pegs work best and you can paint these too.
you could pot in to a decorative pot or decorate the pot yourself.

[Rudy's Princess]

You have some fantastic ideas, thank you for sharing.