Wedding Invitation News, Etiquette & Planning Blog » DIY Divas

DIY Divas: Dress Up Your Bridesmaids Gifts!

Katie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:51:10 +0000

I love this project, and not just because it’s a pretty way to present bridesmaids gifts to your favorite girls. Imagine how cute this would look if you made them with leftover Wedding Paper Divas cards and invitations! Visit Design*Sponge for the complete DIY instructions.

DIY Divas/Eye Candy: Floating Pom Poms

Lea — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:22:59 +0000

Our creative department recently created these beautiful floating pom poms and hung them above one of our staffers desk in celebration of her birthday. They were so beautiful that I just had them share them as today’s DIY Divas idea.

To learn how to make these stunning art pieces, go to Martha Stewart Living.

DIY Divas: Bridesmaids Cards

Katie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:23:52 +0000

I fell in love with these adorable bridesmaids cards from Once Wed as soon as I saw them on Jolie Jolie’s twitter feed. I can’t think of a cuter way to invite your best friends to share in your special day with you!

You can find all of the complete directions at Once Wed!

DIY Divas: Elegant Wedding Bouquet

Lea — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:34:32 +0000

I personally think that doing your wedding flowers on your own can potentially be disastrous as the art of flower arranging is a skill that not all people have. However, if you are looking to cut costs on your flowers, then I would suggest paying for a florist to do your centerpieces and attempting to do your bouquets on your own (after a couple trials before the big day).

Here’s a great example of a DIY bouquet:

Ez from Creature Comforts created this bouquet by wrapping a simple set of daffodils purchased from Trader Joe’s together with a rubber band and covering that rubber band with a ribbon. To add a extra special touch, she added an decorative earring.

I love how simple this seems and how elegant it looks!

DIY Divas: Save On Crafts

Lea — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:21:34 +0000

One of our staffers in getting married in December and she keeps raving about an online site called Save on Crafts. I recently checked out the site to see what it was all about and I was impressed with their seemingly endless supply of DIY wedding items that will spruce up any wedding decor. With great pricing and stellar customer service, this seems like a site for any DIY Diva to check out.

Images from Save on Crafts

Recessionista Brides: Enter to win $1000 from Wedding Paper Divas and Beau-coup!

Tara — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:15:16 +0000

Planning a fashionable wedding celebration in the face of a rocky economy can be a challenge, but with a little help from your fellow fabulous recessionista brides and grooms, you can pull off a chic and sophisticated ceremony that won’t break the bank. Share your best money-saving wedding ideas for a chance to stretch your budget even further!

Wedding Paper Divas and our partner, Beau-coup, have teamed up to offer the perfect prize for any bride. Submit your ideas to be entered to win $1,000 in Wedding Paper Divas and Beau-coup gift certificates. Plus, by visiting Resourceful Brides, you’ll find tons of money-saving, savvy tips to help you make the most of your wedding in these rocky times.

Enter today, plus find great tips for planning your wedding!

The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 20 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Winning idea will be posted online on Friday, July 24 at www.ResourcefulBrides.com.

DIY Divas: Ceremony Tosses

Tara — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:51:22 +0000

You’ve seen it in all the movies: The bride and groom joyfully emerge from the church as husband and wife as their admiring guests toss rice at them in jubilation. This image lives in my memory; sadly, the image was not part of my own wedding day! These days, many wedding ceremony sites ban the use of rice in celebration at the end of a wedding–not only is it difficult to clean up, it’s also quite slippery and is even said to be harmful to birds that ingest it. Luckily, we here at Wedding Paper Divas have some alternate ideas that are easy to DIY and distribute to guests! Celebrate!

1) Birdseed: Although this doesn’t solve the problem of cleanup, it’s not nearly as slippery as rice and, obviously, not dangerous to birds. Plus, it’s simple to make. You can purchase large quantities of birdseed and any nursery or home improvement store. Then, diving and conquer–package the birdseed into small favor bags and tie with a pretty ribbon. You can even attach a sticker to tag to complete the look. Try these great Polka Dot Organza Bags from Beau-coup.

