Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Monday 19 June 2017

Vintage-Style Wedding Stationery Seals

When it comes to wedding details nothing is too small. Take the back of your wedding stationery envelopes for example. Aren't they just crying out for a vintage-style wax seal? Fab shop, Back to Zero has tonnes of different motifs to choose from, including Fleur de Lys, monograms, anchors, crowns, and even a squirrel for the nature-loving. Then all you have to do is pick a wax that matches your wedding colour palette, and a second seal for your Thank You letters. It's the easiest wedding DIY idea in the world!




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Friday 3 February 2017

Easy Valentine's Day Wedding Crafting

DIY brides are going to love this easy project. All you need is some ink and these pretty stamps. The options are endless - decorate cards, invitations, favour bags, place-card, page boys.....before you know it, you'll be wanting to put your mark on anything that moves.


{I want this!} 1. Little Stamp Store, £4 / 2. Little Stamp Store, £6 / 3. Little Stamp Store, £7


{I want this!} 1. Clarise Stamps, £ 8/ 2. Jolyon Yates, £12.95 / 3. Little Stamp Store, £7.75

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Friday 25 September 2015

DIY Autumn Leaf Wedding Confetti

This is such a genius idea, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before! I love everything autumn, and there's nothing I like more than going out for a long walk, and picking up lots of natural momentoes - think polished conkers, spiky horse chestnut cases, and mottled leaves. So this quick and easy wedding crafting project ticks all my boxes.


All you need is a huge pile of pretty autumn leaves, a heart punch {buy them here}, kitchen towel, and a couple of hefty books. Punch out pretty hearts and press them between kitchen towel, and tada! You've got perfect autumn confetti. Use it to decorate your wedding reception tables, or put it in cones for your friends to throw at you as you come out the church. Tutorial here.


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Tuesday 8 September 2015

An Easy Wedding Decoration DIY

You don't have to be a graffiti artist to fall in love with spray paint. Any crafter worth her salt knows it's the easiest tool for fast, effective results. You can easily turn the mundane into something incredible. My friends recently celebrated their wedding at an incredible venue in East London. They needed to personalise the reception space, but didn't have much of a budget. For under a £100 they bought dozens of white paper lanterns, and saved jam-jars. A simple spray of neon spray paint, and a bag of Ikea tea-lights, and they had a brilliant, original wedding decorations {like these}. My colour of choice is gold - particularly for autumn and winter weddings. Just take a look at these fantastic DIY ideas - find more on my Pinterest page.





Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

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Wednesday 4 March 2015

DIY Luxury Wedding: Beaded Belts & Accessories

If you're a bride with eyes bigger than your budget, you're going to adore my latest wedding discovery. Take one simple, wallet-friendly wedding dress, and add one of these incredible beaded trims by Allyson James, and BOOM! you've got a luxury-looking wedding gown without the price tag. Allyson James' beaded trims are made out of exactly the same quality trims you see on designer gowns such as Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier, they're hand-sewn with the finest crystals, pearls, beads and sequins. Trims arrive ready to be sewn into sashes, belts, headpieces, bouquet wraps...whatever your DIY dream desires. Time to let your wedding imagination run wild!


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Tuesday 2 December 2014

How To DIY Your Wedding Cake - Butterfly Theme

Take one simple white wedding cake, add a flock of butterflies, and caboom! you've got an incredible, dramatic work of art. Just goes to show what a touch of DIY can do. Each butterfly is handmade, complete with antennae {!}, and they come in a variety of species and colours. Buy your beautiful bugs from Butterfly Bazaar, and learn how to decorate your cake in a special tutorial here. For plain white wedding cakes, you can't do better than good old Marks & Spencer.


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Tuesday 3 June 2014

Pretty Unique Printable Wedding Stationery

Given half a chance, I'd spend hours of every day browsing the amazing artistic offerings that make up Etsy. If you haven't discovered it yet, you're going to fall head-over-heels. Along with Pinterest {& Before the Big Day}, it's the only website you need to create a truly individual wedding day. My latest find are the fabulous stationery designers behind Yes Dear, Studio. Aubrey and Philip create gorgeous, unique wedding invitations and Save the Dates - many printable at home - a genius idea to save you precious pennies. My favourites are pictured below - I love the vinyl botanical design {which comes with a real-life record!}, the desert-style invitations, and the library book style. They've also designed bookmark Save the Dates, so you can start your theme from the start!





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Monday 19 May 2014

Homemade DIY Rustic Wedding Signs

One of my favourite DIY details at my wedding were the homemade wooden wedding signs. I'd spotted tonnes of them on Etsy, but with our tight budget, we were keen to DIY as much of our wedding as possible. Thank goodness for my helpful father- and brother-in-law! Between the two of them, they rustled up some fantastic signs, all made out of old wooden pallets, which cost next to nothing. The day before my wedding my in-laws scattered signs throughout the village, so nobody got lost. They also made for great wedding decorations around our wedding venue. Take a look the pictures from my wedding day {by Chloe at Caught the Light}, plus a few more for inspiration. If you want more ideas on what to write on your signs, check out my Pinterest page or Facebook page.


{Pictures above by Caught the Light}

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Wednesday 23 April 2014

Blackboard {Chalkboard} Signs For Your Wedding

Way back when, before I even got engaged{!), I fell in love with the humble blackboard {or chalkboard} as the perfect wedding decoration detail. I liked their versatility, their DIY fabulousness, and the fact I could use them to communicate with my guests before I'd even walked down the aisle. They're also a ideal for brides on a budget, saving you money on individual menus and expensive printed table plans. Plus, you can reuse them in a flash - just wipe off one message, and write another! I bought my blackboards super-cheaply on eBay, and my lovely friends Tom and Susie carefully chalked on our cocktail menu, and guest book instructions. Check out the pictures below for more wedding inspiration!



Tuesday 11 March 2014

Fresh, Fun, DIY Wedding Favours

Is there anything cuter than a mini plant in a little pot? Wedding favour and table decoration in one, they're my favourite wedding detail for spring, and the best thing is, they're super easy to DIY. All you need is a good supply of sweet little terracotta pots {try these}, or old tin cans, for an industrial look, or tea-cups for a vintage style wedding. Then add soil, and a seasonal plant. For spring, a narcissus or hyacinth bulb will add a lovely scent to your wedding reception, for summer you could try herbs like basil and mint, autumn suits impossible-to-kill cacti and succulents, and winter, a little Christmas tree or air plant. More ideas on my Plant Pot Wedding Favours Pinterest page.



{Photo Credit} 1. Dominique Bader - more from this wedding on Love My Dress | 2. Unknown

Wednesday 4 December 2013

DIY Bride - Spray-Painted Sheep Cake Topper

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have spotted a flurry of DIY pictures about a month ago. It was all in aid of my friend's last-minute plan-it-in-a-week wedding. Her big bash is actually this weekend {excited!}, but for family reasons, she had to bring the ceremony forward. After much chatting about themes, she decided on a rich gold detailing, and I took the opportunity it get my spray paint on! Not just for graffiti artists, spray paint really is the most versatile of tools. It can turn the most everyday items into a wonderful wedding details. My friend works as a shepherdess, and wanted a cute sheep-style cake topper. I'd spotted this project on Once Wed many years ago, and thought it a genius idea, so tried it out.


I bought toy sheep from Amazon {but I imagine you can find second-hand on eBay}, and lined them up in a shoe-box, took it outside, and got funky with my gold spray paint!


It took a couple of coats, but it was so effective, I did a little satisfaction dance! I reckon if you bought tonnes of them, you could use them as little place-markers, and obviously, you could spray them in any colour to match your wedding theme. I've also seen fruit sprayed gold, and take a look at my jam-jar DIY project. Click for more Before the Big Day DIY bride ideas.



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Monday 28 October 2013

Loving Wedding Invitation Wax Seals

There's something uniquely romantic about sealing an envelope with a wax seal. It adds a level of solemnity to a wedding invitation, plus a good dollop of luxury. It's also a great way to add a personal DIY touch to your wedding stationery. You can choose the wax to match with your wedding theme colour, and either use your initial as the stamp, or your signature wedding motif {mine was a vintage key}. Buy your wax seal supplies from Paper Source {US stationery shop} or Confetti, and if you can't afford wax seals, or can't be bothered with dripping wax, then try embossing your wedding stationery with one of these.


{Product Credit} Amarides via Oh So Beautiful Paper


{Product Credit} Black­bird Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper


{Product Credit} Boutwell Studio via Inspired by This


{Product Credit} Unknown via Elizabeth Annes Designs via Inspired by This


{Product Credit} Betsy Dunlap via Oh So Beautiful Paper


{Product Credit} Follow Studio

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Tuesday 8 October 2013

Five Easy Ways to Avoid Breaking Your Wedding Budget

I'm yet to meet a bride who doesn't have to work within some sort of budget. Even the luckiest of girls balk at spending tens of thousands on what is ultimately a one-day affair. Here on Before the Big Day, we're all about saving pennies, whether it's through DIY projects, or clever compromises, but it wasn't until my best friend started planning her wedding, that I realised just how many thrifty hints I had in my back pocket. Here are a few of my favourites - I hope they help you stick within your budget....



{Photo Credit} Tanya Lippert Photography

1. Go online for your wedding favours, stationery, decorations and general wedding supplies. There's a reason the high street is failing, and it's because savvy shoppers buy everything from Amazon or eBay. Before I buy anything, I compare the prices on Amazon and eBay, and any other relevant online shops. I've found giant white balloons priced at £5 each on some websites, while you can find them on eBay for less than a pound - particularly if you're buying in bulk. It's the same with paper lanterns.

2. Wedding cakes are another wedding detail where you can make massive savings. A designer cake can cost over a £1000, and although they'll be beautiful, and taste fantastic, not everyone can stretch to such a massive sum. If your mum's not up to baking a fashionable naked wedding cake {the icing is the hardest element to recreate}, then buy your tiers from M&S or Waitrose, and DIY your own decorations using fresh flowers or fruit, or even butterflies.


{Photo Credit} Anna Louise Crossley, more from this pink themed wedding

3. Look out for secret sales and voucher offers online. It's amazing how many big name boutiques offer discounts on their dresses and accessories on their websites. Find the bridesmaids dresses you want on the high street, and then go online to see if they're cheaper. You could even do a spot-check on your iPhone from the changing room! 

4. Wedding flowers are easy to DIY. I recommend spending money on professionally tied bouquets and buttonholes, but fabulous table flowers are easy to create on your own, using blooms bought from your local flower market, or online. If you're not artistic, then avoid fancy arrangements and fill lots of small vases or jam-jars with the same flower, and mix and match.

{Photo Credit} Paige Jones

5. One of the biggest expenses of a wedding is the reception meal. Three-course meals are pricey and often unnecessarily extravagant. Instead host a BBQ with a selection of table salads, a picnic {complete with baskets and blankets} or a vintage tea-party. With fun styling, no one will notice you're trying to save money. Offer wedding cake for pudding, or keep it cheap and very cheerful with a DIY ice-cream station, complete with cones, toppings and 99p flakes.

** For more money saving tips - How to Buy Your Wedding Dress for Less **

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Thursday 12 September 2013

Easy Wedding Branding with Monogram Stamps

You can safely assume that most of the guests at your wedding won't notice all the perfect wedding details, you've so carefully curated. The male guests won't even be able to describe the colours of the flowers, let alone the lace you stayed up all night glueing onto jam-jars for the perfect boho vases. But one thing that the guys did notice at my wedding was our vintage key branding. I think it was because it was everywhere! It was all part of my Secret Garden wedding theme, and it tied all the our wedding details together. For a similar effect, brand your wedding with a monogram. Nothing says together more than a design including your initials, and if you order a personalised stamp, you can easily DIY all your details....I'm thinking favours, place-cards, wedding invitations, envelopes, menus, the lot! I love this heart stamp, £10 by Stamp Couture, check out my Pinterest board for tonnes more ideas.


