identical cookie cutter weddings. That too much inspiration can lead to a jumbled mess, and an unclear message or theme resulting in a 'wedding disaster! oh no!' However, i beg to differ.
Cookie cutter? Ehh, ok, maaaybe if your into burlap & mason jars (which i totally am)... but tacky & unrealistic? Not so much in my book! It's hard to believe that, when everyone you see on
Pinterest in wedding photos are models wearing designer gowns, eating food you'll never make, in a room where everything looks like Martha Steward herself crafted it, topped off with it all
being photographed by a professional photographer. Speaking from experience, Pinterest inspired/hand made weddings are absolutely possible and uniquely beautiful! They are A LOT of work,
but sooo worth the time and effort.
I used Pinterest as less of an idea finder & more of a thought organizer. Being an artist, when i got engaged, my mind was running every which way shouting all different ideas and desires for what
our wedding day would look like. Rustic? Vintage! Circus? Artsy! There was so much going on up there that it got to the point where i just couldn't settle on anything specific. In using Pinterest, I was
able to figure out what i liked and what i did not like. And in being able to save all the ideas that i DID like on one page, i could then sort through those ideas and pick the best of the best, what i
thought i could make/afford, and what would go best together to create a uniquely 'us' wedding intertwining all of my favorite themes.
As for the whole 'cookie cutter' thing... find an idea you like, build off of it, and make it your own! The best part about creating the look for your wedding day is that there are no rules!
It's all you girlfriend. ...oh, and your fiancé... his opinion is always important too :)
Here are a bunch of examples, ideas and tips from our diy wedding. All of the photos from our wedding are photographed by the wonderful David Kasyanyuk Photography.
If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest for more ideas & inspiration you can find me here!
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
I was able to collect inspiration from a bunch of different invitation ideas to create this little masterpiece.
Although i would not suggest doing this unless you have nothing else to do and are good with stress
and repetition :P I had to make 70 of these. It took me well over 50 hours but sooo in love with how
they turned out.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
With the help of many lovely ladies, we hung organza fabric under the twinkle lights
that were already hung in the rafters creating a dreamy effect.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
My mom used to sew most of my sister and I's clothes when we were little. She's saved the scraps
of leftover fabric over the years and my best friend and i were able to create this cute eclectic patterned
cloth banner. Loved that it had sentimental value too, i remembered every single little sun dress
each pattern was from when i looked at it, and not a penny spent.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
Of course we had to have a candy bar! But here's where the whole "find an idea you like and make it your own" thing comes in...
We put our candy on a wooden shelved bureau and called it The Candy Cupboard. Cute, right?! Kudos to my mom for coming up with the name ;)
We bought our candy in discounted bulk, got fancy old fashioned spoons at thrift stores, and all of our unique dishes and jars at a flee market for less than $10.
Go to Michaels craft store and you might see ONE jar for $15. I'm telling you, thrift stores
are where it's at. We bought our little white bags in bulk from a local bakery instead of the ones online that cost
an arm & a leg, and found a suitable stamp at a craft store.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
I wanted our gift table to have a very soft dreamy feel to it. I found an old green mail box at the same flee market we got our jars and spray painted it gold.
You can't really see from this picture but there is a fake white dove on the top of it, surrounded by "clouds" (or pillow fluff). The stars are construction paper attached to fishing
wire and the clouds are chinese lanterns with the same pillow fluff hot glued on and hanging from fishing wire from the rafters. There are actually lights inside the lanterns so they glowed
when it got dark. As crafty and "cheap-o" as it sounds, it actually turned out really cute!
A friend of mine is a wonderful artist and i asked her to paint the canvas for me to go along with
the whole setup. It's one of my favorite quotes.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
Ok, this idea I just straight up stole... but c'mon, how cool are they??
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
We had a stellar drink bar. Gold spray painted frames, old books, all pulled together and spruced up with babys breath.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
These doors were found in road side "trash". We however, really loved them. My mom added a simple weathered effect to them and then i nailed
jute to each side of each door and hung photos of us growing up with mini clothes pins.
The letters i bought at Michaels craft store and glitter covered myself. I'm actually selling these doors if anyone local is interested.
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
The centerpieces were my favorite details of the wedding. I loved the idea of using playing cards as table "numbers" instead of actual numbers.
I came across these awesome vintage animal rummy cards and spent countless days searching thrift stores for every single animal in the whole deck
to partner with the card on every table. I would so much rather be at "The elephant table", than "Table 3".
INSPIRATION:
WHAT I MADE:
Had to have heart shaped cookies at the desert bar. Had to, had to, had to. I made them myself a few days before the wedding.
A most wonderful friend made the awesome cake pops and another the peanut butter bars. Thank you ladies!
Here are a few other ideas I came up with:
I made all the props for our photo booth from painted Cheerio box cut out's and chop sticks.
The back drop is crepe paper in our colors.
We had an organic, homemade icecream bar!
This awesome, huge frame was found in road side "trash".
We took it, put wood in the frame, painted it with chalk board paint, and voila: a seating chart/map.
A collection of random things I found at thrift stores and flee markets greeting you next to the map when you walked in. This is my favorite.
A fabulous friend of mine created these beautiful pieces of art at the beginning of the isle outside.
A few key things i learned along the way:
- Time management is KEY!! Do not plan a million projects and save them all up till the very end. Don't start more than 2 or 3 projects at a time. Give yourself plenty of time, finish what you started, store it away in a safe place, and move along to the next project.
- Thrift stores, yard sales, flee markets, and road side "trash" are your best friend.
- SAVE your 40% off Michaels coupons every time you buy something. Trust me. You'll need them. You think you won't, but you will :P
- When people say "Let me know if there's anything i can do to help!" ...they mean it! Ask them to get in on a few projects with you. It'll ease your stress and help things move along faster.
You can find more photos from our wedding day here:
