With these DIY wedding hacks, you can have an incredible spring or summer wedding! Expenses can build up quickly as you are planning this most important day of your life. Every money-savvy bride knows that by employing a bit of creative ingenuity and a few incredible DIY wedding hacks – you really can attain the atmosphere you desire for your ideal wedding.
Fortunately, some of today’s favorite trends for spring and summer weddings, lend themselves perfectly to incredible DIY wedding hacks – that no one will imagine you did yourself! But remember when you’re doing this that you do have a budget so you can’t spend too much. If you need a budget template then check out Peerspace.
Incredible DIY Wedding Hacks – Spring and Summer
The perfect man, the perfect dress, a sparkly ring – and your dream wedding is within reach. You’ve checked out all the wedding trends and seen that black wedding bands are popular so you buy one for your soon-to-be husband. But all those little details, the ones that go into a well-planned and perfectly executed wedding day . . . those things add up quickly. It doesn’t take much to completely blow your wedding budget!
These incredible DIY wedding hacks for spring and summer will help you achieve that dream wedding atmosphere without breaking the bank.
Venue Venue Venue
Besides the groom and the dress – the venue is right up there at the top of the list for a perfect wedding celebration. You know what they say . . . location, location, location . . . but not all of us are able to fly the entire wedding party off to the Turks and Caicos for a celebrity style destination wedding.
For the rest of us, those living a regular folks lifestyle – a little creative finesse can provide an incredible venue. Spring and summer weddings (and climates with a mild fall or winter) can provide the perfect backdrop. Green grass, wild flowers, and blue skies can set the tone for an awesome day!
Frugal DIY Wedding Hacks for Venue Options
- Local Gardens often provide reasonable rental rates and may have tables and seating included. Although this can sometimes be an expensive option, be sure to check around for options that are within your price range.
- Local Parks usually have pavilions, lovely natural areas, and reasonable rates. Problems may arise in lack of control of the venue as parks are open to the general public. Rentals after hours may be a budget issue.
- Church Properties can be a terrific choice, even if the wedding is in the church building, there is often an outdoor area which can be transformed into a beautiful garden wedding. Look for green grassy areas and possibly some with shade trees.
- Parent or Relatives Back Yard while this may not be your first choice, don’t write it off entirely unless you have no options. As long as there is a yard with grass, you most likely can work with it. Even very plain spaces can become magical with the special touches you’ll add!
DIY Wedding Hacks to Transform Your Venue
Where some people may decide to look for a table rentals houston company, for example, to supply these essentials for the big day, other people may prefer to make their own table accessories or use tables and chairs from friends/family.
Write this down – ready?
Long.White. Linen. Table. Cloths.
As long as your myriad of various tables of many colors and sizes have strong bases that don’t weeble-wobble and fall down . . . long white linen table cloths can be your best friend. They hide a multitude of sins. Round tables, long tables, high tables, short tables – as long as they are all covered in the same white linen table cloths – become beautiful wedding tables.
You can rent tables, buy tables, borrow tables and even make tables. You can collect ugly tables from the road side, doctor the bases to make them strong and add plywood with cheap trim to the top. Once you dress them with long white linen table cloths – they are transformed.
You can even spray paint them all white if it makes you feel better. But, I promise, MOST of your guests will NOT pull up the table cloth to look at what is underneath. They are going to be too captivated by what you have placed on top of the tables to worry about what the table bases are constructed from.
DIY Wedding Hacks Special Touches
Obviously, when it comes to table cloths, I recommend the long white linen variety. But there is much more to dressing and setting your wedding tables which must be attended to. One key to saving money with DIY wedding hacks is that you need to really take measure of your space. Know how much fabric you will need.
Designer Tips
- Set up a sample table at home and use it to play and practice your table settings. You will be able to nix any ideas that you thought were great, and you will know what needs to be added or taken away.
- Pay attention to the heights of your table items. You either want them to be completely streamlined at the same height for a clean modern look, or alternating heights. Be sure you don’t block the view of those sitting at your tables in the process – but play with height variation for a natural layered feel. Your serving tables are where you can really add height.
- In choosing the layers and accents for your wedding, you want to pay attention to the color trends. Although you don’t want to choose a color simply because it may be popular, it should also be a color that is complementary to your setting, and even your own skin tone.
Remember color is relative. It is relative to the setting, to you, and to the feel and atmosphere you want to create.
Voice of Colors 2016 Color of the Year
Benjamin Moore 2016 Color Palettes
Restoration Hardware 2016 Update
Pantone Color Combo of the Year
Dressing Your Reception Tables
You have the venue venue venue, now you need layers layers and layers! For your tables that means that on top of the white table cloths, you will want to place one or two more layers of fabric to go along with your theme.
A frugal DIY option is to buy bolts of your desired accent colored fabric, tulle (54 in 40 yards only $12.50), layering burlap on top of white is another fun option. But you can never go wrong with the classics. Take note of the green and white combination below.
Day or night – natural green elements mixed with white offer a timeless and flexible alternative to expensive flowers.
Regular tables can make due with a centerpiece and individual place settings to save money, but your main serving tables and the bride and grooms table will need those multiple layers. You will still want to layer pretty items into groupings for your center pieces.
DIY Wedding Hacks – Money Saving Alternatives to Magazine Weddings
There are all wonderful alternatives to hiring a professional designer. Look at the magazine pictures you love and then look for ways to create the same feel using DIY and less expensive methods. Simple and elegant come to mind when I think about the garden party or outdoor themed wedding set up. Your serving tables will set the tone for the reception, but they don’t have to be terribly difficult or expensive.