{I want this} Heart Monogram Stamp, £10 by Stamp Couture

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Monday 26 August 2013

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Fabulousness

Regular readers of Before the Big Day might have spotted my love of chalkboards at weddings. Whether you DIY with blackboard paint, or buy school-style boards for your menus {like I did}, I think they're a great way to communicate with your guests. So when I spotted these amazing chalkboard vinyl stickers by Charlie Chalk Designs, you can imagine my excitement. Super-cheap, and super-effective, they're a hugely creative way to decorate your jam-jar glasses or vases, and would make for great table numbers. My favourites? The Vespa labels. I had a silver Vespa when I met my husband, and we buzzed around town all summer. Happy memories!

{I want these!} 12 Vespa Motorcycle Chalkboard Labels, £4.58



{I want these!} 12 Curly Mustache Wedding Chalkboard Labels, £3.92


{I want these!} 25 Sets Love Bird Mason Jar Chalkboard Labels, £13.08

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Tuesday 20 August 2013

Whimsical Print-Your-Own Vintage Wedding Invitations

Wedding stationery still gets me ridiculously excited, and I love discovering brand new designers. Everything about these invitation suites by Splash of Silver is perfect. It's the combination of two of my favourite wedding motifs {bunting and old-fashioned Mason jars}, added to rustic Kraft paper, with a mix of fun fonts. The best things is they're digital designs, so you can personalise them, buy them, and DIY print them as many times as you want, saving you serious ££. They even include Thank You cards! There are three ways to get them printed - at home, at your local printer, or at an online printer like VistaPrint. There's tonnes of printable wedding invitations on Etsy, and check out my wedding stationery board on Pinterest for more inspiration.


{Where can I buy this?} Bunting Wedding Invitation Suite, £66


{Where can I buy this?} Flowers & Mason Jars Wedding Invitation Suite, £66


{Where can I buy this?} Bunting & Mason Jars Suite, £56

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Wednesday 14 August 2013

Wedding Table Settings & Buffet Bags

Striped Paper Bags must be among my favourite things in the whole world. I have a huge selection in my craft cupboard, and you'd be amazed how often they come in useful, from present wrapping to colourful storage. When it comes to weddings, they're the perfect cheap and chic solution to favours, children's activity packs, and now as buffet bags! Aren't they just the cutest way to store your cutlery? I love these designs from Cherished Blessings. Their whole shop is packed full of fabulous wedding inspiration - with ideas you can copy or buy. And now I'm going to need to purchase a whole bunch of chevron bags - they're clearly the new stripes! P.S. For more budget-friendly paper bag ideas, check out my Pinterest board {I told you I was obsessed!}.


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Friday 26 July 2013

Colourful DIY Printable Drinks Flags

Drinks flags are a hugely popular way to personalise your wedding. Their DIY friendly and add fun flair to your drinks. Make your own out of ribbons like I did for my wedding, or buy these printable flags from He Saw Sparks. I'm loving the 'Happily Ever After' slogan. Just print the flag template on cardstock or photo-paper, and trim. You can attach the flags to straws, toothpicks, stir-sticks, or anything else you have handy!


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Friday 17 May 2013

One Lump Or Two? DIY Teabag Wedding Favours

As a huge tea-drinker, I can't think of anything better than these cute tea-bag wedding favour ideas. They're the easiest favour in the world to DIY, and you could create an entire set of teas for each of your wedding guests, without breaking the bank. Just buy tea-bags in bulk, and pimp them! There's tonnes of different DIY ideas on Pinterest, including a big selection of free printables to personalise your tea-bag tags. Check out my Wedding DIY board for more ideas.


{Photo Credit} Kate's Creative Space | 2. Fox & Hazel


{Photo Credit} DIY Tutorial via The Pretty Blog




{Photo Credit} DIY Tutorial via Love Mae

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Tuesday 7 May 2013

Colourful Paper Wedding Decorations

For cheap and chic wedding decorations, take inspiration from the Mexican festival Cinco de Mayo. Celebrated on the 5th May, it's a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, and a great excuse for a fiesta! Add some colour and character to your big day with these tissue decorations - either buy them via Etsy, or make your own - check out my Pinterest board for easy DIY-bride ideas.


{Product Credit} Bright Fringy Tissue Paper Garland by Chiarabelle


{Product Credit} Colourful Rosette Decorations by Paper Altar


{Product Credit} Bright Pom Poms by Paper White Designs

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