My Favorite Ceremony DIY Projects of the Week!

Like everyone else in the world, I'm on a budget. But, us wedded-to-be have the extra stress of throwing the party of our lives on a limited dime. Thankfully, we live in a technological age where we can just browse the Internet to make our dream weddings on a budget, not only a dream, but completely doable. We're having a pretty non-traditional wedding and most of it will be DIY. So, I thought I'd share what I'm LOVING this week in the DIY Wedding world!

Aisle Runner:

                                                     From Do-It-Yourself Weddings.com
1) Purchase white muslin that measures 45" wide. I used a bolt, but purchases as many yards to create the length you want.
2) Layout the muslin and iron flat the section you wish to stencil your logo. I placed mine toward the bottom of the aisle runner. I purchased the stencil from Hobby Lobby. Arrange the stencil so that you will be able to fit two of them angled where the ends almost touch.
3) Complete the circle by rotating the stencil around four times.
4) For the initials, create your layout on the computer and print it. Place the paper under the fabric centered in the circle. You will be able to see the initials through the fabric. Trace the initials with paint. I used acrylic craft paint. Do the same thing for the date.
5) The edges of the muslin are already serged all you have to do is serge or hem the top and bottom of the muslin.
After our wedding, I cut the logo from the wedding aisle runner to create a wall hanging. I left enough room at the top and bottom to create a 2" hem. Leave the ends open so that you can stick a curtain rod through.

Flower Aisle:

 

From My DIY Wedding Day

You can buy freeze dried petals (which work best for the outdoors, since they are naturally biodegradable), Petalgarden.com sells freeze dried petals in a variety of colors and their expert advice suggests the amount of cups per square foot you'll need for the looks below. The second one is my favorite and I think it's perfect for a beach wedding to reflect the sunset that won't happen until later.

The first, with a moderate amount of petals lining only the rows of chairs in light pink and purple petals, would require 2 cups per square foot.

The second aisle, covered entirely in white, orange and yellow petals on the sand, would require 8 cups per square foot so that you densely cover the path.

The third uses about 4 cups, so you can see the green blades of grass peeking through.

The fourth option shows a light scattering of petals and greenery down the aisle, where 1 cup should be enough.

Paper Petal Cones for the Ceremony:

                                                                  From DIY Network

Materials and Tools:
Self-healing cutting mat
Stylus
Scissors
¼" wide satin ribbon
Ruler
1/8" diameter single hole punch
Anna Griffin decorative paper (12" x 12")
Double-sided adhesive tape
Sticker paper
Craft knife
Clear rubber stamp
Gold stamping ink
Laser printer
Petal fillings – rose petals, lavender, candy-covered almonds

1. Print petal cone template onto blank side of decorate 12" x 12" paper; alternately, 8-1/2" x 11" paper can be used.
2. Cut along solid lines of template using a craft knife or scissors. Next, use stylus to score the dotted lines. Use a ruler as a guide.
3. Use 1/8" single hole punch to punch two holes as indicated on pattern. Thread ribbon through holes and knot both ends on the plain side of paper.
4. Apply double-sided adhesive tape on dotted lines, then fold the 90-degree corner of the paper towards the dotted line. Do not crease folded edge of paper.
5. Roll the paper twice until the roll meets the vertical dotted line.
6. Fold remaining flap of paper around the cone and press lightly to seal the adhesive.
7. Print the gold circle template onto sticker paper. Ink personalized monogrammed rubber stamp with gold stamping ink and press into the center of the circles.
8. Peel stamped sticker from paper and adhere to the cone. Fill cone with your choice of rose petals, lavender or candy-covered almonds. Fold the top flaps over to seal.
9. Hang the cones on the back of each guest's chair.

Wooden Wedding Signs:

From The Everyday Bride

I LOVE handmade wooden signs that are cute, budget-friendly and purposeful! Although, I don't expect it to be too difficult to find your way to my ceremony and reception since they're across the street from each other. However, you never can be too careful. All you need is some wood, a paint brush, your wedding colors in acrylic paint and voila- your 85-year-old aunt can find her way to the ceremony, the ladies room, and the reception all in time for the important parts of your special day!

Program Fan w/Games for Guests by Amanda @Della Style:

I wasn't really thinking of doing programs- they seemed expensive and unnecessary. Do you really need to know everyone involved? Couldn't you just introduce yourself at the reception and figure it out? BUT, I did want to have fans. It will be outside in the sun, yes at 4:30p, but 4:30p can be hot on the beach in Santa Barbara. If nothing else, there will be sun and that can be blinding, so you can use it to block that sun and keep you cool. 

But, when I came across this adorable fan/program from Amanda @Della Style, I fell in love. Word search, MadLib (I may be saving that for my guestbook idea), and Fill-in-the-Blanks to keep people having a good time with some conversation starters and to keep them cool = win, win, win!

First, gather your supplies. You'll need:
- Golf pencils, pre-drilled with 1/4" holes
- Popsicle sticks, also pre-drilled
- Scissors
- Needle with a large eye
- Corner rounder punch
- Double stick tape
- Thin ribbon
- Cards pre-printed with program info (I used A2 sized)

First, open up a card and put double stick tape on three sides.

 Then put double stick tape on both sides of a popsicle stick, covering about half of the stick. Center on the card and press in place.

Close the card, pressing to seal the edges.

Using the corner rounder punch, carefully round all four corners.

Cut a piece of ribbon that when halved is long enough to reach from the end of the posicle stick to the end of the pencil, while still allowing enough slack to write. My scientific measurement was about an arm's length.
Thread the halved ribbon through the hole your husband-to-be very nicely drilled in a skajillion popsicle sticks.

Use a lark's head knot to secure.

Thread the other end through a golf pencil.

Knot the ends to secure, then trim.

Here's the back of a finished program. Word search, anyone?

 

I don't know about you, but when I uncover these DIY projects I get just that much more excited for the big day. It's definitely doable- it will definitely be "us" and as everyone loves to remind us, "it's going to be the best party of our lives." I hope these projects that I've shared help you to feel the same way!