2) Flower Petals: Another simple yes beautiful alternative to rice: flower petals. You can order petals from any florist in bulk. Package them the same way you would the birdseed (see above) and you’ll have an environmentally-friendly ceremony toss with gorgeous color!

3) Bubbles: OK, not so DIY…but still adorable! Blowing bubbles on the bride and groom requires no cleanup and still produces a gorgeous effect. My favorites are these Wedding Bubble Tubes from Beau-coup.

4) Sparklers: Admittedly, some parents may not be thrilled to have handfuls of sparklers in close proximity to their children, so proceed with caution based on your guest list. However, if you have an adult-only wedding, this is an amazing alternative to rice. I’ve seen some amazing wedding photography with all the guests wielding sparklers around the happy couple (see below!). Plus, so easy to DIY…check out this tip from Martha Stewart Weddings:

“These can also be used as favors for the guests at an evening wedding, where they can be given out along with printed matchboxes or matchbooks. Tape a sparkler to the back of each matchbox to keep them from sliding about, and tie with a ribbon.”

Tropical Bridal Shower

Tara — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:23:22 +0000

I took to the Twitter-verse yesterday afternoon looking for suggestions for easy-to-make tropical centerpieces for my friend’s upcoming bridal shower. I couldn’t believe how many helpful, amazing suggestions I received! One helpful tweeter recommended purchasing tall, clear vases and submerging bright colored orchids and some grass in water. For a final beach-esque touch, she suggested adding some stones or seashells to the bottom. Another faithful follower directed us to her website, the Lazy Bride’s Blog, where’s she’s posted some gorgeous ideas using pineapples and watermelons!

I also found a few ideas on my own that were both stunning and fairly easy to reproduce on a budget. Check out the images below and please share any ideas you might have in the comments section or through twitter @WeddingPaprDiva!

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Starfish in vase from DC NearlyWeds; Palm fronds centerpiece; Goldfish in Vase from Wedding on a Dime; Table setting from Emilie Inc. Photography; Sandy centerpieces from The Bridal Blog; Palm leaves centerpiece with lanterns from Beach Theme Weddings; Beach centerpiece from Handmade by Allison.

DIY Divas: Conversation Place Cards

Tara — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:23:45 +0000

It’s happened to everyone: You are attending the wedding of a friend that you know through work, your spouse or even a networking group. Because you aren’t extremely close with this couple, you are seated at the “random” table, with all of the other people that don’t really know anyone else. An awkward round of introductions happens and then silence prevails until the drinks start flowing.

I have the perfect solution to wedding seating chart awkwardness, and the best part? It’s a DIY project that will cost you next to nothing! These Topic Table Conversation Place Cards will get your guests laughing and chatting in no time:

What You’ll Need:

Computer Printable Place Cards (enough so each guest gets one!)

Your own creative mind

A computer and a printer

Instructions:

The idea is simple. Simply buy your printable place cards and follow the instructions for running them through your home printer. The creative part comes in with what’s actually on the cards! Instead of just printing your guests name and table number, why not add challenging or thought provoking questions to get your guests chatting? Some examples:

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be? Why?
If you had to choose one meal to eat over and over for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If you could re-do your wedding, what would you change? What would you keep the same?

What guests will be talking up a storm in no time!

DIY Divas: Flower Ring

Lea — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:11:23 +0000

If you are a regular reader, then you know that we love many of the DIY ideas from Martha Stewart Weddings. We particularly love these easy-to-make flower rings, which serve as great gifts for your bridal party and is a great fashion accessory for yourself!

Instructions:

Purchase fabric flowers from your local craft store
Snip the fabric flowers from their stems
Wrap ribbon around your finger to determine the approximate length you’ll need
Cut ribbon to size, adding about 1/4 inch for overlap
Use a hot-glue gun to join ends together, forming a loop, and to add flowers to ribbon bands.

For more details visit Martha Stewart Weddings