- To save a lot of money, think classical with an updated twist. Simple greenery and white twinkling lights are a lovely classical idea – adding globes wrapped in moss give it a more modern feel.
- The title photo on this page shows a lovely green and white bouquet that can be created using one or two tulips (or other flower) mixed with baby’s breath and greenery. They are tied to the isle chairs using rustic wire. The same feel can be created for table settings and center pieces.
- If you have lots of small to medium size glass containers (collected by trusted friends and family) you can give them all a unified look using wasi tape or ribbon.
- Combine layers of fabrics, lighting and natural elements to create a professional look and feel to your venue.
- Use greenery, candles, inexpensive flowers, mason jars, glasses, tea lights, dollar store bird nests, sea shells or other natural elements to take advantage of the natural setting.
In the collage photo near the top of this page you will find a mixture of simple, yet elegant DIY ideas.
- The top left photo shows small, plain glass containers at each place setting with groups of flowers cut at the same height.
- The second picture is a wonderful DIY glass jar project using natural elements (berries, fruit slices, flowers, candles) and creating a hanger using wire – the ribbon is a pretty touch.
- Cakes can be very expensive. Consider buying a smaller cake (like the one picture in the collage) and then lots of individual cupcakes. A two-layer white cake can be ordered plain and you can DIY the decorations using small edible pearls, sea shells, and flowers. (Only choose this options if you have plenty of help – you don’t want to be rushing around crazy the day of your wedding) but if you just don’t have the budget – ordering a plain party cake is MUCH more affordable than ordering an official wedding cake. Look for a creative friend or relative to help you. Cupcakes can be plain white in sweet paper wrappings (so many available today) or you can add a shell, candy or flower to each.
- Color and small details are the unifying factor for an elegant DIY wedding. Use pretty biodegradable straws for serving drinks and treats. They look great on a candy table!
- If you have younger siblings with friends the family knows well, or teens from church – they may be a terrific affordable option to hiring professional servers. White shirts, dark pants and they look quite professional. College students are also always looking to make a buck with small side jobs! Call local colleges about the best way to reach out to their students. Usually there are online and onsite bulletin boards available for free.
- Let the beauty of the natural setting in your outdoor wedding be the star, but showcase small details such as shells on the tables, flower arrangements to complement the area, or greenery. If the space is right – it can do a good bit of the work for you. Like a good makeup artist – you will be simply highlighting the features already in place. Use pretty trays in the center of the table with groupings of your decor together for a garden party or beach feel. Need sand dollars? These are great for making small keepsakes for your guests as well as decor.
- Simple items such as tall silver candle sticks and white candles or glass lanterns along side of pretty flowers can be both affordable and make an impact. DIY the flower containers with a glue gun and fabric.
- Inexpensive white daisy’s look amazing in a tall glass vase. You don’t have to buy the most expensive and exotic flowers on the market to make an impact.
- Transform even plain spaces with white chairs, a DIY fabric isle (get the details below) and simple, elegant – yet bold details like deep green globes or simple rustic style bouquets tied to the isle chairs.
Go all white with your dishes – they can be purchased from restaurant vendors and even re-sold to the next bride to be on Ebay or through local groups on Facebook. Check the dollar store, or ask local restaurants and rental stores about renting enough for the big day.
Linen napkins can be purchased for $6.99 per dozen. You can dress them up with DIY napkin holders which are simple to make and extremely frugal.
DIY Napkin Holder Ideas
- Cut paper towel rolls to size and cover them with fabric using a glue gun
- Tie napkins with pretty ribbon and add a flower stem to each
- Use Specialty Tea Bags tied to each napkin with rustic natural string
- Stencil initials or design matching your theme in the coners of white napkins
DIY Wedding Hacks – Stenciled Isle Runner
Using bolts of fabric – like this 45 inch heavy muslin – you can easily create a one of a kind wedding isle runner which works indoors or out. Stencil on natural elements – like ferns, flowers or leaves in a large round circle at the head of your isle runner and stencil your initials in the center. Alternatively, you can run a 40 inch runner of burlap down the center of the muslin for a rustic style DIY isle runner.
DIY Wedding Hacks – Party Favors
Noting says ‘we love and appreciate our friends and family’ like the wedding favors we offer. They need to be special for your special guests – but creative, thoughtful and stylish can overcome the budgeting issue in this department for sure!
A garden or outdoor themed party for spring and summer opens up some wonderful ideas that are especially conducive to smaller pockets.
- DIY Seed Packets are a lovely garden theme idea.
- Antique Tea Cups with individually wrapped Specialty Tea (or even just the beautiful wrapped Specialty Tea – like these). Find tea cups at thrift stores – although this option requires a good bit of time to pull together properly. It can be a lot of fun collecting cups and saucers for your guests during the year leading up to the wedding.
- DIY candles – use tea cups and wax to create each of them or purchase inexpensive glass votives and personalize them with wasi tape or etching. Create the same look and feel of the candle votive pictured below using dollar store glass, silver paint, fuzzy yarn and small beads. A dot of glue can hold string and beads in place.
- DIY infused water bottles can be personalized or used for table numbers and seating.
I hope this has given you a lot of DIY wedding hacks and ideas to transform your space and create the wedding environment of your dreams. I’ll be sharing more ideas soon!
I am most definitely partial to a garden themed tea party wedding – what is your dream setting like? Are you DIY’ing your wedding?