Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean that you should have to miss out on the things that make your wedding day extra special. DIY finish touches add a personal touch to your big day, while staying within your budget.

We’re going to tell you our favourite DIY finishing touches and ways to make your wedding day luxurious in style and detail, without the price tag.

Keep reading to learn about our top tips to DIY your wedding day like a pro.

Wedding Backdrop

A homemade backdrop is a great example of DIY finishing touches, The couple can recite their vows in front of it, then later on use it as a backdrop for the wedding photographs, or to pin messages from the guests onto. By making your own, it can have added personal meaning while saving money in your budget. We’ve seen couples in the past make beautiful backdrops out of ribbons, maps, and even fans that they have collected from their travels around the world or from charity shops. To make a fan backdrop, simply open the fans and glue them together by their handles to create a multi-coloured, patterned wall. If you want to use your backdrop in different places throughout the day, attach some wheels at the bottom to make this clever transition quickly and easily.

Paper Cones of Petals

You don’t need to invest in elaborate confetti holders that will only be used once – they aren’t good for your budget, or the planet! Opt for recycled paper with a pretty pattern, and simple twist and snip them into a cone shape. Secure with a little glue or tape, and fill with anything you like! We think petals are the best choice, as they smell good, look good, and they will decompose naturally into the earth. These are a great eco-friendly, economical way to DIY your wedding day. 

Adorned Chairs

Sourcing fifty or more identical chairs isn’t just difficult, it’s expensive! Instead, pull together the right number of chairs that you need from family and friends (it doesn’t matter if they’re mismatched) and head to your cheapest fabric shop. Buy some rolls of fabric in any colours that fit your wedding palette, and head home to tear them into thin strips. After, you can wrap them round the panels on the backs and legs of the chairs you have found until they are more or less covered in fabric. Create a consistent style or make each chair different – however you do it, you’ll be left with beautiful chairs for your DIY wedding day. 

Plant Pot Centrepieces

Water marbling is a beautiful and surprisingly easy trick, and it can be used to make a beautiful centrepiece out of any old plant pots that you have at home. You can achieve this DIY finishing touch by spray painting a clean terracotta pot white, then leave it to dry. Fill a bucket halfway with water, then quickly spray coats of your selected colours into the water until the top of the water is covered. Use a skewer to make swirls in the coloured water, then slowly submerge your terracotta pot into the water. When you take it out and leave it to dry, you will have a beautifully marbled pot that can be filled with flowers or fairy lights for a wedding worthy centrepiece.

Fairy lights

It wouldn’t be a round of of DIY finishing touches if we didn’t mention fairy lights. For a Christmas wedding, why not get creative with some wooden sticks and glue to make some festive shapes, like the North Star or a Christmas tree. Once they are dry, wrap fairy lights tightly around its frame and use it to decorate your venue.

Photo Booth

Photo booths are a popular and fun addition to any event nowadays, but they come at a price! Instead of renting, create your own by taping a camera to something secure at the right height, and place it in front of your own makeshift backdrop (see our first tip for ideas). Throw in some old props from last year’s halloween party, and you’re good to go! As far as DIY weddings go, this trick adds a lot of fun to the whole day.

DIY Finishing Touches: Table Names

Table names are a great way to tell your guests a little more about the relationship between you and your partner. They could be named after places that you’ve visited, concerts you attended together, or even favourite foods. The name of the table can then be reflected in the centrepiece. For example, if a couple decided to use their favourite drinks as their table names, they could use an empty tin of Earl Grey tea as a flower pot for one table while using an empty wine bottle to hold flowers on another. It’s likely that you already have these things at home!

Disposable Cameras

This little trick combines DIY finishing touches with a great idea for personalised wedding favours. A wedding photographer is expensive, and it’s often difficult to find one that you trust to capture the best shots. Instead, why not save yourself a lot of time and worry and scatter some retro-looking disposable cameras across your wedding tables for your guests to enjoy. Not only will this provide a lot of fun for everyone throughout the night, but you’ll end up with photographs that capture the best memories at a much cheaper price!

Food Vans

If you’re throwing a wedding on a budget, you may as well embrace the fun of having a relaxed and easy-going reception afterwards. Forget about the prim and proper three course meals, and go and visit your local food vendors to see what kind of service they could provide for you. Not only will you save a lot of money, but you’ll be supporting a local business. Throw in some blankets, stools and cushions and your guests will feel as if they are glamping at Coachella!

Want more inspiration about what you can make for your own big day? Visit our DIY Wedding section now! And then, when you’ve made your details come and share them with the other brides-to-be on the Wedding Ideas forum!

 

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